“Russia exploited the incident of the Archduke to expand further into the balkans. They believed that combined with France, they could easily defeat Germany, and in the end, that Serbia would remain independent, and that the Austro-Hungarian Empire would be destroyed.”
Fine, but who declared war first? Germany. Who launched operations against their enemy first? Germany. We can speculate all day on Russia’s evil plans, but Germany’s the one who actually carried theirs out.
“Who accomplished their expansionist war aims? Germany or Russia? I think it’s pretty clear who succeeded.”
What are you on about? Russia didn’t start expanding, except to recoup what was lost to Germany in the war, until long after WWI. They had problems on their hands (civil war, rapid industrialization, general evil). Germany rose from its grave quicker, under Hitler’s Morning in Germany program.
“What did American lives accomplish? More land for Russia? So it seems.”
America won land for Russia in WWI? What, by preventing Germany from completely destroying them? I thought it was already inevitable that Germany would lose to the allies.
Inevitable with Russia in the war, yes.
They did completely destroy Austria Hungary, and injured Germany, both of Russia’s rivals in the region.