In the early part of the twentieth century there were tensions between many countries.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2023). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] Before 1906 Britain had always had the strongest navy.
2. [1] Germany passed naval laws designed to ensure that the German navy grew and competed with the British navy.
3. [1] In 1906 Britain launched the first dreadnought, a very powerful battleship.
4. [1] After 1906 Germany started to build dreadnoughts.
5. [1] British public opinion demanded Britain build more dreadnoughts to keep ahead of Germany.
6. [1] The new battleships made earlier warships obsolete.
7. [1] Germany never managed to catch up in the naval race and by 1910 had given up.
8. [1] This naval race made relations between the two countries much worse.
9. [1] Serbia was backed by Russia and this made it dangerous for Austria.
10. [1] In 1908 Austria annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia saw this as a threat.
11. [1] Serbia encouraged Slav nationalism which annoyed Austria.
12. [1] Austria constantly frustrated Serbia's attempts to enlarge.
13. [4-5] Explanation: Austria viewed Serbia as a real threat because of the large Slav population in the Austrian Empire who desired self-rule, fueled by Serbian nationalist aspirations for a confederation of Slavs.
14. [1] Germany was merely testing the Entente.
15. [1] Germany backed down.
16. [1] Britain thought there was a real chance of war and made its support for France clear.
17. [1] Sending a gunboat in 1911 was a warlike action.
18. [1] Both crises made relations between Britain and Germany worse and this made war closer.
19. [4-6] Argument for agreement: Germany was testing the Entente between Britain and France, not genuinely seeking war. In both 1905 and 1911, Germany backed down when faced with a united Anglo-French front, indicating a lack of preparedness for full-scale conflict.
20. [4-6] Argument against agreement: The Second Moroccan Crisis, particularly with Germany sending a gunboat in 1911, was a warlike action. Britain viewed German actions as aggressive, making its support for France clear and worsening Anglo-German relations to a point where war became more likely.