Lesson Plan:
The Causes of the First World War
This lesson plan will probably occupy students for either a morning or an
afternoon.
The aim is to develop an understanding of why Europe divided into two
opposing armed camps (sides) and why this led to the outbreak of the most
damaging war the world had ever known, involving every man, woman and
child in Britain. The lesson will highlight the events of summer 1914 as
breaking news, find the countries involved on maps of the time and then go
back to the long-term causes of the war. The lesson will end with a discussion
about whether any one country was responsible for the outbreak of the war.
Resources
Computer or computers with powerpoint
Introduction to the First World War Slide Show
Causes of the First World War Slideshow which includes the following:
Map of Europe before the First World War without countries’ names
Map of Europe with the countries’ names (print one A3 copy)
Flags of countries
Flag template
Map of Balkans and Schlieffen Plan
Large map of Europe shaded into alliance systems 1915
Long-term and short-term cause of war for each of 7 countries
Paper
Pencils and colouring pencils
Lolly sticks for flags (optional)
Introduction using Introduction to the First World War slide show.
Perhaps invite someone local who could explain a little about how the war
affected your area. 15 mins
Session 1 – Triggers (events and attitudes which led to or caused
the war)
Divide the class into 7 groups and choose a leader for each group. Each
group will represent a country: Germany, Austro-Hungary, France, Great
Britain, Russia, Serbia and Belgium. To decide which group represents which
country, draw countries’ names out of a hat. Each country will sit together
with paper and pencil.
Look at Breaking News from 28th June to 3rd August 1914 on the screen and
see which events affect which country. Each country should write down what
affected them.
Breaking News
1. On 28th June 1914, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne is
assassinated by a Serbian acting without government orders in Bosnia.
2. A furious Austria-Hungary sends an ultimatum (a final demand)
insisting on very harsh penalties (punishments) to Serbia.
3. Germany says she will support Austria-Hungary in a war against
Serbia.
4. Russia begins to mobilise (prepare and organise troops) and to move
her armies in support of Serbia.
5. Germany, fearful of war on 2 fronts with Russia and her ally France,
launches the Schlieffen Plan (see map) to knock France out of the war
before Russia is ready. (An ally is a country that works with another or
supports another. An alliance is the co-operation between two
countries.)
6. Germany invades neutral Belgium as part of her plan.
7. 3rd August: Great Britain declares war in defence of Belgium.
The First World War had begun and was to last for 4 appalling and horrible
years.
Give each group a blank map of Europe in 1914 and, either using one on the
computer, or copying from a photocopy, fill in the 7 countries represented.
Also add Italy. Draw or make a flag for your country.
Session 2 - Why did this happen?
Long-term causes (display using First World War slideshow)
1. Militarism: all countries (Germany, Serbia, Austro-Hungary, France,
Great Britain and Russia) wanted, and began building, larger armies
and navies, making war more likely. (Militarism is believing that your
country should have a strong army and being ready to use it.)
Imperialism: many, like Great Britain, France and Germany, wanted
empires for trade and glory. Others, like Russia and Austria-Hungary,
wanted to preserve their declining empires. (Imperialism is making
your empire bigger.)
Aggressive Nationalism: many wanted to use force to expand their
power. (Nationalism is feeling that your country is better and more
powerful than other countries and being ready to make sure that it is.)
Europe was becoming aggressive and arming to the teeth. Germany
and Serbia were probably the most aggressive.
2. Europe was dividing into 2 armed camps (sides) for defence in case
war came.
Alliance 1: The Triple Alliance - Germany and Austria Hungary and Italy
(who did not fight in 1914).
Alliance 2: The Triple Entente - Great Britain, France and Russia plus
Serbia who had a special friendship with Russia (An entente is an
understanding or alliance.)
Belgium was neutral
If anyone was attacked, Europe could snowball into war as allies rose
in support of each other. Military plans were drawn up by both sides to
ensure victory.
3. There had been long-term problems in the Balkans (see map). The
Turkish and Austro-Hungarian empires were declining and new states
such as Serbia were becoming stronger. Russia supported the Serbs.
Germany supported Austria against the Serbs. There had already been
2 wars there between 1900-1913. It was the ’powder keg of Europe’.
(A powder keg is a barrel of gunpowder, so it is a situation that is very
likely to explode disastrously.)
Each country will then be given a handout with the long term causes of the
war as applied to them. These must be discussed and understood alongside
those on the screen. After five or ten minutes each group will move towards
its allies and the elected leader will explain their worries and why they have
become allied, ie what each thinks it gains from the alliance.
Germany and Austria Hungary will be together facing France, Russia, Serbia
and GB. Belgium will be in the middle and will explain why she is not in either
group. Italy is not represented because she did not join in 1914 and after she
did join, changed sides.
Individual countries’ handouts
Germany
Individual German states like Hanover and Teck had united under the
powerful state of Prussia and became Germany, united under Otto von
Bismark in 1871. The very strong army had defeated France. Her growing
navy was worrying to Great Britain because Britain’s navy was vital for her
defence and desire for empire in Africa. Germany was allied to AustriaHungary, who had interests in the Balkans, and to Italy. Germany was
militaristic, aggressively nationalistic and yearned for empire. Her military
planners had produced the Schlieffen Plan in 1897 to avoid her having to fight
Russia and France at the same time. Russia and France were allied to each
other in 1893 which worried Germany. The Schlieffen Plan involved a speedy
attack on France through neutral Belgium before Russian had time to attack
in the east. She had guaranteed Belgian neutrality in 1839.
Austria-Hungary
A huge but declining empire which felt very vulnerable (easily attacked).
Allied to the much stronger Germany who might help her survival as a great
power. Her army was large but weak. Her main interest was in the Balkans
where she wanted to stop the rise of Serbia and cling on to areas she did
control like Bosnia. She particularly distrusted the Russians who sympathised
with the Serbs and were traditional enemies of the Austrians.
France
A large imperial power with lands in Africa, the Far East and West Indies. She
hated the Germans, having been defeated by them in 1871 and having lost
the valuable border department of Alsace Lorraine (a region in north-east
France on the border with Germany). She wanted revenge and was
rebuilding her army as fast as she could. She resented German attempts to
gain land in Africa and was allied to Russia and eventually to GB. She had no
real interest in the Balkans. She had guaranteed Belgian neutrality in 1839.
Great Britain
Was the strongest imperial and economic power of the time with a global
empire that spread from Canada via India and South Africa to Malaya,
Australia and New Zealand. She was not really interested in Europe or allies
as long as a balance of power was retained. By 1904 she made a treaty of
friendship with France and in 1908 with Russia. She was worried about the
growth of the German fleet which could challenge her trade and empire; that
would be unacceptable. Great Britain was rebuilding her army and expanding
her navy. She had no real interest in the Balkans. She had guaranteed Belgian
neutrality in 1839.
Russia
Huge and economically backward, Russia felt vulnerable; she had been
defeated by the Japanese in 1903 and was rebuilding her army and navy. She
traditionally disliked the Austrians, particularly their desire to expand in the
Balkans, and the Germans who had designs on Western Russian lands; she
was a firm supporter of the Slavic Serbs. Allied to France, they could cause
big problems for Germany if both attacked together. She also had an
agreement with Great Britain.
Serbia
Was a comparatively new Balkan nation formed with the decline of the
Austrian and Turkish empires. Closely tied to Russia by religion and the Slavic
race she wanted to expand in the Balkans at the expense of Austria. She had
a relatively modern effective army which had been victorious in 2 Balkan Wars
between 1900-13. She was militaristic and aggressively nationalistic.
Belgium
Had been created as a country in 1838-9 and was a small neutral state. This
had been guaranteed by all the major European powers. Much fought over in
the past, she was known as the ‘cockpit of Europe’. (A cockpit is somewhere
a battle takes place.) She was peaceful and had no desire to fight. She was
however ‘in the way’ if Germany launched their Schlieffen Plan.
As individual countries, each group drafts a 3-5 point speech showing why
you entered war on the side you did, and presents it to the class. Perhaps the
leader could choose a spokesperson.
End the session by looking carefully at the large map and placing your flags
as stickers on to it.
By the end of the war many nations had joined the original alliances.
Turkey and Bulgaria joined the Germans and Austro-Hungarians; Greece,
Italy, Rumania and the Arabs, plus of course the USA, joined the French,
British, Russians, Serbs and Belgians.
Shade in the maps produced earlier, showing the alliances in the war, and
check against the master.
Plenary Session
Discussion: Was any one country responsible for the outbreak of the First
World War? Each group (country) should say whether their country could be
considered responsible and give two reasons why they blame another
country. These reasons will be put on the board – see which country has the
most blame put on them.