Name:_______________________________________ Pd:_____

First World War Webquest

Interactively learn about the First World War through images, video recordings, and audio clips!
_________________________________________________________________________
Part I: Video Portion
Origins
1. Watch “Origins” video clip : (3:16) and answer the questions as you go.
a. From the 1880’s onward, what type of competition was present throughout the
world? The competition to be the most powerful
___________________________
b. In what city was the Archduke Ferdinand assassinated?
Bosnia
Sarajevo __________________________
Trenches
Watch “Trenches” Video clip (4:03)
1. Characterize life in the trenches for the soldiers- be specific.

2. By 1914, how many total miles of trenches were there?

Fronts
Watch “Fronts” (chapter 4) video clip (5:00)
1. Characterize the fighting you see as you watch the 5 minute clip.

2. One woman says that what makes the Great War “great “is great ___________________

Endings:
Watch “Endings” Chapter 6 (6:38)

1. What happened in Russia in 1916 that caused many people additional fear?

2. What was the most immediate effect of America’s entrance into the Great War?

3. Which country initiated the armistice?

 4. Why were so many people “uneasy” about the proposed peace treaty?

5. What was the most devastating long term impact of the Treaty of Versailles?

6. The Treaty was a colossal failure because the _____________________________ asked of

Germany were so unfair.

Aftermath
Watch “Aftermath”Chapter 7 (4 minutes)- This is a difficult chapter to watch. Address the
following prompts AFTER you finish watching the chapter.

● What emotional toll did WWI have on the populations of Europe?

● How might this emotional toll actually contribute to WWII?

● What accounted to some of the horrifying wounds that some of the soldiers suffered in
the conflict?

● Midway through the clip, you will see a few soldiers shaking and twitching. They are
suffering from a condition called “shell shock.” What is shell shock and why do you
think soldiers from THIS particular war are stricken by it?
Part II: Interactive Portion
Click on the trenches portion of the website and fill in the blanks below
Part II: Trenches
Click on the red dot and read about Click on the blue dot and read about
German Trenches Allied Trenches
(French and British Trenches)

● Defensive
Had not anticipated a ________________
war.
● Trenches were a basic collection of
dugouts and
_____________ foxholes in which
and ___________
infantry could take cover
● Trenches became sophisticated and were
up to15 feet
____ deep
ft. deep and 6 ft. wide.
● advantage of
Germany had the ________________
choosing locations they wanted to defend.
● They chose ground
_____________________________________
British and French, with stairs,
_____________________________________
toilets, a ventilation system and
_____________________________________
in some cases electricity.
____________.
● Trenches were generally deeper and more
elaborate than
______________________________.
Elaborate
● German trenches had:
○ ____________________
● less desirable ground than
Built on _______
those of the German trenches
● shallower more liable to flooding
____________&
● trench foot -type of frostbite
________________
caused by standing in the water in the
trenches
● 6-10feet deep and 6 feet wide
____
● zigzag
Trenches were built in a _____________
pattern
● Benefits of this
pattern:______________________________
if an enemy assault successfully
_____________________________________
penetrated the trench they could
_____________________________________
not shoot directly down it.
_____________________________________
____
● People felt fear, boredom and
sickness
_________________ in the trenches

○ look at paragraph
____________________

○ ____________________

Part 4: Fronts
Go to Part 4: Fronts and click the interactive portion
Now click on the interactive icon “Theaters of War”. Click on the yellow dot furthest to the “left”
“War at Sea” and read to answer the following questions.
1. What did U-Boats target why?
british merchant ships, an attempt to enforce a naval
blockade, and enjoyed a great deal of success.
2. What did Germany change its policy to after the sinking of the Lusitania?
to exclude liners and ships sailing under neutral flags, and for a short time sought to
switch the emphasis to surface warfare.
Click on the Western Front dot
1. Which countries were involved in the Western front?

belgium, france, britain and germany.

 Click on the Eastern Front dot
1. Which countries were involved in the Eastern front?
Russia, austro-hungary and Germany
Click on the far east dot
2. Who did Japan ally with?

allied powers
3. How did Japan help this side in the war?
Occupied German territories in the pacific and The Japanese bore the brunt of the fighting in
the siege, bombarding the port throughout the first week of November 1914.
Part 6: Endings
Redrawing the Map- use the 1914 and 1920 map to answer this question

1. How did the map change from 1914-1920? Be specific.

Latvia, lithuania, estonia, Poland and yugoslavia all became their own country.
Poland
2. Click on any dot and write it here_______________
a. How did this region or country change?
It was previously fought over by the austro-
hungarians, russians and the germans, but it
was now free from all outside control, as
stated in Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points.