Kaiser Wilhelm repeatedly asked France what their intentions were.
He said that if France promised not to mobilize, neither would he. The sound of crickets was their reply. Faced with the possibility of an attack from two fronts, he ordered full mobilization. Using this as an excuse, the French began mobilizing as well. And from there the train wreck began. In my opinion the best outcome, other than that meaningless and worthless war never being fought, would have been for a swift German victory. Much of the bloodshed of the 20th century would have been prevented had such an outcome occurred.