The Origins of the First World War

There are so many questions about the events of July 1914 that will never have definitive answers. Most importantly, and the one that would occupy so much thought after the war was, why did it happen? During the conflict both sides blamed the other, but after the dust had settled on the battlefield, a more nuanced understanding began to emerge. My opinion has settled into the idea that the reason that the war spiraled out of control was not due to one specific government or individual throwing the continent into war, but instead a mutual desire among the countries,. Each for their own reasons, to enter a conflict, or at the very least, not resist one. Once the political leaders drifted towards war, the