"Serbian nationalism was the key cause of the First World War." Discuss this statement.

The First World War was precipitated by a variety of factors, many of which interlink and influence each other. This myriad of causes certainly raises issues for historians who are attempting to identify one overarching cause to The Great War. One key factor was certainly Serbian nationalism, which ultimately led to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand; an event that prompted the July Crisis, a period of tension during which war was declared. However, one cannot blame Serbian nationalism for the outbreak of war purely due to the chronological proximity of the two events. One must in fact observe long-standing issues in Europe, such as the Alliance system and German militarism. These issues exarcerbated the conflict between Serbia and Austria-Hungry, thus potentially escalating an otherwise small conflict into a world war. One must infer the liklehood of war if these long term tensions had not existed, and whether there is any credence to the arguments of historians which cite these tensions as more important factors in the outbreak of war than Serbian nationalism.