The First World War: causes, fighting and peace

History · The Modern World · ages 14-16

Name ______________________ Date ____________

How did alliances help widen the crisis of 1914?
- Allied support and government choices widened the crisis.
- Treaties ordered all European states to join the same side.
- Mobilisation ended the crisis by forcing armies to disband.
Which event triggered the crisis that led to war in 1914?
- The signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919
- The armistice that stopped fighting on the Western Front in 1918
- The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo
The Western Front stayed in a trench stalemate from the first day of the war until the last.
Circle one: True False
A wartime government introduces food rationing during shortages. What does rationing do?
- It limits how much of certain foods each person may buy.
- It requires every civilian worker to serve in the armed forces.
- It gives each household unlimited access to scarce imported food.
Why did many attacks across no man's land gain little ground on the Western Front?
- Trenches and barbed wire prevented defenders from aiming at attackers.
- Wire slowed attackers exposed to machine-gun and artillery fire.
- Closed railways left all defenders without ammunition.
Women already had paid jobs before 1914; during the war, more entered factories, transport and offices.
Circle one: True False
Dan claims that only people and places in France and Belgium were involved in the war. Which evidence challenges his claim?
- A map of trenches in France and Belgium records every place involved in the war.
- Colonial troops served abroad, and fighting reached Africa and the seas.
- Food shortages in France prove that every other country stayed outside the war.
Which explanation describes a later effect of the Treaty of Versailles without making another war inevitable?
- The treaty ended disagreements over territory and military power across Europe.
- The treaty guaranteed another war, whatever people later chose.
- German resentment over treaty demands contributed to later tensions.

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

The First World War: causes, fighting and peace W1-mt_9-0GTkTf6b-s1

Allied support and government choices widened the crisis. · Germany backed Austria-Hungary, Russia supported Serbia, and France was allied with Russia. These links mattered alongside decisions to mobilise and declare war.
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo · The Sarajevo assassination triggered the crisis in June 1914. Existing tensions help explain why it became dangerous. The armistice and treaty came years later.
False · There was a long trench stalemate, but the Western Front saw more movement in 1914 and 1918. The statement extends one pattern across the whole war.
It limits how much of certain foods each person may buy. · Rationing limits purchases of specified foods. Compulsory military service is conscription, a different policy.
Wire slowed attackers exposed to machine-gun and artillery fire. · Barbed wire could slow soldiers crossing open ground. They stayed exposed to defensive fire, so many attacks suffered heavy losses before gaining much ground.
True · Women's paid employment existed before the war. Wartime demand expanded employment in these roles; it did not begin women's working lives.
Colonial troops served abroad, and fighting reached Africa and the seas. · Colonial participation and campaigns in Africa and at sea show involvement beyond France and Belgium. A map of one front cannot establish the limits of the whole war.
German resentment over treaty demands contributed to later tensions. · Many Germans resented reparations and other treaty demands. This contributed to later tensions, but it did not determine every later event or decision.