Why British entry in 1914 was not inevitable

Was British involvement in the First World War inevitable?

Not necessarily in 1914; British policy and the speed of the continental campaign could leave too little time for another cause for war to emerge.

Some future British intervention may be likely, but entry in August 1914 is not automatic. The government still has to choose war, and without a Belgian violation its strongest common justification disappears. A rapid repeat of the Franco-Prussian War could defeat France before another incident gives interventionists a usable cause. Every Royal Navy consequence therefore depends on whether the fleet is activated immediately, later, or never.