Fischer's haters (in who started WW1)

There were many who disagreed with Fischer's ideology of whom caused war in 1914, believing it to be a defensive war, a couple are...

1) Nial Ferguson

He didn't believe that the French and British would have simply agreed to it all, simply let it happen. He queries now that they had no way of telling whether these aims were before/during the war - when British had already accepted war anyway.

2) Eric Brandenburg

Although Germany had an army and a navy, so did the other major powers, it therefore did not clarify that they specifically wanted war. Their plan (Schlieffen Plan 1904) was in case if everybody went to war and they had to join in. Again most other countries had plans for war - almost crucial

3) William Young

Archdukes death prompted the Kaiser to take further action in the direction of war. The Kaiser summoned military and political advisors to a meeting in Potsdam where Bethmann Hollweg didn't even attend. - Seems as though didn't have much knowledge of it.

The Kaiser even planned to drop out of war, at the last minute - but by that point it was too late and the Schlieffen Plan had largely already begun.

4) Michael Brock

'a country where the Chancellor never dared to ask the General Staff'

The General Staff concealed from the political leaders the actual horrors…