Materials

• Outline map handout showing Europe at the time of World War I

Instructional Activities

1. If students have not taken a test on content covered thus far during their study of this organizing topic, briefly review the content, emphasizing World War I.
   
   
2. Remind students that World War I ended with a peace treaty. Display the following prompt on the board or overhead:
   
   The terms of the Treaty of Versailles included the following:
   •  Germany’s colonies were divided.
   •  Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, and Lithuania, were created.
   •  France reclaimed Alsace-Lorraine and won control of the Saarland.
   •  Germany was forced to assume responsibility for the war and pay reparations equivalent to $33 billion. (They eventually paid $4.5 billion)
   •  The Rhineland was demilitarized.
   •  Germany was forced to reduce the size of her army and navy.
        
   Give each student an outline map of Europe at the time of World War I, and instruct them to shade the countries of Austria-Hungary, Germany, and the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of World War I. Then instruct them to use lines or dots to indicate the countries created or re-established as a result of the Treaty of Versailles. Ask students to discuss why Germany would have been forced to accept responsibility for the war and pay reparations. Ensure that students understand the meaning of the term reparations and that reparations are used to pay for rebuilding the infrastructure of war torn countries.
   
   
3. Display the following prompt on the board or overhead:
   
   President Woodrow Wilson proposed in his Fourteen Points a League of Nations — an international body devoted to preventing wars. The United States Senate did not approve the Treaty of Versailles, and the United States did not participate in the League of Nations.
   
   Discuss with students the issues surrounding the United States refusal to support the League of Nations. Encourage the students to compare the League of Nations to the United Nations. Provide them with examples of times when the United States conflicted with the United Nations (for example, the disagreement in 2003 over Iraq).
   
   
4. Explain to students that they will begin studying the Great Depression in the next session. Display the following prompt on the board or overhead:
   
   The Great Depression, a period of worldwide economic crisis, lasted from 1929 through 1941.
   
   Have the students calculate the age range of living individuals who might have memories of this time period. Encourage them to talk to persons who lived during the Depression about their memories of this time period.
   
   
5. Assign a teacher-selected reading, worksheet, or other reinforcement activity, using available resources.