12th Grade History

 Unit II. World War I             

A. Causes and Impacts of World War I in Europe

IN CLASS: Film—“Causes of World War I” (viewing guide attached)

IN CLASS: Timeline and Maps of World War I (Green Photocopy, pp. 110-113 and attached worksheet)

Assignment 1: (Due 10/20) READ in McKay, Chapter 27 from beginning to “Russian Revolution.” ANSWER the following in your own words:

1. What caused the Great War?  Explain each cause with specifics

2. How and why did war and revolution have such enormous and destructive effects?

3. How valid was the pro-allied argument that WWI was essentially a struggle between democracy and autocracy?

4. Define two types of national striving and explain with specifics how they led to WWI?

5. WWI marked the beginning of modern warfare?  What were some of the modern advances?

6. Describe some of the military strategies employed during the war.

7. Explain the term “total war.”

IN CLASS: Documents from Sources of Western Tradition: “The Black Hand,” “Heinrich von Treitschke: The Greatness of War,” “War and Celebration” and Green Photocopy, p. 109.

IN CLASS: Discussion of All Quiet on the Western Front

B. Russian Revolution

Assignment 2: (Due 10/24) READ in Green Photocopy, the filmstrip text on the Russian Revolution, pp. 142-8.  ANSWER in your own words:

• Characterize Russian revolutionary activity in the 19th century.
• How did Russian revolutionaries modify Marxist principles?
• Identify: V. I. Lenin
• What was the significance of the 1905 Revolution?
• How did WWI contribute to the March 1917 revolution?
• Identify: Alexander Kerensky
• How did the Bolsheviks gain power in November 1917?
• Identify: Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
• Identify: Comintern
• Describe “War Communism.”

• 11. What was the New Economic Policy?

IN CLASS: Revisiting Marx

IN CLASS: Film on the Russian Revolution

C. The US in WWI

Assignment 3: (Due 10/30) READ in Brinkley Chap. 23 “American and the Great War” to “The Search for a New World Order”).  ANSWER the following in your own words:

• Write a list of the steps leading to US entry into WWI.  Mark of the steps where you think the war could have been avoided if different action had been taken.
• List sacrifices and contributions made by Americans during WWI.
• How did the US government mobilize the American economy for war?
• How did the US government mobilize American society for war?

IN CLASS: Wilson and the War (Green Photocopy, pp. 93-103: “Peace Without Victory,” “Wilson’s Speech for Declaration of War Against Germany,” and “The Fourteen Points”). Consider:

• Compare and contrast the reasons European countries went to war in 1914 with the reasons the US went to war in 1917.  Which country was most justified in going to war?  Which was the least? Or did none of the countries have a good reason for going to war?
• Which passages from the documents best explain Wilson’s reasons for entering the war.  Which passages best show his ultimate goals?

Assignment 4: (Due 11/7) READ in Brinkley, Chap. 23 “The Search for a New World Order” to the end of the chapter; Green Photocopy, “Wilson and the League”; and McKay, Chap. 27, “The Peace Settlement.”  ANSWER the following in your own words:

• Why did Wilson fail in his efforts to get a “peace without victory”?
• Did Wilson get any of his ideals written into the peace settlement of 1919?
• In your view, were any of Wilson’s ideas flawed?  Would they lead to conflict instead of peace?  Why?

IN-CLASS ESSAY TEST: November 2