WWI Alliances

Simulation
 WWI Alliances Simulation
► Your six groups represent 6 different countries in
our fictional continent.
► Divide the following roles amongst your group:
 Minister of State; makes public statements and has final
decision in group
 Deputy minister; assists Minister, takes notes
 Artist; assists Deputy, creates flag
 Energizer; assists Deputy, keeps time, leads work on
chant
 Strategist; fill out Agreement Chart, tracks alliances to
make sure that they are consistent with one another
 World Situation Summary
► Follow along with your copy as the
summary is read.

► Deputy Minister: take notes over alliances,

issues between countries, etc.
 Known Alliances
► These are the only alliances which have been
announced publicly
Country Alliance w/ what nation?
Bahkan Yes Sandia
Caldonia Yes Yorkton
Morovia Yes ?
Penland Yes ?
Sandia Yes Bahkan
Yorkton Yes Caldonia
 Military Strength
Country Size of Army Rating

Bahkan 100,000 Good

Caldonia 1,500,000 Good

Morovia 150,000 Good

Penland 7,000,000 Excellent

Sandia 8,000,000 Poor

Yorkton 3,000,000 Fair

 Military Strength
Country Size of Navy Rating

Bahkan 500 Fair

Caldonia 1,500,000 Excellent

Morovia None N/A

Penland 250,000 Fair

Sandia 50,000 Fair

Yorkton 25,000 Fair

 National Statistics
Country Population National Income

Bahkan 3,500,000 $80,000,000

Caldonia 34,000,000 $280,000,000

Morovia 15,000,000 $150,000,000

Penland 40,000,000 $230,000,000

Sandia 77,000,000 $120,000,000

Yorkton 38,000,000 $200,000,000

 Confidential Information
► Read your country’s confidential
information
► Make adjustments to your strengths/
weaknesses if needed
► Answer the Country Questions before we
begin
 Instructions
► 1. As a group, decide from the World
Situation Summary and your Confidential
Information what you would like to do.
(What countries would you like to ask to be
your allies?)
► 2. Two Ambassadors from each group will
go throughout the room and make
proposals to other groups.
Examples of Agreements:
 If you come to an agreement…
► ALL Agreements need three signatures:
The Minister of State and one Ambassador
from each country.
► The agreements MUST be turned in to the
teacher to be ratified. One ambassador
from EACH country must be present when
the agreements are turned in.
► Strategists for each country must update
their agreement chart when an agreement
is made
 Alliances Simulation

► Leader (Minister of State) must sign all

agreements.
► Remainder: Ambassadors are to be the
negotiators. Halfway through the simulation
there may be a switch of ambassadors.
Therefore, everyone must be involved!
 Alliances Simulation
► Only TWO Ambassadors may visit other
groups to make deals. At the end, it will be
the Minister of State who delivers any
message or proposal from his/her country to
the general body (entire class) of states.
► There are blank proposal forms—be safe,
get all agreements in writing!!!
 Extra! Extra! Read all about it…
JULY 28, 1914
TO: MINISTERS OF STATE
FROM: News Reporter
DATELINE: Bahkan

The government of Bahkan has reported that Penland

nationalists have staged a massive armed attack along her
borders and have bombed government facilities in the capital. It
is believed that the raiders are members of the same group
which have been staging smaller raids on the Bahkan border in
previous months.
This action is by far the most serious yet taken by Penland
sympathizers. Bahkan officials charge that this attack was led by
the regular Penland Army, and is an act of outright aggression
against Bahkan territorial integrity.
Government representatives in Penland have refused to
comment on the current crisis. This leads to speculation that
Bahkan officials are making a legitimate charge.
There are also reports that there have been massive troop
movements in Penland, both in the direction of Sandia and
Yorkton.
 State Papers
► Based on the information in the news bulletin, as
a country write a speech for your official state
policy.
► Deputy Ministers: take notes over each country’s
plans
► Talk to other Countries - Redraft your State papers
► The Minister of State of each country reads their
foreign policy document
 This just in…

The heir to the Morovian

throne has just been
assassinated by a
Bahkanian nationalist
group who is upset with
Morovia’s continued raids
on Bahkan.

Morovia immediately
declares war on Bahkan
despite Bahkan’s claims
that they did not know
about the assassination
plans.
 What do we do now??!!
► Basedon the new information, re-evaluate
your country’s position
 What new info did you gather or could infer about
each nation’s proposal?
 Do you want to continue your current alliances?
Start new ones? (discuss why or why not)
 How will the actions of other countries
(terminating of continuing alliances) impact you?
 What do you want to do with your military?
 Do you want to send your ambassadors to change
any terms of agreements or make new ones?
 Meeting of the Minds
► All Ministers of State are to meet in the
hallway for 2 minutes to discuss the
establishment of alliances and/or declarations
of war.
► Use this template as your text:
Our foreign policy is to maintain peace at all cost. We wish to be
peaceful because __________________. Our plan for remaining
peaceful is __________________. We feel the advantages in
remaining peaceful are _______________. In the event we are
attacked, we have established a contingency plan. We fear the nation
of __________________ might attack because _______________. If
this nation should attack, we plan to ______________.
 Discussion
1. What two countries did this conflict
originally involve? Why did everyone else
get involved?
2. What were some of the things that created
tension amongst these nations?
3. Were there untrustworthy groups? Explain.
4. What would you have done differently?
5. Did you want a war? Why or why not?
6. What are the advantages or disadvantages
of an alliance system?
 Debrief
► This game simulated the events that occurred at the beginning of World War
I.
 Bahkan = Serbia
 Caldonia = Great Britain
 Morovia = Austria-Hungary
 Penland = Germany
 Sandia = Russia
 Yorkton = France
 Almanar = Ottoman empire

► on the back of the Final Position sheet, describe the following using the real
country names:
 Major alliances
 Issues between countries (territorial disputes, etc.)
 Military information ( who had best navy, best army, etc.)
 Who attacked who to begin the war
 How did all of the other countries get involved?