Who is to blame for the start of WW1?

[Glorious KASSRD]

Multiple factors: some factors have been of more importance than other factors. The direct cause of the war was the death of the Austrian Heir.

This is true yes. But what must be remembered is that Europe was in such a state that war was inevitable. Somewhere, some idiot was going to cause a small conflict that ends up becoming a world war. It just happened to start in Serbia and Austria-Hungary.

[Rusozak]

Multiple factors: some factors have been of more importance than other factors. The direct cause of the war was the death of the Austrian Heir.

This is true yes. But what must be remembered is that Europe was in such a state that war was inevitable. Somewhere, some idiot was going to cause a small conflict that ends up becoming a world war. It just happened to start in Serbia and Austria-Hungary.

But it didn't have to start with Serbia. Austria-Hungary escalated the situation by blaming a whole country for a terrorist group's activity. WW1 may have happened anyways, but the way it DID happen was a result of Austria-Hungary. The Habsburgs done it again!

[Adnan Nawaz And Bureacrats Elsewhere]

Some pissed off guy who didn't like Franz Ferdinand.

[Old Tyrannia]

This is true yes. But what must be remembered is that Europe was in such a state that war was inevitable. Somewhere, some idiot was going to cause a small conflict that ends up becoming a world war. It just happened to start in Serbia and Austria-Hungary.

But it didn't have to start with Serbia. Austria-Hungary escalated the situation by blaming a whole country for a terrorist group's activity. WW1 may have happened anyways, but the way it DID happen was a result of Austria-Hungary. The Habsburgs done it again!

The Austrians (the Hungarians weren't particularly big on the idea of going to war and were pretty much dragged along against their will) weren't entirely unjustified, however. The Black Hand group did have close links to the Serbian government, and the Austrians had every reason to believe that Serbia would make little effort to prosecute the group's members. After all, the Black Hand's leader- who was head of the Serbian Military Intelligence- was responsible for the assassination of Serbia's previous king, Alexander I Obrenović, in 1903 and was lauded for it by the new regime. Serbia had already dropped its own investigation by the time the Austrians presented their ultimatum, so one can understand why the Austrians felt they weren't receiving justice.

Furthermore, Emperor Franz Josef himself had very little to do with pushing the war, and in fact expressed his concerns that the Austrian ultimatum to Serbia was too harsh. It was his ministers- and in particular, the Foreign Minister Count Berchtold- who were the driving force behind the ultimatum; as such, the Habsburgs did not "do it again." In fact, the Habsburgs lost everything in a war that was hardly their fault.

[The Salvatagard Republic]

Hitler.

Hitler didnt start WWI, he started WWII in Europe.

[Nazis in Space]

Also, no German offensive in the west.

The German-French border was fortified all to hell, attacking through it was suicidal (As the French learned when they tried to do just that and got murderised). And a Netherlands + Belgium would be just a touch too strong for Germany to disregard as a non-issue.

The war would likely go vastly differently. A failed French offensive in the west (As historically), while Germany and Austria-Hungary push eastward. The additional pressure from actually having a decent chunk of the German army pushing into Russia would relieve pressure from the Austro-Hungarians (Who were hilariously crushed by the Russians OTL), while Britain would, in the absence of a blatant casus belli, likely wait for a bit before joining officially (Supplying France with loans and arms shipments straight from the start, though).

France would be in much better shape for the conflict on account of not losing a healthy percentage of its industry to the German attack, while Russia would generally do worse. British and Italian entry into the conflict circa 1915, I reckon. Belgium might or might not be convinced to join a year later.

Tactics and technology still wouldn't advance any faster than OTL, so the western front should remain relatively stable throughout 1916 (Though I do expect the combined Anglo-British forces to make some headway - not much movement, but what movement's there would be on German territory), while Russia may already collapse. Not a guarantee, but that is a fair bit of extra pressure put on it. Might keep Romania neutral that way, too.

Negotiated peace in 1917, Germany loses all its colonies and cedes the French-speaking parts of Elsass-Lothringen to France, Austria-Hungary loses some Italian-speaking clay, Serbia survives relatively untouched, Russia loses the Baltic territories, Finland, and its Polish-speaking territories (Now an independent Poland aligned with Germany and Austria-Hungary, as was the plan OTL, even formally put in action in 1916, most of the territory in question still being in Russian hands then notwithstanding). The willingness to go for a total finish will, particularly on British side, likely be lower. It's not a fight for raw survival for France, either. And with Germany concentrating on the eastern front from the start, Ludendorff never rises to power (He'd likely be stationed in the west instead), making Germany less boneheaded-retarded about the whole peace-thing.

You mean that the United Netherlands would be convinced to join.

Anyway, this also assumes that German unification happens as in the OTL with a United NL next to it. There might be complications there during the 19th century.

But yes, with a United NL being maybe a tad too strong (hey, in OTL the Dutch stayed neutral because joining one side would cost us Indonesia, joining the other would cost us our homeland), we just might join in later, on whomever is weaker (this depends majorly on the British, I assume). All depending on what happened between 1830 and 1914 with regards to German unification and how much Prussia or Austria would have antagonized us in the German Confederation and its successors.

Whoops. Got a little confused there.

Tbh, I suspect it'd take a hell of a lot of German aggression for the dutch to join with the British - hell of a lot of bad blood back then, what with the English-Dutch wars and the British snagging the Dutch african and most of their south american assets during the napoleonic wars. And I do recall a dutch newspaper article mocking and practically insulting the americans for being super sad and disappointed that the germans dared to sink one kf their troop transports in 1917.

Now, the dutch siding /with/ germany is equally unlikely - as you say, they'd say goodbye to indonesia if they did that. Even if france was down and britain isolated, there would still be the japanese. And the americans wouldn't protect someone allied with the germans from them. So basically, neutrality is practically a guarantee for the greater netherlands.

[Friedensreich]

I believe it was Serbia's fault, all the way. They should have made the proper amends to Austria-Hungary and met the demands after one of their own killed Archduke Ferdinand. After Serbia refused, Austria-Hungary had every right to declare war.
I believe the Triple Entente was in the wrong.
Although, I may be somewhat biased, since most of my family came from Austria-Hungary and the German Empire....

[Gim]

Commies, always the commies.

No, they were responsible for the Cold War.

[The Grey Wolf]

I believe it was Serbia's fault, all the way. They should have made the proper amends to Austria-Hungary and met the demands after one of their own killed Archduke Ferdinand. After Serbia refused, Austria-Hungary had every right to declare war.
I believe the Triple Entente was in the wrong.
Although, I may be somewhat biased, since most of my family came from Austria-Hungary and the German Empire....

Didn't Serbia deny only one demand that Austria-Hungary gave, while agreeing to all the others?

Seems like the Corfu Incident. Just an excuse for war.

Hope that one demand was really worth it. Because they effectively ruined their own empire by declaring war over it.

[Friedensreich]

I believe it was Serbia's fault, all the way. They should have made the proper amends to Austria-Hungary and met the demands after one of their own killed Archduke Ferdinand. After Serbia refused, Austria-Hungary had every right to declare war.
I believe the Triple Entente was in the wrong.
Although, I may be somewhat biased, since most of my family came from Austria-Hungary and the German Empire....

Didn't Serbia deny only one demand that Austria-Hungary gave, while agreeing to all the others?

Seems like the Corfu Incident. Just an excuse for war.

Hope that one demand was really worth it. Because they effectively ruined their own empire by declaring war over it.

Which demand didn't they meet? I'm reading the Austro-Hungarian Ultimatum to Serbia and the demands seem reasonable, given how Serbia has been vocal about being anti-Austria-Hungary.

[Mushet]

Chuck Norris

[White Chrobatia]

That guy who killed the archduke was the immediate blame

European Imperialism is to blame on the macro scale though

[Empire of Narnia]

United States.

[Old Tyrannia]

Didn't Serbia deny only one demand that Austria-Hungary gave, while agreeing to all the others?

Seems like the Corfu Incident. Just an excuse for war.

Hope that one demand was really worth it. Because they effectively ruined their own empire by declaring war over it.

Which demand didn't they meet? I'm reading the Austro-Hungarian Ultimatum to Serbia and the demands seem reasonable, given how Serbia has been vocal about being anti-Austria-Hungary.

They refused to allow Austria-Hungary to participate in the investigation into the assassination within Serbia and its links to the Serbian government. It wasn't a hugely unreasonable demand.

[The Conez Imperium]

Commies, always the commies.

No, they were responsible for the Cold War.

Also if you believe in Hitler, the Jewish, Communist, non-volks started WW2. Buzzwords galore.

[Socialist Tera]

Serbia for the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand.

Serbia was responsible for a secret society's actions?

They refused to hand over the people responsible.

[The Qeiiam Star Cluster]

No, they were responsible for the Cold War.

Also if you believe in Hitler, the Jewish, Communist, non-volks started WW2. Buzzwords galore.

The Jewish Bolshevik bankers started both world wars to destroy Germany. *nods*

[Socialist Tera]

Also if you believe in Hitler, the Jewish, Communist, non-volks started WW2. Buzzwords galore.

The Jewish Bolshevik bankers started both world wars to destroy Germany. *nods*

I am a Jewish Communist, so I am the Nazis worse fears.

[The Qeiiam Star Cluster]

The Jewish Bolshevik bankers started both world wars to destroy Germany. *nods*

I am a Jewish Communist, so I am the Nazis worse fears.

Only if you're also a banker.

[Nationes Pii Redivivi]

Also if you believe in Hitler, the Jewish, Communist, non-volks started WW2. Buzzwords galore.

The Jewish Bolshevik bankers started both world wars to destroy Germany. *nods*

I hate capitalism, which is why I'm going to engage in capitalism.

-The power of being Jewish.

[Gim]

No, they were responsible for the Cold War.

Also if you believe in Hitler, the Jewish, Communist, non-volks started WW2. Buzzwords galore.

Hitler is bogus. USSR wanted to be an isolationist. They only crawled out of their isolationist shell, because Germany was being aggressive towards them.

[Trotskylvania]

Also if you believe in Hitler, the Jewish, Communist, non-volks started WW2. Buzzwords galore.

Hitler is bogus. USSR wanted to be an isolationist. They only crawled out of their isolationist shell, because Germany was being aggressive towards them.

That is because they were playing the long game.

[Sun Wukong]

Also if you believe in Hitler, the Jewish, Communist, non-volks started WW2. Buzzwords galore.

Hitler is bogus. USSR wanted to be an isolationist. They only crawled out of their isolationist shell, because Germany was being aggressive towards them.

That must be why they invaded Finland then. Isolationism.

[The Greater German Federal Republic]

I blame both radical Serbians and Austria-Hungary for the war

Radical Serbians because well, it were radical Serbs who assassinated Franz Ferdinand and Austria-Hungary because they were always trying to Anschluss annex Serbia.

[Amethystlands]

Those Meddling Kids