It would be naive to think that something like the Archduke getting shot could have led to a war between the great powers. There were various other factors and events which contributed to the origins of the Great War. Like for example, was the Alliance system responsible for the outbreak of World War I as Edmund Blackadder suggests? These alliances had been formed quite a time ago before the First World War, it was an idea proposed by Bismark in order to maintain peace. However, it was the entanglement of these alliances which ultimately escalated a small conflict between Hungary and Serbia, into an all out Great Power War with devastating consequences.
On the otherhand, the defensive alliance system during the Cold war didn't have the same results as the alliance system prior World War 1. Mistrust and small conflicts between the great powers existed in both these instances. Therefore, in my opinion Stephen Van Evera's piece on the Origins of World War 1 provides a far moreconvincing account of the origins of the first world war.
Zainab, this piece is not up to snuff. While I appreciate your addendum to last week and your agreement with Van Evera, your piece is only 177 words and only contains minimal analysis. I've seen a general decline in the quality of your last several blog posts. While I understand everyone is incredibly busy, I do ask that you try an put forth more of an effort if you want to get full credit for your work in the future.
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