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Name: _____________________________________________________________ Date: _____________ Block: ___

World War I

1914 – 1918 (1919)

Special Note: page 2 contains the Essential Knowledge of this SOL. It is your responsibility to study this information, learn it, and know it for your quiz and test. This packet is intended to help you practice and understand this SOL

better. Work hard and do your best!

Use the boxes below to write notes to aid in your review of content standards for SOL testing. Both boxes must be filled in with as much information as possible. Failure to do so will result in a 5 point deduction of the grade for this packet.

p.2 Notes

(10 points)

p.3 Central/Allied

(14 points)

p. 5 Map of WWI (25 points)

p.6 WWI Review I

(18 points)

p. 7 Trench Warfare

(20 points)

p. 9 Timeline

(10 points)

p. 11&12 End of WWI (14 points)

p.13 WWI Review II

(8 points)

Key Vocabulary Key Individuals

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STANDARD USII.5c

The student will demonstrate knowledge of the changing role of the United States from the late nineteenth century

through World War I by

c) explaining the reasons for the United States’ involvement in World War I and its international leadership role

at the conclusion of the war.

Essential Understandings Essential Questions Essential Knowledge Essential Skills

The United States’ involvement

in World War I ended a long

tradition of avoiding

involvement in European

conflicts and set the stage for

the United States to emerge as a

global superpower later in the

twentieth century.

There were disagreements

about the extent to which the

United States should participate

in world affairs.

What were the reasons for the

United States’ becoming

involved in World War I?

________________________

________________________

________________________

________________________

Who were the Allies?

________________________

________________________

________________________

________________________

Who were the Central

Powers?

________________________

________________________

________________________

________________________

In what ways did the United

States provide international

leadership at the conclusion

of the war?

________________________

________________________

________________________

________________________

Reasons for United States

involvement in World War I

Inability to remain neutral

German submarine warfare:

Sinking of the Lusitania

United States economic and

political ties to Great Britain

The Zimmermann Telegram

Major Allied Powers

British Empire

France

Russia

Serbia

Belgium

United States

Central Powers

German Empire

Austro-Hungarian Empire

Bulgaria

Ottoman Empire

United States leadership as the

war ended

At the end of World War I,

President Woodrow Wilson

prepared a peace plan known

as the Fourteen Points that

called for the formation of the

League of Nations, a

peacekeeping organization.

The United States decided not

to join the League of Nations

because the United States

Senate failed to ratify the

Treaty of Versailles.

Analyze and interpret primary

and secondary source

documents to increase

understanding of events and

life in United States history.

(USII.1a)

Sequence events in United

States history. (USII.1c)

Interpret ideas and events

from different historical

perspectives. (USII.1d)

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Austria-Hungary Belgium Bulgaria France Germany Great Britain Ottoman Empire Russia Serbia United States

World War I

World War I was known as the “War to End all Wars”. (But that didn’t seem to work out so well, since in 1939 World War II started. So eventually they renamed WWI to “The Great War”). World War I was fueled by four MAIN things:

M = Militarism = ______________________________________________

A = Alliances =_______________________________________________

I = Imperialism =_______________________________________________

N = Nationalism =_______________________________________________

The actual spark that ignited the fighting of WWI was when Austria-Hungary’s Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated. Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for the assassination, and on July 28, 1914 Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Russia immediately came to the aid of Serbia and declared war on Austria-Hungary. Germany then declared war on Russia for their declaration of war against Austria-Hungary and from there, well … it became like a tennis match (Simile anyone?)

Directions: In each tennis racquet, write the name of the country that belongs to each alliance.

Central Powers Allied Powers

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Reasons for United States involvement in World War I

The War in Europe began in 1914. The United States, at that time, was still dealing with increased immigration

issues, industrialization and urbanization combined with the opening of the Panama Canal; and let us not forget

adjusting to the newly elected President (Woodrow Wilson). The United States had no need or reason to get

involved in the “European War”. Unless of course…The United States could make money from the war. The

early twentieth century was a time of extreme pride for the United States. The US had been victorious in the

______________________________ of 1898 and had entered the century as a highly respected (or one could

say “feared” – In history respect is often earned from fear) world power. Who would dare attack the United

States now? After all, the US had just proven herself a capable war machine by defeating Spain. (Note Spain

does not get involved in WWI either, probably still healing from the massive ego bruise after the loss of Cuba

and the Philippines to the US.

The United States profited on manufacturing and selling war supplies to the European countries who were fighting. The US mostly sold these supplies to England and France, because of the United States’ strong economic and political ties to Great Britain. However, when Germany found out that the US was selling war supplies to the Allies, she gave a strict warning to the US…”Either Get in the War, or Stay Out of It!”. Germany believed by supplying war supplies to the Allied countries, the United States was not maintaining her neutrality. Neutrality: _________________________________________________

Of course the US did not cave to Germany’s threat and on May 07, 1915, a German U-Boat (Submarine) torpedoed a British Passenger Ship named the Lusitania, killing over 1,000 people (128 were Americans). How could Germany kill those innocent people?

Well, while the people may have been innocent, the ship certainly was not. Even after Germany’s warnings, the US and Great Britain were still secretly trading weapons and supplies. They were using the storage holds on passenger ships to transport the military supplies. The United States was outraged – that Germany took action. But that was not enough to get the US involved in the war yet.

It wasn’t until 1917, when Great Britain “intercepted” the Zimmerman Telegraph, that the US finally decided to enter the war as an Allied power. The Telegraph was never proven authentic, but it was the last straw for the “neutral” US. The German telegraph made an offer to the Mexican government asking them to form an allegiance with Germany. In return for Mexico’s loyalty, Germany promised to help Mexico win back the land they had lost to the US during the Mexican-American War of _____________. With the possibility of an enemy so close to the US border, the United States had to no choice but to finally end their neutrality and enter WWI.

So what did the

United States do

when Europe

broke out into

an all out war?

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Directions: Label the map below to reflect the Neutral, Central and Allied powers of World War I.

Make sure to label each country and major body of water and include the key as part of your labeling.

Which country is not shown on this map, but was a major Allied power during the war: ______________________________

Why do you think this country is not shown on the map? ______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Central Powers

Allied Powers

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WWI Review Part I

Define the terms below:

Militarism

Alliances

Imperialism

Nationalism

List the participating members of the alliances below:

Central Powers AKA: Allied Powers AKA:

Directions: complete the missing information:

Reasons for the United States involvement in World War I

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Trench warfare

There were two “fronts” in Europe. A front is a major area of concentrated fighting. The Eastern front contained

the land between Germany and Russia, while the western front was primarily the battlefields of France. Those

battlefields of the western front in ________________________ became known as “no-man’s land” and the

style of warfare has become better known as ______________________________.

Life in the trenches was very difficult. Soldiers often stayed in a “trench” for weeks at a time. On the open

battlefield, no one dared to stick their head up out of the trench to see the enemy, because if they did, they

probably wouldn’t have a head when they ducked back into

the trench. One step forward, two steps back.

List of hazards Soldiers had to deal with in the Trenches

Rats Malaria Mustard Gas

Snakes Intense Heat Death

Shrapnel Exhaustion No Restrooms

Intense Cold Snipers Limited Food

Lice Shellshock Disease

Directions: Imagine you are a front line soldier. Write a letter home to your family explaining what you have

been doing and how the war is going.

Directions: Before letters could be mailed home, commanding officers would have to read each letter and

censor any information that may be “questionable” such as poor conditions or the state of the war. Go back over

your original letter and across off (censor) any information you wrote that is negative or that explains, in any

way, details the war. What words do you actually have left now?

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

____________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

How do you think this type of censorship affected the families understanding of the war? ________________

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Thanks,

I’ll take it

from here

The Battle of Verdun

Date – February 21- December 18, 1916

Conflict – World War I

Participants – German Army vs French Army

Location – Verdun, France

Interesting Facts – Longest battle of WWI

One of the most devastating battles in human history

First recorded use of the flamethrower as a weapon (by

German forces).

With the advent of trench warfare, achieving a clear cut victory on the

battlefield became nearly impossible. In the past, achieving victory in

battle was easier to determine. Two groups would fight, and whoever

didn’t surrender (or die) won. But now with the use of trenches, battles

that would have taken a day or two were lasting weeks to even months.

In early 1916, Germany decided to launch an all out attack on the

French at the city of Verdun. The German army captured over 10,000

prisoners. Initially, it seemed that Germany would overpower the

French city easily, but the French held their ground by staying in their

trenches and the German’s were eventually driven out of

the city. In the aftermath, casualties amounted to over

550,000 on the French side and 450,000 for the

Germans.

The New Cavalry

The Battle of the Somme

Date – July 1- November 18, 1916

Conflict – World War I

Participants – British & French vs German

Location – Between the Somme and Ancre Rivers in France

Interesting Facts – One of the bloodiest battles in recorded history

Marked the debut of the tank on the battlefield

Among German troops on the defensive front was a young

Corporal…Adolf Hitler

With the Battle of Verdun well under way, it became apparent that the

Allied forces needed to mount another aggressive attack on the

Germans. The Allied forces were hoping that by attacking the German

army at Somme, they could gain back lost territory as well as draw

some of the German soldiers out of Verdun (which would help the

Allied troops in Verdun – less Central power troops to fight).

But German forces were in control of Somme and Retaking it would

be no easy task. To complicate matters, the attack would require an

uphill assault through muddy, barbwire ridden trenches while the

German defensive positions enjoyed a clear view from above.

The first day saw massive casualties for the allies, with nearly 60,000

men wounded or killed. It was not until the tank made its debut on the

battlefield that Allied forces began to gain considerable ground.

Initially catching unsuspecting German forces off guard, the tank

rolled right over the barbwire and mud holes that had slowed ground

troops, allowing the Allies to push into the German lines. The Allied

forces, with the help of the tank succeeded in pushing the German

army back and out of the Somme region. Having sustained casualties

of over 650,000 the German army never fully recovered from the

assault.

They’ll

turn me

into glue!

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World War I Timeline

Directions: Use your text books, notes and supplemental materials to add 10 significant events of the first World War to the timeline above.

1914 1918 1917 1916 1915 1919

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Bolshevik Revolution

Russia was the first Allied country to enter

World War I in 1914, declaring war on Germany.

Russia was fully involved in the war effort until 1917. In

1917 the Russian soldiers were forced to leave the eastern

front and return home to Russia.

Why? What Happened?

A man by the name of Vladimir Lenin had returned to Russia

from exile to lead the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. The

Bolshevik’s were a Communist group that wanted to

overthrow the Monarchy of Russia. (Monarchy = King/Queen)

The Russian soldiers fighting in Europe had no choice but to

leave the European battlefields and return to Russia in order to restore their own home land. This made the

German’s very happy, as they no longer had to fight in the eastern front, and could focus all of their efforts on

the western fronts of France against the French and British. (The German’s didn’t expect our American Dough

Boys to be so lethal).

Define Communism: _______________________________________________________________________

Basic Provisions of Communism

Karl Marx is the “Father of Communism”

Communism was his idea (called it Marxism)

Marx was German

A system where every citizen is equal

No rich, but everyone was poor

The Government owns everything and gives the citizens

what it believes they need (not want)

There is no spiritual religion. The government is their religion.

Citizens can not own anything (houses, cars, businesses, etc…)

Communism was supposed to solve the problems of the rich abusing the poor by creating an equal system, but

in reality, it only created filthy rich governments who abused their power and left their people poor, uneducated

and desperate for change.

Where are you going?

Home

Russian Soldier Russian Soldier

President Wilson says we’re leaving for France in the Morning. The

But I don’t

speak

French

American Dough Boy Soldier

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The War Finally Ends…or so we think

The physical fighting of World War I ended on November 11, 1918 at 11:00am. Today we refer to 11/11 at

11am as “Armistice Day”. The physical fighting of the war had ended, but the official end of any war must

come by way of a formal “treaty”. The treaty that ended WWI was called the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty

of Versailles was ratified (signed) at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. So in reality, the actual war did not

officially end until 1919.

The Treaty of Versailles (pretty much) placed all of the blame for World War I on Germany; even though

Austria-Hungary actually declared war against Serbia first. In the Treaty, Germany was forced to pay massive

war reparations, give up her foreign colonies and above other restrictions, could only have 6 naval ships, no

submarines and restricted Germany’s standing army to 100,000 troops – an insult to a country with such a long

standing military history. A country can not defend itself with only 100,000 troops. The war reparations alone

created an overnight depression in Germany, leaving the country in utter ruins. Germany, under the leadership

of the Weimar Republic, reluctantly signed the treaty, but young Germans saw the German signing of the treaty

as a sign of weakness and would eventually overthrow the Weimar Republic spawning a new wave of terror

throughout Germany in the upcoming years (German Socialist Workers Party: AKA The Nazi Party, led by

Adolf Hitler).

Define:

War Reparations __________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Currency Exchange Prior to WWI German Mark US Dollar Which Means . 1910 $4.00 = $1.00 Every German Mark = .25c in US

After WWI

1920 $4,000,000 = $1.00 German money held no value (more valuable to

burn to keep warm with than to spend at store).

While Germany, England, France, and Belgium were among the many countries to sign the Treaty of Versailles,

the United State did not. The United States congress refused to ratify the treaty because it contained Woodrow

Wilson’s Fourteen Points, which created the League of Nations. The League of Nations was supposed to be a

peace keeping organization that would oversee and mediate international conflicts before they turned into wars.

Unfortunately for Woodrow Wilson, the American President, many congressmen did not care for him, and

therefore did not sign his legislation…that included the international Treaty of Versailles.

Questions:

1. What sparked World War I? ________________________________________________________________

2. When and why did America get involved in WWI? ______________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

3. When and why did Russian troops leave the battlefields of WWI? __________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

4. How did the Treaty of Versailles affect Germany? _______________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

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Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points and the League of Nations

During the First World War several world leaders, including Woodrow Wilson, began advocating the need for an international organization to preserve peace and settle disputes through arbitration. Arbitration is when two groups “argue” in front of someone else (someone who was not involved in the problem) and the neutral party then makes a decision on the issue. Many people argued that civilization could only survive if it could develop an international system that would insure peace. Woodrow Wilson, the American President at the time, developed such a plan for overseeing and maintaining world peace. He called his plan:

The Fourteen Points

Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points were literally fourteen “ways” to maintain world peace. The most famous point was his creation of the League of Nations. The League of Nations was composed of representatives from each of the major countries of the world. These representatives would meet and discuss current international disputes. It was the league’s goal to peacefully settle disputes between nations before the nations broke out in a war. The League of Nations was adopted by the Paris Peace Conference in April 1919. However, as a result of the United States’ decision to not ratify the Treaty of Versailles, the US never joined the League of Nations and the League of Nations eventually failed. The League of Nations lasted until World War II broke out. The League was never fully successful. The League of Nations provided no armed forces (military) and had to rely on boycotts (sanctions) to control the behavior of member states. The United States’ failure to join the league also hurt its chances for survival. The League of Nations was eventually replaced by the United Nations (formed after WWII), an international peace keeping organization that is still in existence today. Directions: Complete the following statements At the end of ________________________________________, President ________________________________________ prepared a

_____________________________ plan known as the ___________________________________________________ that called for

the formation of the ________________________________________________________, a peace keeping organization.

The ______________________________________________ decided _____________ to join the League of Nations because

the United States Senate did not support _________________________________________________ and failed to

_______________________ the ____________________________________________________ in 1919.

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Review Questions

1. What were the reasons for the United States becoming involved in World War I?

______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

2. Identify the major Allie Powers of World War I?

______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

3. Identify the major Central Powers of World War I?

______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

4. In what ways did the United States provide international leadership at the conclusion of the first World

War?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. In what ways did World War I set the stage for World War II?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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What was your favorite page from this packet? _____

Why? _______________________________________

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

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1. Which was the main goal of the United States

during the Spanish American War?

A To rule Spain’s trade routes

B To protect American business interests in Spain

C To free Cuba from Spain

D To request Cuba to negotiate a treaty for

independence with Spain

2. Which headline is an example of yellow

journalism?

A “Spain Responsible for Unprovoked Attack on

the USS Maine”

B “The United States Declares War on Spain”

C “Cubans Ask Spain for Their Independence”

D “Theodore Roosevelt Is Appointed Secretary of

the Navy”

3. Which territory did the United States NOT

acquire as a result of the Spanish American

War?

A Cuba

B Puerto Rico

C Philippines

D Guam

4. The immediate cause of World War I was the

A attack on the Lusitania.

B sinking of the battleship USS Maine.

C German use of unrestricted submarine warfare.

D assassination of Archduke Ferdinand.

5. Which were the leading Allied Powers at the

start of WWI?

A Britain, France, and Russia

B Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria

C Denmark and the Netherlands

D Spain and Switzerland

6. Which was NOT a reason for the United States

entering WWI?

A German use of unrestricted submarine warfare

B Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand

C Sinking of the Lusitania

D Discovery of the Zimmermann Telegram

7. When WWI broke out in Europe, the United

States adopted a policy of

A militarism.

B isolationism.

C imperialism.

D expansionism.

8. President Wilson hoped that the League of

Nations would

A enable nations to solve their conflicts without

going to war.

B make the Allied Powers strong.

C help the United States avoid foreign

entanglements.

D reduce tariffs throughout the world.

9. During WWI, what strategy did Great Britain

and Germany use in an attempt to cut off each

other’s trade?

A Boycott

B Embargo

C Demonstration

D Blockade*

10. A hero of the Spanish American War who later

became president of the United States was

A Commodore George Dewey.

B Theodore Roosevelt.

C William McKinley.

D Colonel William C. Gorgas.

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