Teribus, this sounds like a moot discussion to me altogether, both what you quote of Ferguson and your replies.

As we saw many times, e.g. from the article linked by Monique, British and French leaders were afloat in the same boat long before 1914; all plans were designed on that premise. Enthusiasm varied, of course, but the time of real options was from 1900 to 1911, approximately. I think that each single one of the governments involved could have prevented the war then, and should have done so for the benefit of the vast majority of their own citizens, and of the world. Without a WWI no WWII.

If any of them was "less guilty" than the others, we would still be wrong to praise them now.