Changes

The '''causes of [[World War I]]''' remain hotly contested a century after the war itself concluded. Some authors emphasize the accidental character of the war as an unplanned response to the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, in June 1914. Others argue that the German government planned the war in advance and used the assassination as a pretext.

The '''causes of [[World War I]]''' remain hotly contested a century after the war itself concluded. Some authors emphasize the accidental character of the war as an unplanned response to the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, in June 1914. Others argue that the German government planned the war in advance and used the assassination as a pretext.

Until 1904, German military planners thought in terms of a defensive response to a possible Russian attack. When Europeans thought about war, it was more likely to be an Anglo-Russian war than one that involved Germany. Germany's shift to an offensive strategy can be traced to Russia's defeat at the hands the Japanese in 1905 and the adoption of the Schlieffen Plan to invade France by way of Belgium.

Until 1904, German military planners thought in terms of a defensive response to a possible Russian attack. When Europeans thought about war, it was more likely to be an Anglo-Russian war than one that involved Germany. Germany's shift to an offensive strategy can be traced to Russia's defeat at the hands the Japanese in 1905.  

Militarists wanted to take advantage of Russia's post-1905 vulnerablity, especially during the First Morroccan Crisis of 1906. They found that German public opinion and the army's lack of up-to-date artillery did not permit this. To remedy the situation, recoiless artillery was introduced, naval buildup was accelerated, and propaganda was distributed through the Navy League that accused Britain of "encircling" Germany and denying the country its rightful "place in the sun," meaning a share of colonies.

To take advantage of Russia's vulnerablity during the war with Japan, Chief of Staff Alfred von Schlieffen developed a plan to invade France by way of Belgium. During the First Morroccan Crisis of 1906, the kaiser found that German public opinion and the army's lack of up-to-date artillery did not allow him to implement a plan of this type. To remedy the situation, recoiless artillery was introduced, naval buildup was accelerated, and propaganda was distributed through the Navy League that accused Britain of "encircling" Germany and denying the country its rightful "place in the sun," meaning a share of colonies.

These efforts to influence German public opinion met with limited success until the Agadir Crisis of 1911. In this incident, France and Britain combined to opposed German colonial ambitions in Africa. Germany did not have the resources to outbuild a combined Anglo-French Fleet, so a new strategy had to be adopted. The Reichstag approved army expansion, required to carry out the Schlieffen Plan, in July 1913.

These efforts to influence German public opinion met with limited success until the Agadir Crisis of 1911. In this incident, France and Britain combined to opposed German colonial ambitions in Africa. Germany did not have the resources to outbuild a combined Anglo-French fleet, so a new strategy had to be developed. The Reichstag approved army expansion, required to implement the Schlieffen Plan, in July 1913.

== Historiography ==

== Historiography ==