From the day the "Iron Chancellor" was appointed into his position, the fate of Germany, and of Europe would forever be changed. Otto von Bismarck was able to take the scattered remnants of a grand empire and mold it back into a great nation. According to the American Heritage Dictionary...

Germany and the Origins of the First World War 1 Between 1866 and 1871, thanks to the skilful diplomacy of Prussia's great minister, Prince Otto von Bismarck and to the unexcelled military genius of his generals, ...

Germany's invasion of France via Belgium was the initial act of war that brought about the commencement of war. However, is it fair to say that it was Germany and Germany alone who acted to bring about this first step? I would argue that a series of events led to the German ...