The fault, for me, belongs almost entirely to the Kaiser, Wilhelmina II, of Germany. Born with a withered arm, and a father who died young, he grew into a man who believed he could manage anything. This led him to dismiss Bismarck.
Bismarck, like the Kaiser’s father, thank you was working on an alliance with Britain.
Edward VII and the Kaiser’s father were great friends and it was the direction they wanted to go. Then the German Emperor died young, Wilhelmi II ascended the throne, Bismarck was let go and everything went downhill from there.