HIST103 Study Guide

Unit 10: World War I

10a. Explain which factors contributed to a general war in 1914 and how they did so

  • What political and social conditions led to World War I?
  • How did the Congress of Vienna contribute to the start of World War I?
  • How did the weakening of the Ottoman Empire lead to World War I?
  • Why did World War I become a global conflict?

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, ended the Long Peace that had maintained the status quo in Europe since the Congress of Vienna in 1815. The war between Serbia and Austria-Hungary dragged Europe and its colonies around the world into the conflict due to a series of entangled alliances. The Central Powers included Austria-Hungary, Germany, and the Ottoman Empire. The Allies included Russia, France, Great Britain, Japan, Italy, and the United States (which joined in April 1917). The war ended in a stalemate in November 1918.

The Ottoman Empire, which controlled today's Turkey, the Middle East, and North Africa, became known as the sick man of Europe and disintegrated at the end of World War I. Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, and Germany picked up the spoils by establishing new colonial "mandates" in the countries that comprised the former empire.

To review, see:


10b. Discuss what the fighting was like for those who went to war in 1914

  • What is total war?
  • How did the military technology of World War I contribute to brutality and trench warfare?
  • How did the conflict end?

World War I caused more than 40 million military and civilian casualties between 1914 and 1918. Technological advances, such as tanks, airplanes, machine guns, flame throwers, and poison gas, led to a war of attrition that outpaced traditional rules of warfare. Both sides adopted a policy of total war without restriction. They engaged in trench warfare separated by a desolate no man's land. Life in the trenches was miserable, and neither side could expand its territory. Battles between German U-boats and U.S. submarines were especially lethal but did little to advance the war. On November 11, 1918, both sides agreed to an armistice. The Central Powers surrendered, but both sides suffered dearly. 

To review, see Total War and New Weapons of War.


10c. Summarize the effects that the war had on global politics and society

  • What were the political effects of World War I?
  • How did the worldwide depression create power vacuums that fascism filled?
  • What role did socialism play in the aftermath of World War I?
  • How did Japan's actions contribute to political instability?

Although World War I was primarily fought on the Western Front in Europe, battles occurred throughout Europe's colonial territories in Africa and Asia as the powers vied for hegemony. Theaters of war erupted in Mesopotamia, Africa, and the Mediterranean. Global trade and communication were disrupted since Britain controlled most of the sea routes, and several countries sent colonial troops to fight in the European trenches.

Prior to World War I, the Empire of Japan had defeated Russia during the Russo-Japanese War in 1905 and annexed Korea in 1910. While Japan fought with the Allies during World War I, government support for fascism and a social philosophy of exceptionalism prompted it to side with Germany and Italy during World War II.

The Sykes-Picot Agreement (1916) was a secret agreement between Britain and France to divide the former Ottoman territories in the Middle East. France would control Syria and Lebanon, and the British would take the Fertile Crescent (today's Iraq). The Balfour Declaration (1917) was Britain's announcement that it supported the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine.

On April 24, 1916, Irish nationalists announced the establishment of the Irish Republic during the Easter Rising. Although the British prevailed, several days of clashes with the British military resulted in thousands of casualties, including many civilians.

Meanwhile, women in Europe and the United States took jobs in factories and munitions plants to support the war effort. They also filled traditional male-oriented occupations, such as farmwork, to replace the men fighting on the front. They also helped in the medical field as professional and volunteer nurses. 

To review, see:


10d. Analyze the peace process, including potential weaknesses or sources of instability

  • How did World War I end?
  • Why was it an unequal armistice?
  • What were the Fourteen Points, and why did they fail?
  • How did World War I impact the Middle East?

On November 11, 1918 (Armistice Day), the leaders of the Allied and Central powers declared a stalemate and stopped fighting. They signed the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919. Woodrow Wilson, the U.S. president, argued that his Fourteen Points should be the basis for the treaty to promote free trade, reduce militaries, and create the League of Nations to avoid future conflicts. However, these arguments were largely forgotten because Great Britain, France, and members of the U.S. Congress wanted to hold Germany financially and morally responsible for the war. In addition to imposing substantial reparations, Germany lost territory, and its military was greatly reduced.

The fall of the Russian monarchy, which its Tsarist leaders had led since November 1721 during the Bolshevik Revolution (1917-1923), created further instability in Europe, and socialism became a viable global alternative to capitalism for years to come.

World War I spelled the end of the Ottoman Empire, which had supported the Central Powers. Russia, Great Britain, and France divided their territories and imposed new forms of economic and political imperialism on the people of the Middle East. The artificial boundaries they drew represented European interests but failed to represent the diverse ethnic and religious groups in the region. This led to infighting among nationalistic movements that continue to this day.

To review, see:


10e. Describe the events of the Russian Revolution and what its political goals were

  • Why did the Russian Revolution start?
  • How did the Central Powers help Lenin during the Russian Revolution?
  • What were the major events of the Russian Revolution?
  • What were the political goals of it?

The Russian Revolution was one of the most important events in world history. The collapse of the Russian monarchy in March of 1917 led to a brief democratic government that was determined to continue fighting in World War I. However, as the war in France languished and the Russian economy worsened, the Bolshevik Party, a communist organization led by Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924), staged a revolution against the provisional government by October 1917 and seized control of the state. Interestingly, Germany helped Lenin, who was in exile in Switzerland during the war, return to Russia, a strategic move to draw its Russian opponent out of World War I.

The Bolsheviks sought to reorganize Russian society based on the ideas of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, who had argued that socialism (and eventually communism) would create a more equitable society with the rise of the proletariat (the laborers or working class) against the bourgeoisie (the wealthy owners of the means of production).

To review, see:


Unit 10 Vocabulary

  • Allies
  • Armistice
  • Armistice Day
  • Artificial boundaries
  • Balfour Declaration
  • Bolshevik Revolution
  • Central Powers
  • Communism
  • Easter Rising
  • exceptionalism
  • fascism
  • Fourteen Points
  • German U-boat
  • no man's land
  • Palestine
  • Russian Revolution
  • Sarajevo
  • Sick Man of Europe
  • submarine
  • Sykes-Picot Agreement
  • total war
  • Treaty of Versailles
  • trench warfare
  • Tsarist
  • Vladimir Lenin
  • war of attrition
  • Western Front