Write an essay, there is no set length requirement, and assign a certain percentage of blame to each of the Great Powers (Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Russia, in alphabetical order) for the start of World War I. Can use any sources as long as educational and no set limit on them. Discuss what had happened to each country in the decades leading up to the war and the way in which other nations viewed these events. How did each event push the nations closer to war? It is entirely possible that while lecturing on the events which brought about World War I, that you came to conclusions different than those of many historians. As I tried to express in class, historians have assigned blame to all of these nations in varying degrees. Thus, there is no “wrong” answer. An appropriate answer will have a percentage and a paragraph or more listing the reasons why that country shares blame for starting the war. The grade will depend on how well the events the essay highlights fit the percentages you assign each nation. For instance, a good essay if it assigns a large blame to a specific country, that portion of the essay ought to cite a number of instances in which that nation was involved and how it left their “enemies” seeking revenge.
