MAINS 2015
GS1
12.5 marks
To what extent can Germany be held responsible for causing the two World Wars? Discuss critically.
WRITE IN
9 min
200 words
What the examiner wants
Assess how far Germany caused the First and Second World Wars, weighing other powers' roles.
Discuss criticallyAnswer exactly what the question asks.
Demand-wise check
- 1WW1 against Germany: Weltpolitik, naval race, 'blank cheque' to Austria (July 1914), Schlieffen Plan, violation of Belgian neutrality≈35 words
- 2WW1 shared blame: alliance system, Austrian ultimatum, Russian mobilisation, French revanchism, imperial rivalry≈35 words
- 3WW2 against Germany: Hitler's expansionism - Rhineland, Anschluss, Sudetenland, Poland 1939≈35 words
- 4WW2 shared blame: harsh Versailles, appeasement (Munich 1938), League failure, Great Depression, Nazi-Soviet Pact≈35 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
WW1: German roleShared factorsWW2: German roleShared factorsComparative judgement
Where marks usually go
- Treating both wars identically; German responsibility is clearer for WW2
- No historians' views
Draw this
- Two bars showing degree of German responsibility, WW1 vs WW2, with listed factors
Value addition
- LawArticle 231 of the Treaty of Versailles (1919), the 'war guilt clause', put the blame for WW1 on Germany and its allies.Treaty of Versailles, 1919
- ThinkerFritz Fischer (1961) argued Germany sought war in 1914; A.J.P. Taylor (1961) argued Hitler was an opportunist exploiting others' errors.Fischer and Taylor, 1961
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Ritika Chitlangia · Page 35 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 11 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Akansh Dhull · AIR 3 · Page 7 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 9 minutes, then get it checked.