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That entire war was stupid. It was started for no discernible reason. Fought to no real conclusion and ended with incredible unjustness and spite. The combatants started with no real enmity towards each other and ended with enduring hatred that would spark another, even more destructive, war. The only thing I find positive about it was the Christmas Truce after which the Brit and German troops didn't want to fight each other. Too bad the rest of the armies didn't have the same idea. Some wars are necessary, that one was not.



As I understand it, Archduke Ferdinand was working on a plan to resolve the grievances of Serbia an a way that would be satisfactory all 'round. Had he not been assassinated, everyone would have been, if not happy, at least not so angry.
Russia was obligated through treaty and ancestry to take the side of the Serbs. Kaiser Wilhelm wanted nothing to do with the war but had a treaty with the Austro-Hungarian empire that obligated Germany to attack Russia. France wanted in it because they wanted revenge for getting seriously whipped in the Franco-Prussian war some 60 years before and they wanted a chance to get the Alsace Loraine area back, so they were quick to honour their treaty with Russia. England was also party to the same treaty and was obligated to join in. The US was going through a period of isolationism when those treaties were made, so had no legitimate reason to get involved in spite of public sympathy with England and France. It wasn't until the Lusitania was torpedoed in 1917 that the US finally had an excuse to get involved.
It was really unfortunate that the very treaties that made a world war inevitable were intended to prevent just such a war.

Let's hope there's intelligent life somewhere in space 'cause it's buggar all down here. -- Monte Python