Source D also believes that alliances were the most important rain for World War One, but also states that other factors (militarism) played a part in starting the War. This is clearly seen by the statement: ("but it was her alliance with Germany and the promise of German support that allowed a full-scale rare to break out."). On the other hand, this source also states militarism as the factor that brings about the creation of alliances, which therefore means that it ranks militarism as the major underlying factor as to why the war happened ("Austria had regarded the growing power of Serbia with concern for many years...") In this context, "the growing power" is an indication of the growing power of the military forces of Serbia. This also shows that it was a combination of factors, not just one, that makes a war. To assess this source fully, its reliability needs to be assessed. This source is from “The Great War”, a patriotic weekly journal written in Britain. It is likely to be reliable, as it was a journal that was describing contemporary events as they happened. However, it was highly patriotic, which is seen in “Germany is using the crime of a schoolboy as an excuse.” This does not really matter in this case, as we are interested in Austria and Serbia. This journal was made to inform people of the happenings of the war, so in this way it is reliable. Overall, this source is supporting the statement in the question to a limited extent, as although it shows alliances to be a key reason to why the war happened, it also gives others. Its reliability makes it even more supportive of the question.
There are also many other pieces of past information that can be used to show that alliances were an integral cause to why the war happened. One of these pieces of evidence is the fact that the trigger cause was the Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and what started off as a small war between Serbia and Austria-Hungary escalated into a World War solely because of the alliances made leading up to that point, namely the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente.
However, there are also other arguments that can be placed on a higher standing than the alliances created between countries. One of these is clearly seen in Source 1: (“I can see no solution to the present collision of ideals (“Germany shall increase to the utmost of her power.”) but war”). This is a reference to the rearmament that many European powers, including Britain and Germany, undertook in order to not lose the war when it would inevitably happen. This shows that the reason the pressure built up in Europe was because of militarism and the race to build up weapons. To assess this source’s reliability, its nature, origin and purpose needs to be observed. It is part of a lecture, so what he is saying is most likely what he believes in, as he can express his views relatively freely. JA Cramb gave this lecture, who was an Englishman living in Germany, and he also loved Germany. However, as he was criticizing Germany “I have lived among Germans, but… I can see no solution… but war” This enhances its reliability. It was meant to inform people, so again, its reliability is enhanced. Overall, Source A gives a strong disagreement to the statement in the question.
Source C also states militarism and the race to build up arms as influential factors to why World War One broke out. This is seen when James Joll states: “The arms race… contributed to the sense that war was bound to come, and soon.” This shows that militarism was the influential factor that built up tension just as the war was starting to become a possibility. This source is from a well-respected, knowledgeable historian, who had no reason to alter the truth. However, this source is from 1992, which means it was not contemporary, and the writer did not have a feel about the atmosphere when it was actually happening. It is from a book, which is meant to inform the reader, which means that its reliability is enhanced. Overall, Source C gives a strong disagreement with the statement.
From other knowledge, it is known that militarism, imperialism and nationalism also played a part in causing the war, not just alliances. Nationalism is when a country thinks it is better than others, and to enforce its authority, a country goes to war. It is also seen when a country in an empire feels nationalistic pride and wants to be independent. This is seen when Serbia and Bosnia showed a strong sense of discontent towards Austria, when they were in their empire. It ended in a Serbian shooting and killing Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which ultimately started the war. Imperialism also built up to create tension, like the Moroccan Crisis, where France tried to conquer Morocco, but the Germans stopped them. This made France and Germany enemies. In this way, it shows that alliances were not always the most important reason for war breaking out.
Overall, the weight of the evidence seems to suggest that militarism was the main cause of World War One. Two sources fully support this view and one source partly supports this, but only one source fully supports the view in the question, and one source agrees with this partly. Therefore, the sources agree with the interpretation very weakly.
