Royal cousins Wilhelm II and King George V went to war As nations gear up to mark 100 years since the start of World War One, academic argument still rages over which country was to blame for the conflict.Education Secretary for England Michael Gove's recent criticism of how the causes and consequences of the war are taught in schools has only stoked the debate further. Here 10 leading historians give their opinion. Sir Max Hastings - military historian Germany No one nation deserves all responsibility for the outbreak of war, but Germany seems to me to deserve most.