Questions to Ponder
Big Questions
1. Should the Kaiser be judged on his intentions or his actions?
2. Was the Kaiser the leader of the country and the head of the armed forces? Did the
buck stop with the Kaiser as the leader? Was he responsible for all the decisions
that the German government and military made? Or should the blame be put on
advisors who gave the Kaiser poor advice? Did he lose control of the government
and the army?
Gavrilo Princip
1. Did the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand or the blank check from
the Kaiser start the Great War?
Emperor Franz Joseph I
1. Why wait so long to issue an ultimatum to Serbia?
2. Why did you issue such a harsh ultimatum to Serbia? Why did Austria Hungary
declare war on Serbia? Would the Emperor have taken these sort of actions
without the blank check of support from the Kaiser?
Franz Conrad von Hotzendorf
1. Who wrote the ultimatum to Serbia?
2. Did you recommend war with Serbia? Did you call for war with Serbia several
times before in your career?
3. Was Hotzendorf aware that Russia would likely support Serbia and that their
army was much larger?
4. Would Austria Hungary have issued such a harsh ultimatum and declared war on
Serbia without the “blank check”?
Sergei Sazanov
1. What did Sazanov think about Austria-Hungary’s ultimatum? What advice did he
give to Serbia about how to respond to it?
2. Did the Czar tell the Kaiser that his mobilization of troops was for defensive
purposes?
3. Does Sazanov believe Austria Hungary would have issued such a harsh ultimatum
and then declared war on Serbia without the Kaiser’s “blank check”?
Theobold bon Bethman Hollweg
1. Who does Hollweg work for? Who is ultimately responsible for what happens in
Germany?
2. Who wrote the “blank check”?
3. Did Hollweg want war?
4. Who does Hollweg think is responsible for the start of the war?
5. What did Hollweg think about the Treaty of London of 1839? What did he think
about Britian’s decision to declare war on Germany?
6. Who does Hollweg blame for the escalation of the war?
7. What was Hollweg’s advice on resuming unrestricted submarine warfare in 1917?
Admiral von Tirpitz
1. Did you advise the Kaiser to build up the Germany navy which threatened
Britain?
2. Did you advise the Kaiser to resume unrestricted submarine warfare in 1917?
Erich Ludendorff
1. What was your role and thoughts on the Schlieffen Plan?
2. Were you part of something called the Third Supreme Command (established in
late 1916) which set up a military industrial dictatorship that effectively pushed
the Kaiser to the side? Who was making the decisions from 1916 onward in
Germany?
3. Did you advise the Kaiser to resume unrestricted submarine warfare in 1917?
Otto von Bismarck
1. Did the alliance system Bismarck set up keep the peace or did this system actually
help create the Great War and in turn escalate it from a small conflict into a larger
conflict?
2. Does Bismarck bear responsibility for the tension between Germany and France
because of the harsh Treaty of Frankfurt that he negotiated in 1871 after the
Franco-Prussian War?
3. What strategies did Bismarck adopt to protect German interests? What strategies
did the Kaiser adopt to protect German interests?
4. Why didn’t the Kaiser renew the re-insurance treaty with Russia in 1890?
5. Why did the Kaiser begin a naval build up that threatened England shortly after
coming to power?
Gustav Krupp
1. Who was Krupp’s biggest client?
2. Did Krupp sell his weapons outside of Germany?
3. What weapons did Krupp sell to the Kaiser? What did these weapons do?
4. Who should be held responsible for the destruction these weapons wrecked?
Krupp? The Kaiser? Someone or something else?
Nicholas II
1. How did Nicholas feel about the Kaiser not renewing the re-insurance treaty with
Russia in 1890?
2. Why did Russia form the Triple Entente with France and Britain?
3. What is Russia’s relationship with Serbia?
4. Did Austria Hungary taking over Bosnia in 1908 have anything to do with
Russia’s decision to support Serbia in its conflict with Austria Hungary in 1914?
5. What were the Willy-Nicky telegrams?
6. Why did the Czar order the mobilization of troops on the German border on July
30?
7. Was the mobilization of troops by Russia along the border of Germany defensive
or an act of war?
8. What were his thoughts on the Kaiser’s ultimatum on July 31?
Raymond Poincare
1. Did the Treaty of Frankfurt of 1871 cause your country to seek revenge and desire
war with Germany?
2. Why did France join the war? Was France the aggressor or Germany?
3. What was Plan 17?
King Albert I
1. What is the Treaty of London of 1839?
2. What does neutrality mean? Was Belgian neutrality violated when Germany
asked to go through it? Or did Belgium violate the concept of neutrality by
attempting to stop Germany from going through and in the process aid France?
3. Did Belgium escalate the war by its actions which could be construed to have
brought England into the war?
4. How did the German troops treat Belgian civilians?
5. How did Belgian civilians behave toward German troops?
Sir Edward Grey
1. How did Great Britain feel about the Kaiser’s plan to build up the German navy?
2. Why did Britain declare war on Germany?
3. Did Britain clearly communicate to Germany that if it invaded Belgium this
would cause Britain to join the war?
4. Was Sir Edward Grey a man who sought peace or war?
Vittorio Orlando
1. Why did Italy leave the Triple Alliance and declare neutrality at the beginning of
the war?
2. Why did Italy join the Allies 9 months into the fighting?
3. What was the secret Treaty of London of 1915?
4. Did Italy escalate the war by joining the war effort against Germany and Austria
Hungary?
Woodrow Wilson
1. Why did the U.S. enter the war? What was Zimmerman note? What was the
Sussex Pledge?
2. What did international law say about the sinking of civilian ships during war
time?
3. Was the U.S. being neutral when it traded more with the British than the Germans
or when it failed to stop the British from blockading Germany?
4. What does the Hague Conference or Convention say? Particularly Section 13
Article 6?
5. Who should be held responsible for the Sussex Pledge? Zimmerman Note?
6. Did the Germans warn Americans not to travel in the war zone they established
around Britain?