The outbreak of the First World War
Answers are for parents and teachers.
1
Draw up a chronology of events in July–August 1914.
28 Jun assassination; 28 Jul war on Serbia; 1 Aug on Russia; 3 Aug on France; 4 Aug Britain; 23 Aug Japan.
2
Sort the causes of the war into three groups: economic, military-political, pretext.
Economic: struggle for markets and colonies; military-political: blocs, arms race; pretext: the Sarajevo assassination.
3
Why was the war called a “world war”?
States, colonies and dominions from many continents took part, and fighting occurred in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the oceans.
4
Write a paragraph: what was trench warfare and why did it drag on?
The sides dug in along trenches; machine guns and artillery made attacks costly, so the front hardly moved.
5
Explain the importance of Russia’s offensive for the Western Front.
Germany had to shift part of its troops east, which helped at the Marne.