Despite numerous studies on Wilhelmine foreign policy and the July Crisis of 1914, the question remains as to what concrete influence "militaristic" mentalities and nationalist values had on the outbreak of the World War. The exclusion or ignorance of this "cultural" aspect under the term "manipulation ideology" leads to an explanation of the German contribution to the outbreak of the war solely in terms of "structural features." But did the "central location," the increasing geopolitical weakening of the Triple Alliance, or the "contradiction" of an industrial society with the political dominance of traditional elites (Junkers) really make the war necessary? This study opposes such "structural determinism" and emphasizes more strongly how reality was perceived by foreign policy actors, an approach that is significant in the field of International Relations.