Book 3 - Unit 1A - The First World War (1914-18)
Causes of the War

1   Why did Bismarck set up the alliance system against France?
Ans : He thought that Germany could still beat France in a war . Yet Germany might not do so if some other European    powers allied with France . To stop other powers from allying with France ,  Bismarck believed that the best way was to isoate France . So he set up the alliance system against France .
2   What two alliances were set up in Europe during 1882-1907?
Ans : The Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente .
3   What effect would the alliance system have in the event of war?
Ans : The alliance system helped to bring about the First World War .

The Armaments Race

4   What caused the armaments race between 1871-1914?
Ans : In the period 1871-1914 , most great powers were allied with each other . Yet they were not sure if their allies would help them in the case of a war . One way for a country to defend itself was to build more armaments . So an armaments race started .
5    In what way did the armaments race help bring about the First World War?
Ans : The armaments race did not directly bring about the First World War . Yet it increased tensions among the powers , especially between Germany and Britain owing to their naval race . Moreover , each of the great powers was packed with armaments . In the case of a conflict , they would be less willing to give way . In this way , the armaments race helped to bring about the First World War .

Economic and Colonial Rivalries
 

6    How did economic rivalry cause tension between the European powers?
7    Why were the European powers interested in building colonies?
8    How did this interest in building colonies cause conflict and tension between the powers?

Extreme Nationalism

9    What effect did nationalism have on the French with regard to Germany?
10  What effect did the nationalism of Austria-Hungary have?
11  What effect did extreme nationalism have on the European powers in general?

Events Leading to War

(a)   Crises in Morocco

12   How did the Moroccan Crisis begin?
13   What was the result of the Moroccan crisis?

(b)    Crises in the Balkans

14   How did Austria-Hungary anger Serbia?
15   Who started the first Balkan War against Turkey? Why?
16   What did Austria-Hungary do after Turkey was defeated in the first Balkan War?
17   Why did Bulgaria start the Second Balkan War against Serbia?
18   How did Serbia's victory in the Second Balkan War affect Austria-Hungary?

(c)    The Sarajevo Incident

19   What happened at the Sarajevo Incident on June 28, 1914?

(d)    The Outbreak of War

20   How did the Sarajevo Incident bring about the outbreak of a general war?