“German foreign policy did not lead to the outbreak of the First World War.” Discuss.

The question requires that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the statement. Candidates may refer to Balkan nationalism as a key cause, along with the Alliance System which arguably made it easier for a local conflict to lead to a generalised war. Some may argue that it was Germany’s clumsy diplomacy, for example the Moroccan Crises, that caused tension, rather than the policies themselves. To disagree, it could be argued that Weltpolitik and the naval race with Britain contributed to a suspicion of Germany’s intentions. Candidates may also argue that it was a failure to resolve the July Crisis in 1914 that led to the outbreak of the war.

The question required candidates to offer a considered and balanced review of the statement that German foreign policy did not lead to the outbreak of the First World War. This was probably the most successful question on the paper. It successfully elicited detailed knowledge about the causes of the First World War, the role of German foreign policy and that of other factors. Analysis was often well developed and supported with specific points.