Evaluate whether the First World War was caused mainly by popular nationalism or by the decisions of government leaders.
Exact wording and all 7 documents: official College Board PDFThe prompt is filled in for you. Paste your essay or upload a photo of it - your first grade needs no account.
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To earn both document points, use at least 4 of these to support your argument - not just summarize them.
Describe one of these in 2-3 sentences and connect it to the prompt - a passing mention won't earn the point.
Pick one, explain it specifically, and use it to support your argument.
The First World War was caused mainly by the decisions of government leaders - Austria-Hungary's ultimatum, Germany's blank check and the rush to mobilize - but popular nationalism made those decisions possible by creating publics that expected and welcomed war.
Written by us as an example of the structure that earns the point (a claim plus a line of reasoning) - write your own.
Luxemburg wrote in 1915 as a socialist imprisoned for opposing the war, so her purpose of exposing the war as the work of governments and capitalists explains why she rejects the idea that ordinary people wanted it.
Do this for at least 2 documents to earn the sourcing point.
Show how the two causes interacted (leaders exploiting and fearing nationalist opinion), or distinguish long-term causes like the alliance system from the short-term July Crisis.
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