Which contributing factor to world war i does the passage most clearly reflect

The answer to this question is militarism

militarism is the practice of building large armies usually in preparation for war or to serve as deterrence. militarism was then used in the same way nuclear weapons were used in the cold war in a fashion known as brinkmanship. However,with militarism compromise was never forthcoming,because most of the great powers in Europe were military leaders who were never willing to pursue diplomatic compromises.  the leaders promoted the idea that a country should  amass a large military and use it to further national interests.

Militarism is the answer.