Causes and Context
What event happened in 1914 in Sarajevo and is considered the immediate spark that started World War I
Assassination of Archduke
The term for a war that mobilizes all of a nation's resources, including civilians and industry.
Total War
This small, armored vehicle was developed to cross trenches and barbed wire; early models were called Mark I.
The tank (British Mark I).
On what date did Germany sign the armistice that ended fighting in WWI?
November 11, 1918.
Major Battles & Turning Points 100 — Q: The failed German plan for a quick victory on the Western Front was called the ___ Plan.
A: The Schlieffen Plan.
The Schlieffen Plan.
What are the four MAIN long-term causes represented by the acronym
Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism
200 — Q: Name two jobs or roles women filled on the home front or battlefield during WWI.
.
Women worked in munitions and other war factories, served as nurses (including near front lines), worked as clerks/administrative staff, and labored in agriculture.
Identify two types of chemical gases used in WWI and one effect they had on soldiers.
Chlorine gas (caused choking and lung damage) and mustard gas (caused severe skin burns, blisters; could damage lungs and eyes); both caused long‑term health problems and high suffering.
Name the international organization created by the Treaty of Versailles intended to keep peace.
The League of Nations.
200 — Q: This 1914 battle stopped Germany’s advance into France and ended the Schlieffen Plan's immediate success.
A: The First Battle of the Marne.
The First Battle of the Marne.
This German policy of attacking ships without warning threatened U.S. trade and helped push America toward war.
Unrestricted submarine warfare.
List two ways governments influenced public opinion and suppressed dissent at home during the war.
Governments used propaganda campaigns (posters, films, speeches) and censored or controlled the press; they also prosecuted or silenced antiwar activists and enforced laws limiting dissent and free speech.
Explain why machine guns and artillery favored defense and increased casualty rates (2–3 sentences).
Machine guns could deliver sustained, rapid fire that mowed down attackers crossing open ground, while artillery barrages could decimate massed troops and fortifications. Together they made frontal assaults extremely costly and turned battlefields into static, high‑casualty environments.
List three major terms imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles.
Accept war‑guilt clause, pay reparations (about 33 billion at the time), territorial losses and loss of colonies, plus severe military restrictions (limited army, no air force, no submarines).
300 — Q: In 1918 Germany launched a major offensive after Russia left the war; name the 1918 Allied counterattack that helped turn the tide (hint: it involved fresh U.S. troops).
A: The Second Battle of the Marne (Allied counteroffensive with significant American forces).
The Second Battle of the Marne (Allied counteroffensive with significant American forces).
The secret 1917 diplomatic message proposing a German‑Mexican alliance that inflamed U.S. public opinion is known as the ___.
The Zimmerman Telegram.
Explain the Great Migration and one way it affected minorities' lives in the U.S. after WWI (2–3 sentences).
400 — Q: Explain the Great Migration and one way it affected minorities' lives in the U.S. after WWI (2–3 sentences).
A: The Great Migration was the movement of many African Americans from the rural South to Northern industrial cities to take war‑production jobs. It changed urban demographics, increased political and cultural influence for African Americans (e.g., Harlem Renaissance), and sometimes intensified racial tensions but also opened new economic opportunities and laid groundwork for later civil rights activism.
Describe two ways air warfare evolved during WWI and its impact on the battlefield.
Aircraft progressed from reconnaissance planes to armed fighters engaging in dogfights and to bombers targeting supply lines and trenches. This added an aerial dimension to reconnaissance, close air support, and strategic bombing, forcing adaptation in ground tactics and air defense.
Explain two reasons why the Treaty of Versailles failed to create a lasting peace (2–3 sentences).
The treaty’s harsh terms created deep resentment and economic hardship in Germany, fostering nationalism and political instability. Also, many colonial peoples felt betrayed when promised self‑determination was not applied to colonies; the League of Nations lacked enforcement power and the U.S. Senate refused membership, weakening international mechanisms to prevent aggression.
Identify two geographic or logistical reasons trenches produced stalemate on the Western Front.
(1) Extensive trench systems, barbed wire, and destroyed terrain made movement across "no man's land extremely difficult; (2) Rail and supply constraints plus powerful defensive fire (machine guns/artillery) prevented rapid maneuver and resupply for large offensives.
how did imperialism and nationalism combined to make the Balkans a "power keg"of Europe. (2-3 sentences)
Imperial rivalries over territory and influence put great‑power interests into the same region, while rising nationalist movements among Slavic peoples (especially in Serbia and Bosnia) demanded independence or expansion. Those nationalist pressures threatened multiethnic empires like Austria‑Hungary, so local incidents could escalate when tied to imperial ambitions and alliance obligations.
Using examples from the documents, analyze how WWI mobilization transformed the American economy and workforce (3–4 sentences).
A: The Selective Service Act drafted millions of men, while factories shifted from consumer goods to war production, creating huge demand for industrial labor. Women and minorities filled many of these jobs—women in munitions plants and clerical work; African Americans and immigrants moved into industrial roles—accelerating social change and strengthening calls for suffrage and labor rights. Government direction of the economy (contracts, rationing, war bonds) increased federal power over industry and finance, leaving long‑lasting shifts in economic organization.
Choose one WWI technology (tank, submarine, or chemical weapon) and analyze its short-term battlefield effect and one long-term consequence for future wars (3–4 sentences).
500 — Q: Choose one WWI technology (tank, submarine, or chemical weapon) and analyze its short-term battlefield effect and one long-term consequence for future wars (3–4 sentences).
A: Submarines (U‑boats): Short‑term they threatened Allied shipping, sank merchant and passenger ships (e.g., Lusitania), and attempted to sever supply lines to Britain—pressuring neutral countries and provoking U.S. involvement. Long‑term, U‑boat warfare led to convoy systems, improved anti‑submarine tactics and technology (depth charges, sonar), and influenced international maritime law about unrestricted warfare and neutral shipping protections.
Drawing on the "Post‑War Disillusionment" document, analyze how WWI contributed to cultural or intellectual movements in the 1920s (e.g., "Lost Generation," Freud, Einstein). Provide at least three specific connections (4–5 sentences).
The mass trauma and sense of betrayal after WWI produced disillusionment that authors of the "Lost Generation" (Hemingway, Fitzgerald) expressed through themes of aimlessness and broken ideals. Freud’s ideas about unconscious drives and psychological trauma (shell shock) influenced literature and a growing interest in psychology and existential questions, weakening faith in purely rational progress. Einstein’s relativity and scientific upheaval symbolized a loss of absolute certainties; intellectuals used these scientific shifts as metaphors for cultural uncertainty. Together these forces encouraged modernist art, existentialist thought, and literature that questioned traditional values and celebrated fragmented perspectives.
Describe the importance of the Treaty of Brest‑Litovsk and one consequence it had for the Western Front (2–3 sentences).
The Treaty of Brest‑Litovsk (March 1918) ended Russia’s participation in WWI, ceding large territories to Germany and its allies. As a consequence, Germany transferred many troops from the Eastern to the Western Front, enabling the 1918 Spring Offensives that temporarily threatened Allied lines before being halted by fresh U.S. forces.