“The outbreak of war in Europe in 1914 was due to an aggressive German foreign policy which had been waged since c.1900” How far do you agree with this opinion? Explain your answer using Sources V, W and X and your own knowledge.
It can be argued whether Germany’s foreign policy was the main reason for the start of World War One. Source W highlights that Germany’s actions since the 1890s had created international tensions but this was mainly due a handful of political and military leaders, source V goes onto say that pressure internally and externally drove Germany to create such an aggressive foreign policy, source X goes against this and illustrates that it was the alliance system that caused the outbreak of war rather than Germany herself. However, Germany’s aggressive foreign policy can be defined as the real reason for the outbreak of war in Europe in 1914 due to the evidence that has been provided. Germany’s foreign policy can be identified as the main reason for the outbreak of war, this is highlighted by source W “…German actions going back to the 1890s had done much to create international tension” This source suggests that tension between Germany and the other great European powers had been rising since pre 1990 and that these had contributed towards the start of the war. For example Germany’s policies of Flottenpolitk and Weltpolitik were very aggressive. Weltpolitik even meant ‘World policy’ and aimed for Germany to expand into a global power, this demonstrates the aggressiveness of this policy. Weltpolitik is also linked to Flottenpolitk which meant the expansion of the Navy, for Germany to become a world power they would require a strong naval force, one which could rival the likes of Britain’s and earn Germany their ‘place in the sun’. This embeds Germany’s aggressive aspirations to become the world’s largest power via their foreign policies. The