World History
Final Exam Essays
Comparative Essay
• Compare and contrast WWI with WWII in
terms of military strategy, weaponry and
technology, and peace settlements
Practice Thesis
• The major World Wars that occurred during the early and middle
20th century had a variety of similarities and differences. In terms of
military strategy, WWI was primarily fought on the European
continent and became bogged down in unexpected trench warfare,
whereas WWII was more global in scope and produced a variety of
land, sea, and air battles. Similarities for both wars in military
strategy included a series of land battles fought in the same territory
with some of the same weaponry. Advancements in weaponry, due
to increased technology, produced similar weapons with enhanced
capability and fire-power, and then altogether, many new weapons
including such things as radar, aircraft carriers, planes, and the
ultimate destructive weapon, the atomic bomb. Each war finished
with treaties aimed to prevent any further world wars by creating a
world peace organization. One, the League of Nations, failed due to
lack of support and no clear enforcement mandates, while the
Untied Nations formed at the end of World War II still exist today
with limited success. Each peace settlement, ironically, led to new
global wars; one hot and one cold.
Practice Thesis
In WWI (1914-1918) and WWII (1939-1945), there were
similarities and differences in military strategies, weapons and
technology, and peace settlements. Some similarities include: tank
warfare and submarine warfare for strategies, machine guns as
weapons, and both wars ended in the allies winning. The differences
in both wars include: war of attrition in WWI vs. total war in WWII,
mustard gas as a weapon in WWI and aircraft carriers in WWII as an
advancement in technology; lastly, WWI ended more peacefully than
WWII. WWI had the Treaty of Versailles while WWII had the Yalta
and Potsdam Conference. Even though there many more similarities
and differences in both wars, military strategies, weapons and
technology, and peace settlements help to distinguish the
advancements made in both wars.
Practice Thesis
• During WWI and WWII, military strategies were similar in tank and
submarine warfare, use of gases, and propaganda, but differed in
the pace of war, island hopping, and concentration camps. While
the use of factories to build weapons, the types of weapons they
made, and the use of automobiles remained the same during these
wars, advancement in weapons, the use of planes, and the
development of the atomic bomb, proved that there were differences
in weapons and technology. At the end of each war, peace was
settled by the Allies determining the fate of the losing counties,
development of the League of Nations/ United Nations, and the
beginning of another war, but were different by what the Allies chose
to do with the losing country, the United Nations was a bigger
success that the League of Nations, and the type of war that came
out if it, hot vs. cold.
Rubric for Compare and Contrast
1.
For one point: Has acceptable thesis
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2.
You will label your thesis with a highlighter in the essay
For 2 points: Addresses all parts of the question
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3.
Need similarity in each section: military strategy, weaponry
and technology, and peace settlements (label S1, S2 etc.)
Need contrast in each section: military strategy, weaponry and
technology, and peace settlements (Label C1, C2 etc)
For two points: Substantiates thesis with appropriate
historical evidence
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Minimum of four accurate historical details supporting thesis
(label H1, H2 etc.)
Comparisons WWI & WWII
Military Strategy
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WWI
Mustard gas
Trench warfare
Schiefflin plan
Submarine warfare
War of attrition
Tank warfare
Planes for recon
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WWII
Total war
Tank warfare
Blitzkreig
Kamikazes
Guerilla Warfare
Genocide/killing
squads
• Island hopping
Comparisons WWI & WWII
Military Strategy
• WWI
• WWII
• Planes for fighting
and recon
• Maritime land
invasion
• D-Day
• Submarine Warfare
Comparisons WWI & WWII
Weaponry & Technology
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WWI
Mustard Gas
First Machine Guns
First Tanks
Land Mines
Bolt Action Guns
Warships
Submarines
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WWII
Tanks
Atomic bomb
Better and Bigger
artillery
• Sub-machine guns
• Aircraft carriers
• Kamikazes
Comparisons WWI & WWII
Weaponry & Technology
• WWI
• Reconnaissance
airplanes
• Cannons
• Telegrams
• Factories for weapons
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WWII
AT weapons
Long- range weapons
Planes for fighting
Gases
Amphibious vehicles
British Radar
Factories for weapons
Comparisons WWI & WWII
Peace Settlements
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WWI
Treaty of Versailles
Armistice
Paris Peace
Conference
• 14 point Plan
• League of Nations
• German takes blame
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WWII
Yalta Conference
Potsdam Conference
Munich Conference
United Nation
Nuclear bomb
Split up Germany
Iron Cutain
Comparisons WWI & WWII
Peace Settlements
• WWI
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WWII
Berlin Airdrop
Berlin Wall
Started Cold War
Comparisons WWI & WWII
Historical facts
• Can’t say “dropped the atom bomb”
– Must say: on August 6 the United States decided, with
the approval of President Harry S. Truman, to send
the Engola Gay to Hiroshima and drop the atomic
bomb where it killed an estimated 70,000 to 80,000
Japanese citizens.
• Can’t say, “Germany used the blitzkrieg”
– Must say, “Blitzkrieg, or lighting war, was used by the
Germans in WWII and was a tactic based on speed
and surprise and needed a military force to be based
around light tank units supported by planes and
infantry (foot soldiers).”
Similarities in military strategy
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Germany fought a war on two fronts
Submarine Warfare
Gases
Tank Warfare
Recon Aircraft
Propaganda
Alliances
Differences in military strategy
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Pace of the War (slow to fast)
Types of Warfare
Total War in WWII
Blitzkrieg in WWII
Concentration Camps/Genocide
Trench Warfare in WWI
Island Hopping and D-Day
Similarities in weaponry &
technology
• Factories for weapons
• Same type of weapons (tanks and guns)
• Colt 1911, Springfield 1903, Mauser
karabiner 98k…
• Submarine Warfare
• Planes
Differences in weaponry and
technology
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Aircraft Carriers
Advancements in technology
Tanks effective in WWII
Atomic Bomb WWII
British Radar WWII
Mustard Gas WWI
Similarities in peace settlements
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Allies won the war
Concept of League of/United Nations
Germany lost
Treaties were formed
Both lead to another war
Differences in peace settlements
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Munich Conference WWII
Potsdam Conference WWII
Treaty of Versailles WWI
Marshall Plan WWII
Punished Germany WWI
Meeting at Yalta WWII
WWII destructive ending
Split Up Germany WWII
Industrial Revolution Cause and
Effects
• Prompt: Describe and give examples of
the economic and environmental causes
and effects on the industrial revolution.
Rubric for Cause and Effect
1. For one point: has acceptable thesis.
Addresses the issues specified, not just a
restatement of the prompt:
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You will highlight your thesis
2. For 2 points: Addresses all parts of the
question:
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Cause (economics & environment)
Effect (economics & environment)
3. For 2 points: Substantiates thesis with
appropriate historical evidence