“So were the French for not liking the Versailles of 1871 because obviously both treaties were the same level of harshness, how does that make us special?” It doesn’t. The only German “specialty” in this is only the German blame a Treaty for their own mistake following the treaty…

“The French would have gladly fallen into out backs had we only invaded Russia and not them in 1914.” Except to do this would have just respect a Defensive Treaty signed by France and Russia…
And, er, Germany invaded France in 1914. And Belgium. So, the only one to blame is the German Government.

“They were very fortunate that our leaders were apparently quite a bit more idiotic when it came to diplomacy than theirs”: In this matter, I think the French leaders were quite smart.
The Kaiser and the Junkers’ arrogance played in the French hands…

“he most certainly did not want it through a European war” He certainly did not… He was a little shock probably when France and UK, respecting signed defensive Treaties, said they will respected them. So he decided to declare war on France, to attack Belgium (as it was part of the plan!!!) and was surprise by UK reaction…
But at any moment the Kaiser was willing to go to war…

“It also highlights how eager the French were to engage in WW1”: Certainly they were… But, important but, they didn’t start it.
The Prussian was eager to start the 1870 war as well, as you probably know, as a tool of unification for Germany… It make Napoleon III stupid, not Bismark.
The fact that the Germans, knowing the French were decided to take back what was stolen few years ago, intention the French never hind, make the Germans even more stupid…

“that they had trapped Germany”: Germany trapped itself. Nobody obliged the Kaiser to back-up Austria on an offensive war.
The problem with the Kaiser and his optimistic view on the Austrian Ultimatum is it was absolutely baseless.
Serbia did accept almost every thing but Austria, with Germany blessing, wanted a war. They got it, lost it.
And didn’t stop to whine about it… How was it possible the French peasants were able to defeat the mighty German Army? It can only be possible because a fifth column (I know, too early…). The German were betrayed by, er, not completely German (Communist, Jews, Francs Masons, Homosexual, etc). That was the only rational reason.
All was ready to crush the French, the attack on a neutral country, the machine guns, artillery, mobilization, declaration of war, offensive, attack on Paris, we do this, they do this, parade in Paris, and all this good plan just failed. Hold one, can’t be.
It has to be something else. A back stab, that is it. The German Army never lost the Hindenburg Line, never lost at Verdun, in Champagne, at Ypres. It was a stab in the back by filthy politicians…