Two armed blocs, arms race, colonial rivalry
Bismarck's alliances to isolate France later hardened into two blocs. The Triple Alliance (1882) bound Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy; the Triple Entente linked France-Russia (1894), Britain-France (Entente Cordiale, 1904) and Britain-Russia (1907). The Anglo-Japanese Alliance (1902) targeted Russia. An Anglo-German naval race followed Germany's fleet-building from 1898, answered by HMS Dreadnought (1906). Germany twice challenged French Morocco (1905; Agadir, 1911).
The Balkan "powder keg" and July 1914
The Balkans were unstable: the Ottoman Empire declined; Serbia sought to unite South Slavs, some inside Austria-Hungary; Russia backed them (Pan-Slavism). On 28 June 1914 Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo. Germany's "blank cheque" (5-6 July) backed Vienna, which declared war on Serbia (28 July). Germany declared war on Russia (1 August) and France (3 August) and invaded neutral Belgium, bringing Britain in on 4 August (1839 Treaty of London).
Drawn from real examiner reports.
The assassination was only the trigger
A weak answer stops at "Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, so war broke out", confusing the trigger with the underlying causes. Explain why a Sarajevo murder could engulf Europe in five weeks: the alliance system, the arms race, colonial rivalry (the Moroccan Crises), and Balkan instability where Austrian and Russian interests clashed over Serbia.
Two Moroccan Crises, not one
Candidates often blur the First Moroccan Crisis (1905) and the Agadir Crisis (1911) into a single undated "Moroccan Crisis". They were separate: Germany challenged French Morocco twice in six years, and each challenge backfired, worsening its relations with France and Britain and pushing Britain toward France. Name both, with dates, as two distinct episodes.
Anglo-Japanese Alliance aimed at Russia
The Anglo-Japanese Alliance (1902) is sometimes wrongly said to have been aimed at Germany. In fact it was agreed chiefly to check Russian expansion in East Asia and to let Britain concentrate its navy in home waters. It predates the two-bloc system of 1907-14, so do not fold it into the Triple Alliance/Entente rivalry. State its purpose (against Russia) and date precisely.
Bosnian Crisis vs the Balkan Wars
Candidates confuse the Bosnian Crisis (1908) with the Balkan Wars (1912-13). The Bosnian Crisis was Austria-Hungary's annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, humiliating Serbia and Russia. The Balkan Wars were later conflicts — the Balkan states against the Ottomans, then among themselves — leaving Serbia larger and more confident. They are distinct events with different dates.
The Ententes were not a single pact
The Triple Entente was not one military alliance like the Triple Alliance. It grew from separate agreements: the Franco-Russian alliance (1894), the Entente Cordiale (1904, a colonial settlement, not a promise of war support), and the Anglo-Russian Entente (1907). Treating the Entente Cordiale as a binding military pact overstates Britain's pre-war commitment to France.
Getting the July 1914 order wrong
The July Crisis sequence is easily muddled. The correct order: assassination (28 June) -> Austro-Hungarian ultimatum (23 July) -> Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia (28 July) -> Russian mobilisation -> Germany declares war on Russia (1 August) and France (3 August) -> Germany invades Belgium -> Britain declares war on Germany (4 August).
Myths about who declared war in 1914
A testable wrong belief. First, some think Germany declared war on Serbia; Austria-Hungary did (28 July 1914), while Germany's first declarations were on Russia (1 August) and France (3 August). Second, Britain did not enter just after the assassination: it declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914 because Germany invaded neutral Belgium (1839 Treaty of London).
Weigh causes; keep to 1890-1914
On "'The assassination was the main cause.' How far do you agree?", argue both sides. Trigger: the blank cheque, ultimatum and mobilisation turned a local murder into war. Long-term: alliances, arms race, colonial rivalry, Balkan crises. Judge, within 1890-1914.
Explain causes; argue both sides
On "explain why" questions, give developed reasons, not a story — state each reason and support it with specific detail. On "how far" questions, develop both sides and finish with a judgement showing which is stronger, not a bare assertion.
Read a source's message in full
On "what is the message of this source" questions, use all the details together for the overall message, not one caption or figure. Read the whole cartoon — figures and caption — support it with own knowledge, and answer directly rather than describing the image.
Bias does not sink a source
On "how useful is this source" questions, give a direct verdict early and justify it from content, provenance and purpose. A one-sided source, such as a wartime paper blaming the enemy, is still useful evidence of opinion at the time; not "biased, therefore useless".
The First World War broke out in the summer of 1914 after decades of rising tension between the Great Powers of Europe. Historians distinguish long-term causes (the alliance system, the arms race, colonial rivalry, and Balkan instability, developing from around 1890) from the short-term trigger — the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the crisis that followed in June-July 1914.
By 1907, Europe was split into two opposing blocs:
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