... war was foreseeable and even if the Balkans dispute did not take place, another dispute later on would have caused a war. Leading up to war the alliances brought about tension, causing hostility and uncertainty making war a certain possibility. Countries felt obliged to enter war, because if an ally did they would also have to, after all they did swear to protect them when alliances were signed with one another. The July crisis of 1914 was simply 'mismanaged ', but not to the point where it would have been the main reason for a war to outbreak. But other historians such as Remak contradict this opinion. To be able to distinguish how and why long-term rivalries contributed to the causes of World War 1 we have to look at each rivalry and the tensions that occurred during this time. Because of this the alliance systems were brought into effect ...

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