(A) All of the above
(B) Germany and Australia
(C) ** The United States was neutral at the start of the war
(D) Britain and France
EXPLANATIONS BELOW
Concept note-1: -Germany sought to break up the French-Russian alliance and was fully prepared to take the risk that this would bring about a major war. Some in the German elite welcomed the prospect of beginning an expansionist war of conquest. The response of Russia, France and later Britain were reactive and defensive.
Concept note-2: -When war broke out in Europe in 1914 President Wilson declared that the United States would follow a strict policy of neutrality. This was a product of a longstanding idea at the heart of American foreign policy that the United States would not entangle itself with alliances with other nations.
Concept note-3: -On the evening of 2 August 1914, Germany demanded that its troops be allowed to pass through Belgian territory. Belgium refused. Accepting Germany’s demands would make Belgium complicit in the attack on France and partially responsible for the violation of its own neutrality. Germany invaded on 4 August.
Concept note-4: -Wilson cited Germany’s violation of its pledge to suspend unrestricted submarine warfare in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and its attempts to entice Mexico into an alliance against the United States, as his reasons for declaring war.