Key Idea: In 1871 a united Germany suddenly became Europe's strongest state, and Bismarck spent twenty years building alliances just to keep the peace and keep France isolated. After 1890, Wilhelm II threw that caution away, chasing Weltpolitik and a battle fleet, and split Europe into two armed camps. Add in Balkan nationalism, an arms race, and a chain of crises, and one assassination in Sarajevo in 1914 was enough to drag the whole continent into total war. By 1918 the Central Powers had collapsed, and the peace treaties of 1919-23 tried — and largely failed — to build a stable new order.
How this topic is tested (Paper 3)
This is an HL depth study, so Paper 3 gives you two essay questions to answer (from a choice of several), each worth 15 marks. Every question is phrased as 'To what extent do you agree...' or 'Evaluate...' — you are being asked to judge a claim, not just describe events.
You do not need historiography (no need to quote named historians) to reach the top band. You DO need: a clear line of argument stated in your intro, precise supporting evidence (dates, names, treaties), consideration of counter-arguments, and a genuine final judgement that answers 'to what extent' rather than just listing both sides. Structure each paragraph around one factor, evaluate it, then link back to the question.
Must-know facts from every sub-topic
| Micro | What it covers | Must-know names/dates |
|---|---|---|
| 13.6.1 — A new balance of power | How Germany's unification (1871) upset the European balance, and how Bismarck's cautious alliance diplomacy gave way to Wilhelm II's aggressive Weltpolitik | 1871 unification; Congress of Berlin 1878; Wilhelm II dismisses Bismarck 1890; Franco-Russian Alliance 1894; Weltpolitik & naval race from 1898; Triple Alliance (1882) vs Triple Entente (1907) |
| 13.6.2 — Powder keg to war | The long-term causes (nationalism, arms race, alliances), the string of pre-war crises, and the July Crisis that turned a Balkan murder into a world war; why the Central Powers ultimately lost | Moroccan Crises 1905-06 & 1911; Bosnian Crisis 1908; Balkan Wars 1912-13; Sarajevo assassination 28 June 1914; Blank Cheque 5 July; declarations of war 28 July-4 Aug 1914; Battle of the Marne Sept 1914; USA enters April 1917; Armistice 11 Nov 1918 |
| 13.6.3 — Home front, society and peace | How total war reshaped economies and society (rationing, women, marginalized groups) and how the Paris Peace Conference redrew the map | 'Turnip winter' 1916-17; Kiel mutiny/Kaiser abdicates Nov 1918; Big Three (Clemenceau, Wilson, Lloyd George); Treaty of Versailles 1919; St Germain, Neuilly 1919; Trianon 1920; Sèvres 1920 replaced by Lausanne 1923 |
- Balance of power — the idea that no single state should be strong enough to dominate the rest of Europe; Bismarck's whole system after 1871 was built to protect it.
- Weltpolitik — Wilhelm II's post-1890 'world policy': competing for colonies, prestige and a battle fleet to rival Britain, which turned potential friends into suspicious rivals.
- The Blank Cheque — Germany's promise on 5 July 1914 of unconditional support for Austria-Hungary against Serbia, which many argue was the decisive escalating step of the July Crisis.
- Total war — a war that mobilizes the whole nation (rationing, censorship, women in factories), not just the army, and whose home-front strain helped decide the outcome.
- The Big Three — Clemenceau (security/revenge), Wilson (idealism, Fourteen Points, League of Nations) and Lloyd George (a middle path) whose compromises shaped the 1919-23 treaties.
Modelled exam question 1
To what extent do you agree that German foreign policy after 1890 was the main cause of the breakdown in the European balance of power by 1914?
🔒 Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Modelled exam question 2
Evaluate the claim that the Paris Peace Treaties of 1919-23 were a fair response to the impact of the First World War.
🔒 Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Important: The biggest mark-loser on this topic is writing a narrative ('first this happened, then this happened...') instead of an argument. Every paragraph must evaluate a factor against the question, not just describe it — always ask 'so does this support or challenge the claim, and how much?'
What was Bismarck's main foreign policy goal after 1871? To keep France diplomatically isolated so it could not seek revenge for its 1871 defeat or the loss of Alsace-Lorraine, while avoiding provoking Britain or Russia.
What did the Congress of Berlin (1878) actually settle, and what did it leave unresolved? It shrank the Russian-created Bulgaria, gave Austria-Hungary the right to administer Bosnia-Herzegovina, and recognized Serbian independence — defusing the immediate crisis but leaving Austro-Russian rivalry over the Balkans unresolved, which resurfaced in 1908 and 1914.
What was the 'Blank Cheque' and why does it matter? Germany's promise on 5 July 1914 of unconditional support for Austria-Hungary against Serbia — many historians see it as the decisive step that let a regional crisis escalate into a European war.
Why did the Schlieffen Plan fail, and what did that failure cause? It aimed to defeat France quickly before turning on Russia, avoiding a two-front war, but it was halted at the Battle of the Marne (September 1914), locking the Western Front into years of trench stalemate.
Name two ways the home front decided the war's outcome. Britain's naval blockade caused severe food shortages in Germany (the 1916-17 'turnip winter'), and war-weariness fed the strikes and the Kiel naval mutiny of November 1918 that helped topple the Kaiser.
Who were the 'Big Three' at the Paris Peace Conference and what did each want? Clemenceau (France) wanted security and to cripple Germany; Wilson (USA) wanted an idealistic peace based on his Fourteen Points and the League of Nations; Lloyd George (Britain) wanted a middle path that weakened Germany without destroying it economically.
Always separate long-term causes (structural conditions) from short-term causes (the July Crisis trigger) when arguing causation. Use precise dates and named treaties as evidence — vague claims cost marks. Finish every essay with an explicit judgement that directly answers 'to what extent', not a neutral summary of both sides.