Editing German Empire (section)

====Origins====
{{Main|German entry into World War I}}
[[File:WWI-re.png|thumb|upright=1.75|Map of the world showing the participants in World War I. Those fighting on the [[Triple Entente|Entente]]'s side (at one point or another) are depicted in green, the [[Central Powers]] in orange, and neutral countries in grey.]]

Following the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian Archduke [[Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria|Franz Ferdinand]] by [[Gavrilo Princip]], the Kaiser offered Emperor [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Joseph]] full support for Austro-Hungarian plans to invade the [[Kingdom of Serbia]], which Austria-Hungary blamed for the assassination. This unconditional support for Austria-Hungary was called a "blank cheque" by historians, including German [[Fritz Fischer (historian)|Fritz Fischer]]. Subsequent interpretation – for example at the [[Versailles Peace Conference]] – was that this "blank cheque" licensed Austro-Hungarian aggression regardless of the diplomatic consequences, and thus [[War Guilt Clause|Germany bore responsibility for starting the war]], or at least provoking a wider conflict.

Germany began the war by targeting its chief rival, France. Germany saw the French Republic as its principal danger on the European continent as it could mobilize much faster than Russia and bordered Germany's industrial core in the [[Rhineland]]. Unlike Britain and Russia, the French entered the war mainly for revenge against Germany, in particular for France's [[Franco-Prussian War|loss]] of [[Alsace-Lorraine]] to Germany in 1871. The German high command knew that France would muster its forces to go into Alsace-Lorraine. Aside from the very unofficial [[Septemberprogramm]], the Germans never stated a clear list of goals that they wanted out of the war.{{Sfnp|Stibbe|2006|pp=176–178}}