13.3: Causes of the First World War: short- and long-term causes; relative importance of causes; the Alliance system; the decline of the Ottoman Empire; German foreign policy; Austria-Hungary, Russia and Balkan nationalism; the arms race and diplomatic crises; the July Crisis of 1914

Question 1

Sydney Fay

Answer 1

American historian of the 1920s that challenged the views of the causation of WWI by suggesting the MAIN themes (Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism and Nationalism) were the causes of the war and not any one nation.

Question 2

Fritz Fischer

Answer 2

Germany totally to blame, sought an aggressive war of expansion and territory grabbing to solve their own economic and cultural problems and to also deal with the fact it was surrounded by hostile countries, “will to war”

Question 3

Niall Ferguson

Answer 3

Claims England is most to blame for the outbreak of war because of its misinterpretations of German ambitions.