You are on page 1of 18

What do you know about the causes of World War I?

(Page 6)
1 Write definitions in your own words for the terms:
a imperialism
b nationalism
c alliance
d sabre-rattling.
2 Why did nations want empires?
3 What did Germany do to gain an empire?
4 Outline, and then justify, the pros and cons of being allied with another country.

Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 4 ISBN 978 0 19 557064 9 © Oxford University Press Australia
What do you know about the start of World War I? (Page 7)
1 In what ways was the Balkans region unstable before World War I?
2 a What was Austria–Hungary’s response to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand?
b Do you think the empire believed that its demands would be met? Give reasons for your opinion.
3 Why did Germany declare war on Russia and France?
4 Briefly explain the Schlieffen Plan.
5 Why did Britain become involved in the war?
6 What event prompted the USA to join World War I?

Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 4 ISBN 978 0 19 557064 9 © Oxford University Press Australia
What do you know about Australia’s commitment to the war?
(Page 8)
1 Explain why Australia declared war on Germany.
2 a Summarise each of the reasons why Australians signed up for the war.
b Put the reasons in order from the most important to the least.
c Explain why you have chosen what you consider to be one reason as the most important.
3 Imagine you are a soldier who signed up for the war for the reason you decided was most important in
Question 2. Write a letter to your family explaining your reason for enlisting.

4 Download and complete the Contestation and Contestability worksheet.

Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 4 ISBN 978 0 19 557064 9 © Oxford University Press Australia
1.1 Why do nations go to war?
Remember
1 Write a short description of how each of the following contributed to the start of World War I:
a imperialism
b militarism
c alliances
d nationalism.
2 Make a timeline showing the development of the alliances in Europe in the lead-up to World War I.
3 What demands did Austria place on Serbia after the assassination of the Archduke?

Understand
4 Explain, in no more than 150 words, the causes of World War I.
5 Use a mind map to illustrate the alliances in Europe in the lead-up to World War I. Refer to page 95 to help you.

Apply
6 Could the circumstances that led to World War I occur in Europe today? Explain your response.
7 Using a flow chart, outline how Germany’s desire to become a world power contributed to the beginning of
World War I.

Analyse
8 Imagine that the Archduke had not been assassinated. Do you think the war would still have happened?
Discuss your ideas with a partner and report back to your class.
9 With a partner, prepare a short role-play based on the ideas of nationalism in pre–World War I Europe. One
person should represent one empire, and should put forward the arguments for imperialism. The other person
should represent a national group and argue for independence. Be prepared to perform your role-play for the
class.

Create
10 Write an article for a British newspaper that explains, in simple terms, the reason for the war. You will need to
use persuasive and emotive language to convince the British people that it is morally right to get involved in the
war.
11 Imagine that you are in charge of promoting nationalism in a country of your choice. Design a visually interesting
poster that would raise national feeling, and briefly tell the public why the country should be independent.

Evaluate
12 Which circumstance do you think was most responsible for causing war to break out? Rank the other causes
from most important to least, and justify your responses.
13 Using the list of causes for World War I from Question 12, develop a survey to find out what other people feel
was the primary cause. You could survey family, classmates or teachers. Survey at least 10 people, and
present your data in a bar graph.
14 Download and complete the Cause and Consequence worksheet about the origins of World War I.

Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 4 ISBN 978 0 19 557064 9 © Oxford University Press Australia
connecting ideas
How does war change a society?
15 Do any of the circumstances that led to World War I exist in Australia today? If so, what are they?
16 Investigate the reasons why Australia became involved in a more recent war, such as the Korean War, the
Vietnam War, or the war in Afghanistan. Compare them to the reasons for Australia’s involvement in World
War I. How are they similar and how are they different?

Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 4 ISBN 978 0 19 557064 9 © Oxford University Press Australia
What do you know about winning World War I? (Page 11)
1 What were the pros and cons of the new communications technology that had become available?
2 Which weapon was officially banned under the Geneva Protocol in 1925? Why do you think this was done?
3 Why did the war bog down on the Western Front?

Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 4 ISBN 978 0 19 557064 9 © Oxford University Press Australia
What do you know about war on the Western Front? (Page 18)
1 What do you think would have been the most difficult aspect of trench warfare for the soldiers? Explain your
response.
2 Which type of new technology discussed in this section do you think had the largest impact on warfare? Why?
3 Read the letter written from the trenches by John Raws (Source 1.22 on page 15).
a Why do you think he felt that people at home should know what he was going through?
b How do you think letters like these would have changed the views of war back home?

Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 4 ISBN 978 0 19 557064 9 © Oxford University Press Australia
What do you know about war in the Middle East? (Page 22)
1 What was the intention of the Gallipoli campaign, and what was the actual outcome?
2 How did the conditions in winter affect soldiers in the trenches?
3 Do you agree that the withdrawal of the Anzacs from Gallipoli was the most successful part of the campaign?
Explain your response.
4 What was T.E. Lawrence’s role in the Middle East?

Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 4 ISBN 978 0 19 557064 9 © Oxford University Press Australia
1.2 What influences the way wars are fought?
Remember
1 What were the conditions like at Gallipoli?
2 Why do people in Australia feel proud of the Anzacs?

Understand
3 Read the letters written by John Alexander Raws (Source 1.22 on page 15) and Lieutenant Frank Boyes
(Source 1.31 on page20).
a In your own words, describe the two men’s experiences.
b What do you think the most difficult experience was for each? Explain your reasoning.
c What were the main similarities and differences between the experiences of the two men?

Apply
4 Make a list of the new technologies that were introduced in World War I.
a How did each new weapon affect the war?
b What effect did the use of aircraft have on future warfare?
c Choose one of the new weapons and design a method to defend against its use.

Analyse
5 Make a Venn diagram to compare trench warfare on the Western Front and Gallipoli. Refer to Sources 1.21,
1.22, 1.24, 1.31 and 1.32.
6 Write a survey and conduct it with at least 10 adults that you know about their knowledge of Simpson and his
donkey.
a How many people are aware that Simpson was not Australian?
b How many people knew that he had deserted the British merchant navy?
c Analyse your results, and write a short summary of the feedback. Is the public’s knowledge of Simpson
realistic or is it based on myth?

Create
7 Sketch the Anzac Cove beach where the troops landed in the Gallipoli campaign (see Source 1.28). Ensure that
you label your sketch, and highlight the difficulties that the soldiers would have faced on arrival.

Evaluate
8 Read Private Simpson’s story carefully (see Profile box on page 21) and make a chart to record arguments for
and against his status as a national hero.
9 Using your chart from Question 8, and your conclusions from Question 7, write a letter to a newspaper arguing
for or against Simpson’s status as a national hero. Ensure that you include evidence to support your argument.
10 Download and complete the Contestation and Contestability worksheet on Gallipoli and the invasion
of
Turkey.

Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 4 ISBN 978 0 19 557064 9 © Oxford University Press Australia
connecting ideas
How does war change a society?
11 Investigate the kinds of weapons used in warfare today.
a Create a chart to compare today’s weapons with those used in World War I.
b What are the differences between modern war tactics and those of World War I?
c Is modern warfare more damaging than that of World War I?
Justify your opinion.

Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 4 ISBN 978 0 19 557064 9 © Oxford University Press Australia
What do you know about Australian society during World War I?
(Page 25)
1 What kinds of work did women do during the war?
2 Why were many German–Australians interned?
3 What were the arguments for and against conscription?
4 Which side of the conscription debate do you agree with? Explain your opinion.

Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 4 ISBN 978 0 19 557064 9 © Oxford University Press Australia
What do you know about the wider consequences of war?
(Page 28)
1 What kinds of risks did civilians face during the war?
2 How did the war affect the landscape of the Western Front?
3 Why did the Australian government feel it was necessary to raise income taxes during World War I?
4 How did Japan and the USA benefit from the war?
5 How did Germany benefit from the Russian Revolution in 1917?
6 Why did Australia experience inflation during the war?

Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 4 ISBN 978 0 19 557064 9 © Oxford University Press Australia
1.3 What impact does war have on home fronts?
Remember
1 How did most countries pay for their war efforts?
2 What are tariffs? How do they make international trade more difficult?
3 How were oceans affected by the war?
4 What were some of the reasons Australians opposed conscription?

Understand
5 In 1913, the estimated population of the world was around 1.8 billion. Examine the statistics on those wounded,
killed or lost in action during the war.
a What percentage of the world’s population was killed or went missing?
b What percentage of the population was wounded?
c What effects do you think these outcomes had on the communities these people belonged to?
6 In your own words, explain how the role of women changed during World War I. Refer to both paid work and
involvement in volunteer organisations.

Apply
7 Imagine you and your group of friends are involved in a serious argument.
a What sort of short-term problems might arise?
b What kind of long-term damage could result from this situation?
c How could the conflict be resolved with the least long-term negative consequences?
8 Many women wrote letters to newspapers arguing for and against conscription. Choose one side of the
argument and write a letter to the editor from the perspective of a parent whose son is a soldier at the frontline.

Analyse
9 With a partner, develop a role-play. One of you should represent a woman wishing to work in a ‘man’s’ job
during the war, while the other should be a male trade union member.
10 Make a chart with three columns headed ‘Cause’, ‘Effect’ and ‘Solution’.
a Under Cause, write out the causes of environmental damage during the war.
b Under Effect, match the effects with the causes.
c In the Solution column, suggest what could have been done in each case to help the environment recover.
d Compare your responses with those of a friend.

Create
11 Examine the posters (Sources 1.38 and 1.41) supporting and opposing conscription. Create your own poster to
support your personal opinion.

Evaluate
12 How do you think the war might have affected Australia differently if conscription had been introduced? Write a
report to outline the effects of conscription on the war effort and the home front.
13 How effective do you think communism could be? Using the information in the Zooming in box on page 27,
explain the advantages and disadvantages of living in a society where everybody shares the ownership of
property.

Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 4 ISBN 978 0 19 557064 9 © Oxford University Press Australia
connecting ideas
How does war change a society?
14 Many kinds of events influence contemporary Australian society and relationships with other nations. These
include sporting achievements, such as winning the America’s Cup, or the Ashes; hosting an international event
such as the Sydney Olympics; or involvement in contemporary wars such as the 2003 invasion of Iraq. You may
think of others.
a Choose one of these events and prepare a brief illustrated outline.
b Explain what effect the event had on Australia’s image and reputation.

Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 4 ISBN 978 0 19 557064 9 © Oxford University Press Australia
What do you know about the conclusion of the war? (Page 32)
1 What were the conditions in Germany immediately before its surrender?
2 What were the main considerations when planning the peace treaty?
3 How did the war create new nations?
4 Which two new world powers emerged after the war?

Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 4 ISBN 978 0 19 557064 9 © Oxford University Press Australia
What do you know about honouring service and sacrifice?
(Page 34)
1 When was Anzac Day commemorated for the first time?
2 Why are poppies worn on Remembrance Day?
3 Do you think it is important to remember people who served in war? Explain your response.

Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 4 ISBN 978 0 19 557064 9 © Oxford University Press Australia
1.4 Why are wars important to nations?
Remember
1 In what ways was it difficult for soldiers to adjust to civilian life after the war?
2 What was the Treaty of Versailles and who was involved in its creation?
3 Who were the two new world powers that emerged after World War I? How were they able to become so
powerful?

Understand
4 Read the memorial by Kemal Ataturk (Source 1.57). Paraphrase the message that Ataturk is conveying.
5 Use a flow chart to illustrate how Germany came to surrender in September 1918.

Apply
6 Develop a policy that would have helped the soldiers settle back into civilian life more effectively. Ensure that
you include practical, financial and psychological issues.
7 Imagine you have the opportunity to interview a World War I veteran. Develop five interview questions that
would help you understand the problems faced by the returned soldiers.

Analyse
8 How effective do you think the programs for returned soldiers were at helping them adjust to civilian life? Use a
table or mind map to demonstrate the effectiveness of each program.
9 Read each of the main terms of the Treaty of Versailles carefully. For each subheading, suggest how the
government and people of Germany may have felt about the terms.

Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 4 ISBN 978 0 19 557064 9 © Oxford University Press Australia
Create
10 Sources 1.54, 1.57, 1.58 and 1.59 show ways of commemorating soldiers who have sacrificed their lives in war.
Create your own commemoration in a poem or illustration. Check www.oup.com to find more examples of
wartime poetry.

Evaluate
11 Examine Source 1.51 and related text on pages 31 and 32. To what extent did other nations benefit from the
‘carve-up’ of German territory after World War I?

connecting ideas
How does war change a society?
12 Conduct some research on soldiers who have returned from more recent conflicts, such as the 2003 Invasion of
Iraq.
a Do you think returning soldiers today face the same problems as they did in World War I?
b What differences and similarities do you think there might be?
c What resources do you think are available today for helping returned soldiers?

Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 4 ISBN 978 0 19 557064 9 © Oxford University Press Australia

You might also like