Materials

• “Causes of World War I” (Attachment C)
• “Reasons for U.S. Entry into World War I” (Attachment D)
• Video of the film All Quiet on the Western Front
• Textbook
• Overhead projector

Instructional Activities

1. Provide students with background on the state of affairs in Europe before the war. Explain that there were long-term and short-term causes for the war. Define for the students the following terms:
   • Militarism — the idea that a nation should build up its military forces and use them to reach the nation’s goals
   • Nationalism — strong feeling of pride in and loyalty toward one’s country, the belief that the independence and interests of one’s own country should come first, the reluctance to work with other nations toward a common goal
   • Alliance— an agreement by two or more nations to act together, especially in time of war
   
   
2. To help explain the concepts of militarism and nationalism, show an excerpt from the film All Quiet on the Western Front. The opening scene of the movie is a vivid portrait of militarism and nationalism.
   
   
3. Have the students use the graphic organizer at Attachment C to take notes on the causes of WWI, either during a guided textbook-reading exercise or during class lecture.
   
   
4. Once students have filled in their graphic organizer and answered the questions, use the overhead to project a blank organizer, and solicit student answers to fill it in. Have students add to/correct their organizers as needed. Although students will have gathered a variety of facts, the important facts should be included in some form. An “answer key” for the organizer is shown below:
   
   

    

   CAUSES OF WORLD WAR I
   Long Term Causes			Short Term Causes
   Nationalism	Militarism	Alliances	Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
   Late 1800s–early 1900s: European ethnic groups devoted to the interests of their own nations, e.g., Germany, Italy. Competition for colonies among European countries. Ethnic minorities desired independence, e.g., Czechs, Slovaks, Poles, Croats, and Serbs.	In order to protect colonies, European nations increased their military strength, e.g., Britain and Germany built a large navy. Germany and Russia increased the size of their armies.	As nations increased their military, they formed alliances to protect themselves, e.g., Triple Alliance — Austro-Hungarian Empire, Germany, Italy Triple Entente — France, Great Britain, and Russia.	Archduke assassinated by a Serbian terrorist group, the Black Hand, on June 28, 1914. Serbs thought that they might come under control of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Austro-Hungarian Empire sent demands to Serbian government. Serbia rejected demands. With the help of Germany, Austro-Hungarian Empire declared war on Serbia; Germany declared war on Russia (ally of Serbia), and Great Britain declared war on Germany.

   
   
   • Who were the Allies? (Britain, France, Russia, Serbia, and Belgium)
   
   • Who were the Central Powers? (Germany, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Bulgaria, and Ottoman Empire)
    
5. Have the students use the graphic organizer at Attachment D to take notes on the reasons the U.S. finally entered the war. Review the information they gather in an activity similar to that in step 4 above. An “answer key” for the organizer is shown below:
   
   

    

   REASONS FOR U.S. ENTRY INTO WORLD WAR I
   Inability to remain neutral in face of increasing threats to U.S. national interests	German unrestricted submarine warfare	Interception of the Zimmerman Telegram
   The United States had close economic and political ties to Great Britain. These ties compelled U.S. support for Great Britain.	Feb, 1915: Germans used this strategy to prevent supplies from reaching Britain. They would shoot at any ships without warning — a violation of international law. May, 1915: Lusitania left New York City for England. German embassy warned that travelers were taking a risk. Once the ship was close to Britain, a German U-boat (an Unterseeboot or submarine) launched a torpedo attack, sinking the Lusitania. 128 Americans on board were killed. President Wilson was angry but still kept the United States out of war. Re-elected in 1916 with the slogan: “He kept us out of war.”	Jan. 1917: German foreign secretary, Arthur Zimmerman, sent a telegram* to Mexico asking Mexico to become an ally of Germany. In return, Germany would help Mexico win back lands lost to the United States during the Mexican War. April 1917: Once American were aware of this, they were outraged. President Wilson declared war on Germany.

   
   
   • Why did the United States delay entering the war? (Because of the U.S.’s long history of isolationism)
   
   • Why did the United States finally enter the war? (Inability to remain neutral — economic and political ties to Great Britain; German unrestricted submarine warfare — sinking of the Lusitania; the Zimmerman Telegram)
   
    *NOTE: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration offers a lesson plan that uses the Zimmerman Telegram. It can be found at <http://www.archives.gov/>: Digital Classroom — Teaching with Documents — “The Zimmerman Telegram.”