Instructions: In order to view this assignment as intended you must set all of your page margins to .6”. Answer
the questions and do as instructed in bold print directly on the page. Try to keep the product neat by increasing
or decreasing the size of the pictures that you put in place. Highlight your answers so they stand out. When
you are finished, put the names of all in your group at the top of this page. All research can be done on the
internet, but you may want to consult your text, pp. 404-427.
NAMES:
World war i
“The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.” – Sir Edward Grey
Pre-War Alliances
1. The Great War (as it was known until WW II came around) started in 1914 due to a chain of events set in motion by
the assassination of the Archduke (and immediate heir to the throne) Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary on June 28,
1914. This assassination and the failure of diplomacy between Austria-Hungary and Serbia was the spark that set off
the powder keg in Europe. It caused the alliances that had been set up in the preceding decades to go into effect
leading to a massive world wide war that ultimately spread to all six inhabited continents of the world. Below, place
and label a map of Europe before the War that shows the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance. Underneath
the map, list the countries in each alliance.
Triple Alliance
1.
2.
3.
Triple Entente
1.
2.
3.
In what city was the Archduke shot?
Stumbling into world war
2. The first declaration of war occurred on July 28, 1914 (one month to the day after the assassination of F.F.). When
did each of the following declare war on the other? (You may use text for this part)
A-H on Serbia = July 28, 1914
Germany on Russia =
Germany on France =
Great Britain on Germany =
World War I Lineup
3. Thus, the stage was set for war across the continent of Europe. Below, place a map of Europe showing the two
opposing groups of nations, namely the Central Powers and the Allies. Underneath the map, list the countries
on either side.
Central Powers
Allied Powers
Which of the Triple Alliance countries abandoned the other two?
Von Schlieffen Plan and The Two Major Fronts
4. The First World War quickly settled into the lines that it would follow for the entirety of the war. There were two
major fronts along which the war was fought – the western and eastern. Germany quickly took control of the fight and
began to put into practice a plan devised years before that would allow them to destroy France on her west and then
focus on the defeat of the Russians of the east. It was a brilliant plan called the von Schlieffen Plan that might well
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have worked except A) they met stiffer resistance than expected, and B) the German high command did not follow it
properly. Below, answer the question and then place and label a map showing the von Schlieffen Plan. Next to
or below that, place a map showing Europe with the Western and Eastern Fronts.
What was the fundamental strategic problem that Germany faced in this war from the outset?
Nature of the fighting – Western Front
5. The fighting that characterized WW I was brutal. After Germany’s initial assault in the west had died, they and the
British and French settled into trenches along a front that spread from Switzerland to the North Sea. Trench warfare
involved a trench on either side of a “no man’s land” that was sometimes as little as a few feet wide. Attack and
counterattack (called “going over the top”) amidst machine gun fire, barbed wire, hand grenades and finally mustard
gas colored the scene. Battles went on for months without progress as the horrors of this war caused many on the front
line to wonder if it was worth it and to concern themselves only with their own survival. Below, answer the question
and then place and label two pictures of trench warfare WW I style and one picture of troops with gasmasks or
some other item that indicates chemical warfare.
Why did World War I fighting evolve into trench warfare?
Russia bows out – Eastern Front
6. On the eastern front the war was more mobile. The lines moved much more in the war between Germany and
Austria-Hungary and Russia. Russia got the worst of it and by 1917 had a revolution at home to deal with as well. In
March, 1917 the czar was overthrown. With German aid, the communist, Vladimir Lenin, fired up what is known as
the Bolshevik Revolution in November of 1917. Lenin then took over the government and promptly made it
communist. The reason the Germans had helped him get into Russia was because they thought he would take Russia
out of the war and let them focus on the Western Front. This Lenin did when he signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in
early 1918. Below, answer the question and then place and label pictures of A) the czar Nicholas II, his
successor, B) Alexander Kerensky, and C) the communist Vladimir Lenin. Finally, place and label with the
year a map of Europe with the line decided upon by the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk that shows how much land
Russia lost by this treaty.
List three countries that arose from the land that was once in western Russia and was lost in this treaty.
The Turning Point – America Enters the War
7. The war in the west was completely bogged down, but things were actually looking bright for the Central Powers in
1917. Russia’s war effort collapsed, freeing up troops for the west, and the desire to fight was declining especially
among the French. Meanwhile, in Turkey, the British effort at taking Gallipoli had failed in 1916. But, the turning
point of the war arrived with the entrance of the USA into the fray in April, 1917. Below, place and label A) a
picture of the Battle of Gallipoli 1915-1916, B) a picture indicating American involvement in WW I (a soldier,
war poster, etc.), and C) a map showing the status of the war in 1917 and one showing the status at the end of
the war in 1918.
The Peace
8. The fighting in WW I ended in November of 1918 with an armistice signed “at the eleventh hour of the eleventh
day of the eleventh month.” Write this date in some fancy font below.
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Immediate Effects of the War
9. The First World War was devastating. With no real significant reason for its occurrence in the first place, the
bloodshed it caused was all the more difficult to take. The death tolls were enormous, nearing 10 million. Complete
the chart below and place a map showing Europe after the war below it.
Country
Germany
Austria-Hungary
Dead
Wounded
Total
Russia
France
Britain
Italy
USA
Long Term Effects – Rise of Totalitarianism in Europe
10. Ultimately, upon the ashes of WW I rose the dictators who gave us WW II. (So much for the “War to end all
Wars” and the “War to Make the World Safe for Democracy”.) Three ruthless dictatorships with absolute power
gained power in the first place because of the economic destruction caused by WW I. Answer the question below
and then place pictures of the following individuals and label them with their names, countries, form of
government and years that they ruled them A) Benito Mussolini of Italy, B) Joseph Stalin of USSR, and C)
Adolf Hitler of Germany.
What is one thing that that all three of these regimes had in common?
Long Term Effects – Rise of WWII
11. World War II would arise among other things from the brutality of the Treaty of Versailles which punished
Germany severely. Place below a map or two showing German aggression in the years 1936-1939 as she
regained much of the land that she had lost by way of that treaty and answer the questions.
Why do you think the British expected Germany to go after western Poland in 1939?
With what country did Germany split up Poland at that time? What was the agreement called by which they
did so?
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