Study Guide 14: World War I (c.18)

Mr. Gazzo

Read: p. 422-452

Terms: Triple Alliance, Reinsurance Treaty, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Triple Entente, Bosnian Crisis, Balkan Wars, Franz Ferdinand, Sarajevo, Gavrilo Princip, Black Hand (Union or Death), Austrian ultimatum, “blank check”, “scrap of paper”, Central Powers, Allied Powers, Schlieffen Plan, Battle of the Marne, trench warfare, “no man’s land”, Western Front, Eastern Front, Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Gollipoli, 14 Points, armistice, self-determination, W. Wilson, Lloyd George, G. Clemenceau, V. Orlando, Peace of Paris, Versaille Treaty, Article 231, Polish Corridor, League of Nations, March Revolution, Provisional Government, Alexander Kerensky, Bolsheviks, Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin, “peace, land and bread”, soviets.

Study Questions:

  1. Describe the general mood of Europeans prior to 1914 and the underlying attitudes that contributed to the possibility of war.
  2. Analyze the problem of diverse nationalities in Austria-Hungary, especially the role of Serbia.
  3. Discuss the diplomatic goals of Bismarck in establishing the German alliance system in the 1880s, assess its strengths and weaknesses and explain the reasons for its collapse.
  4. Trace the development of the Triple Entente (noting the mutual interests of the nations) and assess its strengths and weaknesses on the eve of World War I.
  5. Analyze the motives of the parties involved in the Bosnian crisis and explain how its outcome contributed to increasing tensions in the Balkans.
  6. Explain the assassination of Francis Ferdinand and assess the role of the Serbian government.
  7. Analyze Germany’s role in the ultimatum crisis of 1914 and describe Germany’s reaction to the mobilization of the Russian army.
  8. Assess the responsibilities of all the major powers, including Serbia, in precipitating the general war of 1914.
  9. Describe the reaction of the common people to the coming of war and explain their feelings in terms of the conditions of their lives and the psychological atmosphere in which they lived.
  10. Describe the type of warfare that was waged on the western front and account for the staggering loss of life on both sides of the conflict.
  11. Explain why Russian actions in the east in 1914 surprised the Germans, tell how the Germans reacted and trace the course of Russian war efforts until 1918.
  12. Account for the entry of the U.S. into the war and describe the major U.S. war aims as articulated in President Wilson’s Fourteen Points.
  13. Discuss Germany’s last attempt to achieve victory. Explain why it failed, how the German military leadership reacted and how this reaction affected German politics.
  14. Analyze the major objectives of the U.S., Britain, France and Italy at the Versailles conference and note any contradictions or inconsistencies among them.
  15. Describe the major provisions of the war settlement, including territorial adjustments, reparations and the assignment of responsibility for the war.
  16. Assess the Versailles Treaty in terms of those provisions that carried in them the potential for future trouble in Europe.
  17. Describe the causes and progress of the Communist Revolution in Russia from the March Revolution to the end of the War.
  18. Describe the general outlook in Europe following the war, including elements of optimism and those of bitter disillusionment.