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Causes of World War One, 1900-1914 

  

Contents:

1.  Background

2.  The Growing Crisis

3.  Four Steps to War

4.  Interpretations 

5.  Causes WWI Cascade 

6.  Self-test

 

  

Going Deeper

The following links will help you widen your knowledge:

Basics - starter (or 'panic revision') overview sheet

Prof Rempel's notes on the Causes of the War

BBC site - by Gary Sheffield

FirstWorldWar.com - detailed account

Mr Punch's History of the Great War - published 1919

 

Podcasts:

- BBC debate-podcast on why war broke out

- Hodder podcast:  the main cause of the war

- Giles Hill on the causes of the First World War

 

Old texts:

PJ Larkin (1965)

Reed Brett (1967)

Peter Moss (1967)

John D Clare (1995)

    

Click the yellow arrow for advice on:

  • How to STUDY this topic:
    • 1.   Start by reading some easy sources – perhaps my KS3 section; or Peter Moss; or the ‘Basics ’ sheet in the ‘Going Deeper’ panel on this page.  Get a grasp of the basic story.

      Make a list of key dates - leave space to add other dates you may discover during your studies. 

      It might be an idea to do this before you study this unit in class.

    • 2.   Work through the study sections 1-3 above.  You can do this over time as you study the topics in lessons.

              Take advantage of some of the links to explore, more deeply, aspects of the topics which attract your interest.  Try to become ‘an expert’ on some issues.

    • 3.   Visit the historiography to learn how historians have interpreted events, and to consider what YOU think about what happend.
    • 4.   Plunder the Cascade webpage to help you write any essays you are given.
  • How to REVISE this topic:
    • 1.   Skim-read the study pages 1-4 in this unit to refresh your memory of what you have learned in the lessons.
    • 2.   Go through the topics on the Cascade webpage; for each, use the yellow arrows to think FIRST how you would answer, before checking against my suggestions.
    • 3.   Again using the yellow arrows to check your answers, do and re-do the Self-test until you can get every question ‘right enough’.
    • 4.   Choose the revision factsheet which suits you best from the ‘Going Deeper’ panel, and learn it off by heart; get someone to test you on it.
    • 5.   IF you have time, suss out the Smartass list of specialist terms with which to wow the examiner!  Invite a friend to revise with you and do the Revision Activies together, using them as an opportunity to share all you know.
    • 6.   NB This is just the factual stuff - don’t forget to rehearse how to do the exam-style questions for this unit.

Revision Materials

Revision pages

•  Cascade pdf

•  Self-test

  

Revision sheets:

•  wwi_causes

•  J G Slone's notes 

•  Chase Terrace (useful timelines)

  

Smartass: list of specialist terms

  

Audio-Revise: Headlines of 1914: from Hodder - can you answer before the contestant?

  

Revision Activities:

•  Pelmanism (pdf)

•  Cause-Consequence (pdf)