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Answer: This statement presents a debate about the primary drivers of the First World War. While the actions of individual leaders undeniably contributed to the outbreak of war, a strong argument can be made that long-term structural factors – including Imperialism, Militarism, Nationalism, and the Alliance System – were the more fundamental causes.
Long-Term Structural Factors:
- Imperialism: Competition for colonies created tensions and rivalries between European powers, leading to a climate of suspicion and hostility. The Moroccan Crises (1905 & 1911) are prime examples of this.
- Militarism: The naval arms race between Britain and Germany fostered a culture of military preparedness and a belief in the inevitability of war. This created a dangerous cycle of escalation.
- Nationalism: Aggressive nationalism, particularly in the Balkans, fuelled ethnic tensions and desires for self-determination, creating instability in the region. The desire for a 'Greater Serbia' was a key factor.
- The Alliance System: The complex web of alliances (Triple Alliance and Triple Entente) meant that a localized conflict could quickly escalate into a wider European war. This system transformed a regional dispute into a continental one.
Actions of Individual Leaders:
- The July Crisis (1914): The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was a trigger, but the subsequent diplomatic failures and inflexible mobilization plans by leaders like Kaiser Wilhelm II, Tsar Nicholas II, and the French government exacerbated the situation.
- Miscalculations and Misperceptions: Leaders often misjudged the intentions of their rivals and underestimated the potential consequences of their actions.
Conclusion: While the actions of individual leaders were crucial in the immediate escalation of the war, the underlying structural factors created the conditions in which such a conflict was likely to occur. Therefore, the statement is largely true; the First World War was fundamentally a consequence of long-term structural factors.