Name: ______Date: ______Block: ______
The Century: America's Time
Episode 2: Shell Shock
From the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarejevo in June of 1914 to Armistice Day in November of 1918, the world was embroiled in the First World War. World War I not only shaped much of the events of the twentieth century but also was truly unique since it was the first “mechanized” war. This episode documents the development of the war and American foreign policy regarding both war and peace.
1. A German U-boat sank the Lusitania off the Irish Coast. Despite the knowledge of a war waging in the Atlantic, passengers chose to sail in these waters. Why did the passengers of the Lusitania have a false sense of security? Why do you think the sinking of the Lusitania was seen as such a negative event?
2. Identify at least two reasons for the start of World War One in Europe.
3. What was the “massacre of the innocents?” Why did this event bear this name?
4. What was life like in the US during the early years of the war when the US was still neutral?
5. How did propaganda impact America’s view of the war?
6. A war of attrition is when both sides try to wear down the other side through sustained, continual attacks. How was World War One a war of attrition? What was life like in the trenches of the Western Front?
7. How did industrialization impact WWI?
8. Describe how new weapons like machine guns, tanks, and poison gas impacted the war.
9. What were some of the causes of the Russian Revolution? What were the ramifications of this revolution for world events in the twentieth century?
10. How did Europeans view the US entry into the war?
11. What did US veterans encounter when they returned to the US after the war?
12. One of the veterans when interviewed said, “Nobody wins in a war…they lost, we didn’t win.” What do you think he meant by this?