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Difficulty: EasyCauses of World War I

"The naval strength of Great Britain is a necessity, while the naval expansion of Germany is more in the nature of a luxury. It is existence to us; it is expansion to them... We must maintain our superiority at all costs to protect our island nation and our trade routes, which are the lifeblood of our empire."

— Winston Churchill, British First Lord of the Admiralty, speech at Glasgow, 1912

Which of the following underlying causes of World War I is most directly illustrated by the naval rivalry described in the passage?

  1. MilitarismAnswer
  2. B
    The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
  3. C
    The establishment of the League of Nations mandate system
  4. D
    The spread of Marxist revolutionary movements

Answer

Militarism
The correct answer is militarism because the passage highlights the intense naval rivalry and arms race between Great Britain and Germany. Militarism involves the aggressive buildup of a nation's armed forces to project power or deter rivals, which directly contributed to pre-war tensions.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the main focus of the stimulus passage.
The text describes the naval buildup and competitive military preparation between Great Britain and Germany.
Analyzing the stimulus provides the evidence needed to select the correct historical concept.
2
Map the naval buildup to the long-term causes of World War I.
A competitive arms race and the belief in maintaining military superiority is a core characteristic of militarism.
This connects the specific historical evidence (the naval race) to the correct pre-war cause.
3
Distinguish militarism from the immediate spark of the war.
While the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand triggered the crisis, the systemic buildup of forces (militarism) represents an underlying cause.
This ensures the distinction between the trigger event and long-term structural factors.

Key Concept

Militarism as an underlying cause of World War I
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Topics

Causes of World War I

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