Evaluate the importance of the long- and short-term causes of the First World War.

The question requires that candidates make an appraisal of the short- and long-term reasons for the outbreak of the Great War in 1914. Candidates may separate the causes into two distinct groups (long-term and short-term). However, it is expected that candidates identify that causes did not work in isolation and that they were interconnected. Long-term causes that may be mentioned include rising militarism, the Alliance System, imperialism, and aggressive nationalism in the major powers and other territories in Europe such as the Balkans. Short-term causes may include the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, the July Crisis and the failure of diplomacy. Other short-term causes could include the impact of war plans, such as the Schlieffen Plan, widening the conflict.