Of course, Britain, France, Russia, Italy and Japan--the good guys--had no desire to expand their empires. None whatsoever.
World War One began when Germany invaded Belgium and Austria-Hungary invaded Serbia.
Nobody forced them to invade these countries. They invaded them because they expected to seize control of large parts of Europe.
It’s interesting that - even as their Uhlans were raping and burning their way across Belgium - the German propaganda machine relied on much the same rhetoric that you’ve chosen to use.
So the Left DOESN’T shy away from truth and put their personal spin on things? That is the point of the article in case you missed it.