Read the sources and then answer both parts of the question. Source A His Majesty observed that the threatening attitude of Prussia raises the question of whether Austria should make warlike preparations. Content removed due to copyright restrictions. His Majesty concluded that he should leave warlike preparations aside for the time being and continue to seek to maintain the honour and dignity of the country by diplomatic means. From an account of a meeting between the Austrian Emperor and senior government officials, February 1866. Source B As a political question, the probability or inevitability of war against Austria lies outside the scope of my judgement. Success or failure in this war depends on our reaching a decision about it sooner than the Austrians, and, if possible, right now. For Prussia, everything depends on defeating Austria, and to this end we have to bring together all our forces. One advantage for us, which cannot be overstated, is that we can advance our army on five railroad lines and thereby have it concentrated on the Saxon-Bohemian border within 25 days. Austria has just one railway leading toward Bohemia. Assuming that its cavalry is already on the march, it requires 45 days to assemble 200000 men. If Bavaria joins Austria, the Regensburg-Pilsen-Prague railway line will be disadvantageous for us since it shortens the time Austria needs to be ready by about 15 days. If the mobilisation of the Prussian army is ordered right now, then Bavaria, so ill-prepared in terms of arms and mobilisation, will probably not be ready until after the first battle between Austria and Prussia has been fought. From a memorandum by Moltke, Chief of the Prussian General Staff, April 1866. Source C [Figure X.X] A cartoon published in the 'Austrian Empire', 19 May 1866. The title was: 'What would these two give to have eyes in their backs?' 'Valka' means 'war', and the rocks represent the united forces of Austria. The first boat represents Prussia, loaded with Schleswig-Holstein; the second represents Italy, loaded with Venice. Source D So we make progress in the Holstein affair! Mistrust towards Austria will disappear, right-thinking people will attain a majority in the Confederation and German governments will be strengthened in their opposition to Prussia. Content removed due to copyright restrictions. Then we should have peace and a parliament, which means Austria's exclusion from Germany. War, we need war, only war. An extract of a message from the Austrian envoy in Munich to the Austrian Foreign Minister, 29 May 1866. Answer both parts of the question with reference to the sources.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Feb/Mar 2025). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [15] Indicative content
2. Similarities include:
3. There is enthusiasm for war in both sources (although less so in A). In Source A, Esterhazy states that 'we must show our teeth.' The position is even more clearly stated in Source D with the envoy stating that 'we need war, only war.'
4. Prussia is blamed for raising the tension. In Source A, Prussia has a 'threatening attitude' and in Source D, Austria rejects the peace Congress which has been proposed by Prussia to limit the power of Austria.
5. There is a suggestion in both sources that public opinion is against Prussia. In Source A the Austrian chancellor argues that the war against Prussia would be very popular. In Source D, the Austrian envoy argues that mistrust towards Austria will disappear implying that public opinion is turning against Prussia.
6. Differences include:
7. Source A reflects a desire to find a diplomatic solution to the situation. The Emperor rejects making warlike preparations in favour of diplomacy and maintaining the honour and security of Austria. In Source D, to hold on to a united Germany, Austria must fight Prussia. The implication of the last three lines is that if Austria does not fight they will lose out to Prussia.
8. There is nervousness in Source A about Prussia's military advantages. However, in Source D, Prussia is portrayed as being overstretched and losing the support of the people.
9. Explanation:
10. Contextual knowledge could be used to explain the similarities between the sources. Over the winter of 1865-66, tensions between Austria and Prussia had grown increasingly intense. Prussia accused Austria of breaking the Convention of Gastein, signed in 1865 giving Austria administrative control of Holstein and Prussia administrative control of Schleswig. Bismarck provoked Austria over Holstein and made proposals to reform the Confederation. He knew that these would be unacceptable to Austria as they included the expulsion of Austria from the Confederation.
11. The differences could also be explained using contextual knowledge. By the time Source D was written Austria had mobilised its forces and was preparing for war. In February, the Emperor was too concerned about Austria's lack of allies and lack of funds to want to engage in a costly war. However, by May, Bismarck had thoroughly annoyed Austria, they had begun to mobilise their forces in April, and it was only a matter of time before he provoked them into war.
12. Accept any other valid responses.
13. [25] Indicative content
14. Support
15. Source A suggests that Prussia had the advantage. Austrian politicians were aware that Prussia was stronger militarily than Austria and the railway system was an advantage which would allow them to move their troops more quickly. By comparison, Austria's forces have been on a peace footing.
16. Source B backs up this point. Moltke wants the war to start as quickly as possible to deprive Austria of any advantage. He is aware that Austria will be slow to mobilise and dismisses Austria's potential ally Bavaria as poorly equipped and not ready to mobilise their troops. He calculates that Austria and Prussia will have already fought the first battle by the time Bavaria is ready to fight.
17. Challenge
18. Source D suggests that Prussia does not have the advantage. The source claims that public opinion and the governments of the Confederate states are on the side of Austria. Added to that, they see Bismarck's position in Prussia weakening as mobilisation has been unpopular and is increasingly expensive. The Prussian government is described as 'financially exhausted'.
19. Source C argues that Prussia is not in a dominant position. It shows Prussia about to smash on the rocks which represent the joint forces of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Bismarck, rowing the boat, has over-reached himself in Schleswig-Holstein and is about to pay the price.
20. Source B (although not the main drift of the argument) admits that if Bavaria joins with Austria, there is a railway line which could be used to the detriment of Prussia.
21. Evaluation
22. Source A shows a divided cabinet in Austria. The financial state of Austria was not strong and the armed forces, although larger than those of Prussia, were not so well-equipped. At this point neither side had mobilised and the Emperor's decision to pursue diplomacy seems reasonable.
23. Source B: knowledge of Moltke's role in military planning, the strength of the Prussian economy, or details of army reforms, could be used to assess the weight of the arguments made in this source. It is also interesting that Moltke claims not to know if war is 'probable or inevitable' but was making detailed plans anyway. Moltke's claims could be seen as questionable as Bismarck had announced in February 1866 that war with Austria was inevitable.
24. Source C: by the time this cartoon was published, both Austria and Prussia had mobilised their forces. However, war between the two had not yet broken out. There was some reason for optimism as many of the states which Bismarck expected to join Prussia, started to mobilise against it. However, Italy had secretly agreed to fight on the side of Prussia, and this would mean Austria had to fight on two fronts. However, the context and origin of the cartoon might be used to question its weight as evidence.
25. Source D: contextual knowledge of the argument about the reforms to the Confederation which Prussia had proposed, or Austria's rejection of the peace Congress, could be used to support the argument in this source. However, it is also possible to see an element of wishful thinking in Austria's response. Austria's position was weaker than that of Prussia. Candidates could use knowledge of Roon's army reforms and the industrial power of Prussia to challenge the arguments made and assess the weight of the source as evidence.
26. Accept any other valid responses.