What are the main arguments by historians against the assertion that Germany was responsible for the outbreak of the war in Europe in 1914?:)

An early opponent of the German war guilt theory was the
German historian Alfred von Wegerer. He credits the Russian decision to begin
mobilization as the main catalyst for war. Von Wegerer condemns this act by Russia and
indicts them as the first European power to abandon diplomacy as a means of resolving
the crisis in the Balkans. 

American scholar Sidney
Bradshaw Fay in a series of articles published in The American Historical
Review from 1920-1921 examined the origins of the First World War.  Although
finding fault with a variety of actors during the crisis, Fay places particular blame on
Austria-Hungary.  He bluntly states that Austro-Hungarian minister of foreign affairs
Count Leopold von Berchtold was, “…more than anyone else was responsible for the World
War....” Fay charges Berchtold with using the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand as
justification for a campaign designed to weaken the growing Serbian threat and
strengthen Austro-Hungarian rule, a position adopted in part because of the Alliance’s
growing fear of “encirclement” by a strengthening
Entente.

Although Fay largely absolves Great Britain of
blame in the breakdown of diplomacy in July 1914, however, the culpability of Russia and
France are directly addressed in his 1930 Origins of the World
War.  Russia’s encouragement of Serbian aggression toward Austria-Hungary and
its promise to back Serbia in the event of conflict in addition to the mobilization of
its armies inflamed the crisis and ultimately ended the possibility of a diplomatic
solution.  The Russian stance was strengthened and even encouraged by the strong support
of French premier Raymond Poincare and ambassador to Russia
Paleologue.

Deemed as one of the most radical revisionists
of his time, Henry E. Barnes places primary blame for the July crisis and ensuing world
war on Serbia and the Entente powers Russia and France.  Fault for the immediate crisis
is placed on the Serbian government who, according to Barnes, had prior knowledge of the
conspiracy to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand yet failed to warn Austro-Hungarian
authorities to the threat and took no steps to prevent
bloodshed.