Coulsdon Eagle
Monthly Donor
The threat to expand via war?
The spectre of Prussian militarism could be used in whatever way it suited antagonistic powers. When France breaks an established international treaty to expand in Morocco, it's just the natural expansion of a colonial power. When Germany tries to get in on it, it's expansionism, militarism, and proof of the nefarious Weltpolitik.
Not to mention, it rings kind of hollow when before the war both France and Russia had higher military expenditure as share of GDP, and France had more soldiers per capita in its standing army in 1914.
I expect the Great Powers recall that Prussia's expansion into the German Empire involved wars with them (Austria & France) and taking territory from several established European nations (Hanover, Saxony & France all unwillingly) rather than from the natives of faraway (& not Christian) colonies. Not that these were unusual but were the only comparable annexations since 1815.