“The most important causes of wars were political.” With reference to two wars, to what extent do you agree with this statement?

The question requires that candidates consider the merits or otherwise of the statement that the most important causes of two wars were political. The two wars may or may not come from the same region. Causes may predate the timeframe but must be clearly linked to the issue raised by the question. Candidates may offer equal coverage of the two wars or they may prioritize their evaluation of one of them. However, both wars will be a feature of the response. Candidates may refer to wars which were caused by disputes over politically important areas, for example the Balkans in 1914. Some civil wars, such as Irish Civil War, may have been caused, in part, by unequal political rights, or to eliminate political opposition (for example, the Russian Civil War), while others, such as the Nicaraguan Civil War, were an aspect of ideological Cold War conflict. Other relevant factors may be addressed, for example, economic causes, racial and/or religious tension, aggressive leadership or territorial ambition, but with a focus on the issue raised by the question. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

The question required that candidates consider the merits or otherwise of the statement that the most important causes of two wars were political. A good knowledge of civil wars, especially where political ideologies had contributed to the outbreak, proved very useful to candidates who were able to demonstrate sound knowledge and understanding. Many candidates, however, fell back on narrating a rather basic knowledge of the causes of the two world wars, either struggling to identify any as political or to focus on other factors that were more familiar.