The UK deliberately stalled German efforts at Imperialism (which, like all imperialism, is bad), which threatened in turn German food security as its population increased. France wanted the coal and iron of the Rhineland and vengeance for the collapse of the Second Empire.
Germany saw the writing on the wall and began to look for a way to force the issue, thinking its better ships and more trained crews could carry them once France fell. Meanwhile A-H was trying to stabilise the empire and stop being racist to Hungarians by its usual tactic of being racist to Slavs (and conquering the Balkans would solve its own food crisis). The Serbians responded by going proto-fascist and shooting the heir to the throne and the least racist major leader. Russia wanted to conquer A-H, thinking that it was unstable and that there were definitely no issues in Russia politically or militarily. A-H said "bring it!" and looked forwards to having the border east of Kharkov.
Italy wanted the Mediterranean coast and Tyrol and a continuation of the eternal mountain wars
The most ironic part of the food security issues going into WW1 is that one of Germany's most notorious and nationalistic chemists, Fritz Haber, developed the industrial processes that would soon lead to cheap and effective mass-produced fertilizers: the synthesis of ammonia through the "Haber process". He won a Nobel Prize in 1918 for chemistry for that discovery. But it's a dual-use technology. You can use it to make bulk fertilizers, or you can use it to make bulk explosives.
But Haber didn't just take part in chemistry research. He was an enthusiastic advocate of chemical warfare. He relentlessly lobbied the German military to try using deadly gases, especially chlorine, as a weapon. German military officials agreed, and at the second battle of Ypres in 1915, Haber was personally there to supervise the first use of chlorine gas weapons. He would do this throughout the war on the western and eastern fronts.
The UK deliberately stalled German efforts at Imperialism (which, like all imperialism, is bad), which threatened in turn German food security as its population increased. France wanted the coal and iron of the Rhineland and vengeance for the collapse of the Second Empire.
Germany saw the writing on the wall and began to look for a way to force the issue, thinking its better ships and more trained crews could carry them once France fell. Meanwhile A-H was trying to stabilise the empire and stop being racist to Hungarians by its usual tactic of being racist to Slavs (and conquering the Balkans would solve its own food crisis). The Serbians responded by going proto-fascist and shooting the heir to the throne and the least racist major leader. Russia wanted to conquer A-H, thinking that it was unstable and that there were definitely no issues in Russia politically or militarily. A-H said "bring it!" and looked forwards to having the border east of Kharkov.
Italy wanted the Mediterranean coast and Tyrol and a continuation of the eternal mountain wars
Every one of these assholes had it coming.
The most ironic part of the food security issues going into WW1 is that one of Germany's most notorious and nationalistic chemists, Fritz Haber, developed the industrial processes that would soon lead to cheap and effective mass-produced fertilizers: the synthesis of ammonia through the "Haber process". He won a Nobel Prize in 1918 for chemistry for that discovery. But it's a dual-use technology. You can use it to make bulk fertilizers, or you can use it to make bulk explosives.
But Haber didn't just take part in chemistry research. He was an enthusiastic advocate of chemical warfare. He relentlessly lobbied the German military to try using deadly gases, especially chlorine, as a weapon. German military officials agreed, and at the second battle of Ypres in 1915, Haber was personally there to supervise the first use of chlorine gas weapons. He would do this throughout the war on the western and eastern fronts.
Haber was one of the scientists who signed the Manifesto of the Ninety-Three. He was no dove. He knew what he was doing, he knew what his government was doing, and he had no moral issues with any of it.