Communication
telephones · telegraph cables · mass newspapers · photography
Before the causes: what war are we actually studying?
Keep this sheet. The aim is to build a clear mental picture of the First World War before we explain why it began. If WW1 and WW2 are blurred together, later learning becomes much harder.
1 · Which war?
Sort each item into WW1 · WW2 · BOTH · UNSURE. Do not guess silently: mark unsure when you are unsure.
| Item | WW1 | WW2 | Both | Unsure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1914–1918 | ||||
| 1939–1945 | ||||
| Hitler / Nazi Germany | ||||
| Kaiser Wilhelm II / German Empire | ||||
| Austria-Hungary | ||||
| Ottoman Empire | ||||
| Allied Powers | ||||
| Axis Powers | ||||
| Trenches | ||||
| Tanks | ||||
| The Holocaust |
Important: Germany appears in both wars, and the word Allies appears in both wars, but the governments, alliances, leaders and historical situations are not the same. WW1 Germany was the German Empire, not Nazi Germany. Hitler, the Nazis, the Holocaust and the Axis belong to WW2, not WW1.
2 · 1914 was not an “ancient world”
People in 1914 lived in a world that was older than ours but recognisably modern. Circle the things that already existed by 1914:
Transport
cars · trains · steamships · electric trams in some cities · aeroplanes
Culture
cinemas / moving pictures · professional sport · advertising · popular music
Industry
factories · machine guns · industrial steel production · electricity in many urban places
Write: Which part of 1914 feels most modern to you? Which part still feels distant?
3 · Who were the main sides?
For the first map task, learn the core sides. Then add later entrants with dates. The war changed over time.
| Allied Powers | Central Powers |
|---|---|
| At / near the beginning: British Empire · France · Russian Empire · Serbia · Belgium Important later entrants: Japan (1914) · Italy (1915) · Romania (1916) · United States (1917) | At the beginning: German Empire · Austria-Hungary Joined later: Ottoman Empire (late 1914) · Bulgaria (1915) |
Do not write “Axis”. Axis is WW2 language.
4 · What made it a WORLD war?
The fighting was not only on the Western Front. Use a world map — there is a printable one, with a reference map of who fought worldwide, in Why do we call it a world war? — and mark / annotate at least four of these:
- Western Front in France and Belgium;
- Eastern Front across eastern Europe;
- Gallipoli / Dardanelles;
- Middle Eastern campaigns;
- African campaigns involving European empires and colonies;
- Asia-Pacific operations, including New Zealand's occupation of German Samoa;
- naval warfare and shipping routes across oceans;
- troops, labour and resources drawn from colonies and dominions around the world.
Complete: “It became a world war because…”
5 · Check your mental picture
Without looking back, complete:
- The war lasted from __________ to __________.
- The two broad sides were the __________ Powers and the __________ Powers.
- Austria-Hungary was __________________________________________.
- The Axis belongs to __________________________________________.
- One reason WW1 was global was __________________________________________.
6 · One question worth keeping
What do you still not understand about who was fighting, where the fighting happened, or why the war became global?