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Journal- U2 Lesson 1
4. ASSIGNMENT: Using the information given above, and any Internet sources you
wish (be sure to do a bibiliography), create an interview between a SS20 student and
a historian. In your interview, ask the historian questions about:
*The main causes of WWI, in his/her opinion, and whether WWI could have been
avoided
*What countries the historian sees as most to blame for WWI, and why
*Why WWI became a total war rather than remaining a localized event
*What the outcome was, and whether it was fair and just to Germany or not
*Any other pertinent information you care to discuss
Give your interviewer and interviewee logical names and set up the interview as a
script.
Ask questions based on the topics above, and provide the historian's answers
Have fun and be creative, but be sure to give good responses because that is what
most of your mark will be based on
Provide a bibiliography if you use any outside sources.
In order to get top marks, your interview must cover at least the information shown
above.
Interviewers name: Tawnisha
Interviewee’s name: Fred
Tawnisha: So, Fred. What do you think the main causes of WWI were?
Fred: During the beginning of the 20th century, the strongest country in Europe was
Britain. Her empire was the largest, industries the richest and navy the biggest. The
envious Germany soon built up her empire and challenged Britain's position. At that time,
Germany also conquered two French provinces. This made France a rival of Germany
too. (Germany had been re-united under Bismark, and wanted to become a world power
again)
Tawnisha: I see, what happened after that?
Fred: Besides these two rivalries, other European countries were also unhappy with one
another. Soon they took sides and two opposing groups (Triple Alliance and Triple
Entente) emerged. The atmosphere was tense.
Tawnisha: Okay, so if you could put this all into point form…
Fred: That was me explaining how it all got instigated. The major reasons of WWI were
alliances, military, imperialism, ideology and nationalism. Then to top that off, there
were smaller instigations that I explained before, and then some.
Tawnisha: Do you think that the war could’ve been avoided?
Fred: Personally, even though many, many people died, I think that the war had to
happen. There was too much tension between different countries. It was inevitable. There
will always be regrets, but in the end, it helped our world become stronger. It helped us
all have something in common. It brought us together. Understand?
Tawnisha: I understand. The war had to happen sooner or later.
Fred: Precisely.
Tawnisha: Who do you think is most to blame for WWI?
Fred: Like I stated before, the war was inevitable. It had to happen. There was no exact
country or event that is to blame for the war.
Tawnisha: Oh, I see. Why do you think that the war became a worldly outbreak (global
conflict) instead of just staying in the one area?
Fred: I think that it became a worldly outbreak because Germany was consistently
breaking treaties and rules of war and invading neutral countries. As other countries saw
the unfairness and the power that Germany was taking, they felt obligated to join in on
the war.
Tawnisha: What was the outcome of WWI?
Fred: The outcome was that Germany is defeated.
Tawnisha: Do you think that the war was fair to Germany?
Fred: Yes, because Germany was becoming a superpower and needed to be stopped. If
the U.S didn’t join the war, then Germany would’ve continued to take over other, less
powerful countries.
Tawnisha: Thank you for your time Fred. I am now very enlightened on the situation.
Fred: My pleasure.
23/30 a good interview with some vital information included…missing a few key
points. You contradicted yourself a bit as well when your historian maintained that
there was no one country or countries to blame for the war, but later indicated that
Germany had to be stopped?
What was the immediate cause of the conflict?
The immediate cause was that the new kid sat at a table where he was clearly not
wanted and when he was told to move, he stood his ground instead of doing what he was
told. If he had just moved, the problem wouldn’t have escaladed to the level that it had.
Who were the parties involved?
There were two parties involved. There was the new kid who sat down at the
table, and the other group of kids that came and told him to move.
What were their motives for being involved?
The party that wanted the new kid to move was motivated because the new kid
was sitting in their territory, and they wanted him to move. But the other boy, who was
sitting at the table, also wanted to stand his ground by not moving, hoping that the group
would give in and let him sit there.
Tawnisha, please put the information above into your journal.
Choice #2) Creative:
1. Which of the following was NOT true of the Treaty of Versailles?
a Britain, U.S. and France were the major powers involved in its signing
b Germany was allowed to attend the conference, but not sign the Treaty
c
Germany was not allowed to attend the conference, but had to sign
the Treaty
d The Treaty was signed at the palace of Versailles, thus it was named after it
2. Which of the following leaders proposed the Fourteen Points:
a Clemenceau of France
b Ebert of Germany
C Wilson of the U.S.
d Lloyd George of Britain
3. Which of the following was NOT a result of WWI?
a Huge areas of land in N.E. Europe were destroyed
b Ypres, an old city in Belgium, had been almost wiped out
c Communism spread to almost all of Europe except France and Britain
d Almost 3/4 million homes had been destroyed in France
4. Which of the following was NOT true America 's leader after WWI?
a He was more intent on conentrating on the U.S. than Europe
b He wanted to see Germany soundly punished for its war crimes
c He was not in good health
d He approved of the policy of isolationism
Use the timeline to answer the last 5 questions:
5. Using the 1914 timeline, what happened to trigger the declaration of war, and
movement of troops prior to WWI?
a Kaiser William's promise of support for Austria
b The assassination of the Austrian heir in Sarajevo
c Russia beginning to mobilize its troops
d None of the above
6. Germany and its allies became known as the Central Powers. Britain, Russia and their
allies became known as the Allies. Which side would Canada have been fighting for
when it entered the war?
a The Allies, because it was a colony of Britain
b The Allies, because it was a colony of America
c The Central Powers, because it was an ally of Germany
d The Central Powers, because it was an ally of Austria
7. The Germans wanted to fight a two-front war, starting with the Western Front, where
most fighting took place in France. Which two battles did Canadian soldiers fight in
during 1914 and 1915?
a Battle of Ypres and Battle of Masurian Lakes
b Battle of Ypres and Battle of Tannenburg
c First and Second Battle of Ypres
d First and Second Battle of Macurian Lakes
8. What major event(s) occurred in 1915 that helped the German cause?
a Unrestricted sinking of ships by German U-boats
b France, Russia, Italy and Britain make secret Treaty of London
c British forces are defeated at Gallipoli
d a & c but not b
e a & b but not c
9. What event in the spring of 1915 led the U.S. to re-think its policy of neutrality in the
war?
a Poison gas attacks by Germany in the Second Battle of Ypres
b The sinking of a British liner that took 128 American lives
c Italy declaring war on Austria-Hungary
d The drafting of an American defense program
8/18
salvia
/18 marks
#4) a) In relation to the buildup of WWI, which country would be the new kid?
Salvia best represents the new kid in the scenario above.
b) Which countries would best represent the grade 12’s?
Europe would best represent the grade 12’s in this scenario.
c) Which country would be coming to the aid of the new kid?
Canada and America would come to the aid of the new kid.
Again, put this in your journal