The Causes and Impact of the First World War, c1890 - 1920

Key Issues for Study and Examination

• To what extent was Germany guilty of causing the First World War?
• Why was there stalemate on the Western Front for most of the War?
• What were the military, political, social and economic effects of the War on the civilian population?
• How fair was the Treaty of Versailles?

Content

• The causes of the First World War from c.1890: the rival alliance, crises and the outbreak of war in 1914.
• The war on the Western Front: military leadership, strategies and technological developments, the failure of alternative strategies.
• The immediate impact of the war on the political development, economies and societies of Britain and Germany.
• The immediate political consequences of the First World War: the Paris Peace Conference and reasons for the Treaty of Versailles.

Causes of World War One (online lesson)

Causes of the First World War (Learning Curve)

BBC World War I content - use the links down the right hand side of the page to access interactive content. The trench virtual tours are particularly useful (free plugins/downloads e.g. QuickTime may be needed to view some content)

Impact of the First World War (interactive diagram)

World War I online revision exercise

BBC History - World War I