InQuizitive: Chapter 24: The First World War

Which of the following was not one of the factors that caused the "tragedy of miscalculation" that led to the outbreak of the First World War?

France's plan to fight a two-front war

What, in his view, was the main accomplishment of the Treaty of Sèvres, which dealt with the breakup of the Ottoman Empire?

It made former Ottoman territories into protectorates controlled by Britain and France.

Match each group of people displaced by the war to the primary places where they found refuge.

Italy - Italians living in the Austro-Hungarian Empire Vienna and Warsaw - Jews fleeing Russian invasion France, the Netherlands, and Britain - Belgians fleeing the German invasion of France through Belgium

Identify the general who led the French forces to make a determined stand at the Battle of Verdun in 1916.

Philippe Petain

Identify the statement that best describes the changes in the front lines between June and November of 1918.

The Eastern front witnessed a major shift while the Western Front in France saw a quick reversal after a brief period of movement

Study the map of the battle front lines from January 31-December 31, 1917. Identify the statement that best describes the changes from the beginning to end of that year.

The only gains were made in northern Italy and eastern Austria-Hungary

Read the following passage from Lenin's What Is to Be Done? (1902). "I assert: (1) that no revolutionary movement can endure without a stable organisation of leaders maintaining continuity; ... (3) that such an organisation must consist chiefly of people professionally engaged in revolutionary activity; (4) that in an autocratic state, the more we confine the membership of such an organisation to people who are professionally engaged in revolutionary activity, ... the more difficult will it be to unearth the organisation. ..." Identify the statement that best encapsulates the argument of this passage.

The socialist revolution can occur only if there is a disciplined core of leaders to effectuate it

In their fight against the Ottoman Empire, the British were successful in gaining the support of different Arab peoples.

True

One of the key economic developments of the First World War was the increasing tendency for national governments to take control of all aspects of production and distribution.

True

The decisive turning point on the Western Front was the influx of American soldiers, beginning in the summer of 1918.

True

Match the former territories to the nation that controlled them after the Treaty of Versailles.

Turkey: Anatolia France: Lebanon and Syria Great Britain: Transjordan, Iraq, and Palestine

Identify the consequences of the German decision to invade Belgium on August 4, 1914.

- It provided Great Britain with a reason to declare war. - It provided Italy with a reason to stay neutral.

Identify the ways that women's lives changed during the war.

- Loosened restrictions on private life - Greater industrial employment - Clerical and service sector work

Why was the success of the Bolsheviks' October 1917 Russian Revolution surprising?

- Over 85 percent of the Russian population were peasants. - The Bolsheviks were a minority group among Social Democrats.

Identify the weapons that were introduced during the First World War.

- Poison gas - Exploding bullets - Tanks - Liquid Fire

Read the following extract from late May 1917 in the journal of French soldier Louis Barthas. Identify the reasons that Barthas gives for French soldiers' protests.

- The length of the war - War profiteers - The February Russian Revolution - Lack of home leaves

Watch the following video in which Professor Cole discusses the origins of the First World War. Select the factors that he identifies.

- Treaties forced large European powers to grapple with localized conflicts. - There were German anxieties over a potential two-front war. - The dangers posed by the politics of the Balkans were feared.

What made soldiers' experiences during World War I particularly horrific?

- Trench warfare - Use of mustard gas - Widespread use of the machine gun

The spark that provoked the assassination of Franz Ferdinand was the desire among Bosnian Serbs to create their own Bosnian Serb state.

False

Unlike in the prewar period when they were persecuted, Jews in Russia were particularly valued for their contributions to the war effort.

False

Unlike on the Western Front, the Eastern Front led to a rapid German victory over the Russians due to their victories at Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes.

False

Identify the colonial territories that sent soldiers to fight in Europe during the First World War.

- Canada - Australia - Senegal - Madagascar

Identify the statements best associated with the logic of "total war" during the First World War.

- Civilian morale is important - Naval blockades are effective strategies - Massive numbers of civilians became displaced

T. E. Lawrence became famous as "Lawrence of Arabia" when he captured the Ottoman port of Aqaba.

False

Fill in the blanks to complete the passage about Russian politics.

"A Russian term for local councils, SOVIETS..." "... were elected by WORKERS and soldiers." "One such council, organized during the 1905 REVOLUTION." "... led by the well-known socialist LEON TROTSKY..." "... councils pressed for social reform, redistribution of LAND..." "... and a(n) PEACE SETTLEMENT with Germany and Austria."

Fill in the blanks to complete the passage about Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during the war.

"Attacked by the Allies at GALLIPOLI and at war with the Russians..." "... subjects, believing them to be a SECURITY RISK" "... who lived in the Ottoman Empire in 1914 were Orthodox CHRISTIANS" "They were mostly an URBAN population..." "... population that was more PROSPEROUS..." "... and MORE educated than the..."

In the following extract from the testimony of Helen Ross, an African American woman who had worked in domestic service before taking a wartime railroad job in Kansas, select the parts that highlight the benefits of this and other types of wartime work for African American women.

"We are making more money at this than any work we can get, and we do not have to work as hard as at housework which requires us to be on duty from six o'clock in the morning until nine or ten at night, with might little time off and at very poor wages. ..." "With three dollars a day, we can buy bonds ... , we can dress decently, and not be tempted to find our living on the streets."

The Bolsheviks under Lenin forced Tsar Nicholas II to abdicate during the October Revolution.

False

Identify the statement that best describes the Ottoman Empire's treatment of its Armenian population.

Due to the increasing pressure of the war, the Turks singled out the Armenians for mistreatment and ultimately genocide

As a result of the failure of the Nivelle Offensive, nearly two-thirds of British soldiers went out on strike.

False

Before the First World War, European stability rested on two major alliance systems, the Triple Entente of France, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, and the Triple Alliance of Germany, Britain, and Russia.

False