The War Calculus of World War I

World War I was most directly a product of the armament schedules of the various nations of Europe. The system Zaharov developed had ensured that each of these great powers had obsessively scheduled updates for their weaponry, ships, and cannons. Germany in 1914 is in this position where they realize they have the most advanced army in Europe by their calculus. But Russia is rearming because Zaharov has got them to buy a bunch of guns. And France is rearming. And so they're like, if we don't get involved, like fight a war with both of these countries in another five or six years, they'll have bought new guns and their guns will be better than ours.