Introduction

This chapter contests the narratives put forward by Zara Steiner, Keith Neilson, and T. G. Otte. It argues that Britain’s foreign policy was more focused on preserving the empire and the Entente than containing Germany. The chapter challenges T. G. Otte’s claim that British foreign minister Sir Edward Grey was a “man of action.” It explores the level of culpability of the Serbian government in the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The chapter discusses Germany’s role in the European system and its mistakes during the July Crisis. The blank check was not the big mistake; the big mistake was the complete lack of communication, cooperation, or oversight after offering unqualified support to its Austrian ally. The chapter argues that France had pursued a foreign policy that could only be successful militarily and concluded that a Balkan inception scenario would be a favorable military situation for France and the Entente.