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WWI/Russian Revolution Test Review
MAIN Causes of World War I:
 Military buildup of European armies and navies (MILITARISM)
The term MILITARISM can best be defined as a buildup of armaments in preparation for war.
Militarism in the nations of Europe was a major cause of World War I.
 Formation of secret alliances (ALLIANCES)
THE TRIPLE ALLIANCE (THE CENTRAL POWERS) & THE TRIPLE ENTENTE (THE ALLIES)
were established in the decades just before World War I
 Competition and conflict over colonies in Africa and Asia (IMPERIALISM)
 Nationalistic rivalries in the Balkan Peninsula (NATIONALISM)
Spark which Ignited the War:
 The Balkan Peninsula was described as “the powder keg of Europe” prior to World War I
because of nationalistic rivalries.
 A Serbian nationalist group known as the Black Hand sought to unite all Serbs into one
independent nation and gain self-determination. (Self-determination is the freedom of the people
of a given territory to declare their independence and/or make their own political decisions.)
 In an effort to further this cause, Gavrilo Princep, a member of the Black Hand, assassinated the
heir to the throne of the Austro- Hungarian Empire (Archduke Ferdinand).
 This event (the assassination of the heir to the throne of the Austro- Hungarian Empire
(Archduke Ferdinand) was the immediate cause of World War I in Europe.
 Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Shortly thereafter, a number of entangling alliances
prompted many other nations to join the fighting.
Fighting the War:
 WWI was an example of Total Warfare because nations channeled all of their resources into the war
effort
 Nations regulated their economic systems to INCREASE PRODUCTION.
 World War I generated jobs at home and in the military. As a result, UNEMPLOYMENT
RATES DECLINED between 1914 and 1918.
 Technological developments used during World War I:
o poison gas
o tanks
o machine guns
o submarines
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New military technology led to the development of trench warfare in WWI
Control of the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits was a strategic objective in both World War I and
World War II because these straits provide access from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea
End of the War/ Treaty of Versailles
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Self-determination is the freedom of the people of a given territory to declare their independence
and/or make their own political decisions.
The 'Fourteen Points' were listed in a speech delivered by President Woodrow Wilson of the United
States in 1918. The speech was delivered over 10 months before the Armistice with Germany ended
World War I, but the Fourteen Points became the basis for the terms of German surrender that
are documented in the Treaty of Versailles.
End of the War/ Treaty of Versailles (continued)
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Woodrow Wilson’s ‘Fourteen Points’ held appeal for nationalists in areas under colonial control
because it suggested national self-determination.
Wilson pushed for the creation of the LEAGUE OF NATIONS to prevent future wars
o The United States Senate voted against joining the League of Nations
Treaties signed in 1919 (The Treaty of Versailles was actually just one of several treaties that
were made at the end of World War I) resulted in the restructuring of the boundaries of eastern
Europe and the formation of new nations.
The boundaries were changed in an attempt to satisfy the demands for self- determination by
ethnic nationalities.
The Treaty of Versailles punished Germany for its role in World War I by forcing Germany to
accept blame for the war and to pay large REPARATIONS (payments for war damages).
Germany was also forced to give up territory which became part of Poland and Czechoslovakia.
Many historians believe that the harsh terms found in the Treaty of Versailles helped lead to
World War II. A direct result of World War I was Germany’s loss of its colonies in Africa and Asia.
Austria-Hungary gave up the most land as a result of the Treaty of Versailles.
Nationalist movements after World War I led to the breakup of Austria- Hungary.
Nationalist movements after World War I (and World War II) led to the breakup of the Ottoman
Empire and the restructuring of boundaries in the Middle East.
Causes of the Russian Revolution:
 Heavy military losses (casualties) in World War I
 Stressful Economic conditions led to calls for political change
o World War I created conditions [food and fuel shortages] in Russia that helped trigger a
revolution.
 Opposition to the czar
o the ineffective leadership of the czar
o abuse of political power by Czar Nicholas II
o government denial of basic human rights
 The events of Bloody Sunday
Bolshevik Revolution
 Slogan of the Bolshevik (Russian) Revolution: “Peace, Land, and Bread”
 Lenin’s promise of “Peace, Land, Bread” during the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 was made in an
effort to gain POPULAR SUPPORT to overthrow the government.
 The Bolshevik Party in 1917 gained the SUPPORT OF THE PEASANT CLASS because they promised
them “Peace, Land, and Bread”
 Bolshevik Red Army defeat opposition forces in the White Army in the Russian Civil War which
followed the Bolshevik Revolution
Vladimir Lenin and the Soviet Union
 Based his rule on the ideas of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (communism)
 Promised “Peace, Land, and Bread”
 Established the New Economic Policy (NEP)
 Russia became the Soviet Union
o World’s first communist nation 
o Under communism in the Soviet Union, people were required to put the interests of the
state before individual gain 
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Joseph Stalin and Totalitarianism
 Joseph Stalin’s rule in the Soviet Union was characterized by the establishment of a
TOTALITARIAN DICTATORSHIP.
 Stalin governed by means of secret police, censorship, and political PURGES (including the
killing of opposition groups).
 He used these methods as a means of maintaining control of the government.
Major goals of Joseph Stalin’s FIVE-YEAR PLANS:
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To INCREASE INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION to transform the Soviet Union into an
industrial power
Rapid industrialization
An economic accomplishment of the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin was increasing
production of HEAVY INDUSTRIAL MACHINERY.
Stalin and Collectivization
 Under Joseph Stalin, peasants in the Soviet Union were forced to join COLLECTIVE
FARMS.
 The FAMINE IN UKRAINE during the 1930s resulted from the Soviet government’s
attempt to collectivize agriculture.
 Conflicts between Soviets and prosperous Ukrainian peasants known as KULAKS resulted
in massacres or GENOCIDE.