To point this out...WW I is rarely discussed today in any high school or any university. Few historians really can stand there and discuss the whole period.
First, you had the Hapsburg Empire in decline...with a bunch of jokers as states (Bosnia was the trouble-maker in this case....along with Serbia).
Second, the Crown Prince of the Hapsburg Empire was a fairly high-ranking individual, when murdered there on the streets of Sarajevo. The planners? All Serbian, and you could count into the dozens when it came to the planning and mission to kill the Crown Prince.
Third, this blunt message from the Hapsburg Empire wasn’t that tough on requirements (only three things) to clean up the mess after the murder. One of the requirements was to cut out all propaganda from the Serbia revolutionary guys. No discussion at all...the Serbs quickly turned on this help-us-out treaty with Russia.
Fourth, Kaiser Wilhelm II....was not Kaiser Wilhelm I. This was a guy ill-suited for the job...hated politicians...thought the Hapsburgs were good buddies of his (something that Bismarck and Wilhelm I would never have said), and didn’t bat an eye when it was apparent that he’d have to fight Russia, England and France.
Fifth, because of Teddy’s little anger episode....Wilson easily wins the Presidency in 1912. Taft should have easily won, and the US involvement might have come even earlier.
Sixth and final....the climax of WW I....merely leads onto WW II twenty years later.
You can look at the present mess in Syria and see dozens of stumbling points where we shouldn’t be in the current position. All you need is one missile to go the wrong way....some Russian ship thinks they are under attack...activates their defenses....and sinks a US carrier. In twenty-four hours....you’ve recreated all the steps of WW I. And it all leads back to Muslims...that’s the comical part of this story.
Too bad the assassination attempt on Clemenceau failed, could have saved Europe from a lot of grief.