Hmm, In real life, Germany did technically start WWI, even if it was an Serbian school boy that killed the Archduke. But Germany wanted it, and they had all the plans to take over countries. The Von Schlieffen plan( I think I spelled that wrong...) the Luistania in America. Everyone blamed Germany because they were the offensive country. If they had won, and maybe would have if they didn't take out a third of the people in the Von Schliffen plan, then I think they would still be blamed, because they still started the fight (unofficially). But since they lost, they had to pay reparations, which angered them...and made them extremely poor, and they started WWII.
However, Scott probably just made the Germany in his books appear to be evil because that's what everyone thought of them.