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Total War

Driving Question: How was the First World War different from previous conflicts?

World War I was more than a battlefield—it was a global experience. It blurred the line between home and front. It was a brutal conflict that forever changed the nature of war.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Define and evaluate the impacts of the concept of total war that emerged after 1914.
  2. Understand the impacts of the First World War on those who experienced it—both combatants and civilians.
  3. Assess how the experience of trench warfare and new technologies made World War I different from previous conflicts.

Vocab Terms:

  • colony
  • conscription
  • mobilization
  • propaganda
  • total war
  • trench
STEP 1

Opener: Total War

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 2 of the Lesson 6.3 Teaching Guide Locked .

STEP 2

What Is Total War?

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 3 of the Lesson 6.3 Teaching Guide Locked .

Don’t Sleep on the Articles! External link Read this forum thread for inspiration to incorporate more text into your teaching.

Beyond the battlefields, World War I reached deep into people’s homes, jobs, and daily lives. These resources will help you understand what made this war “total” and why its impact was truly global.

STEP 3

Life in the Trenches

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 5 of the Lesson 6.3 Teaching Guide Locked .

Explore how your peers approach teaching with video in this thread, Video Lessons External link .

Total war wasn’t just about nations; it was about people. These videos and activity explore how new technology and brutal conditions shaped the experiences of soldiers and civilians in the First World War.

Britain and World War I External link

The First World War transformed British society. Nick Dennis explores why Britain entered the conflict and how people in Britain experienced the war.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.

British Gas Hoods External link

This short video highlights one of the most haunting technologies. Learn how soldiers tried to protect themselves and what that reveals about the brutal new reality of total war.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.

Trench Fighting Tools External link

World War I wasn’t just fought with big machines and long-range guns. This short video shows the brutal hand-to-hand weapons used in trench combat on the front lines.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
STEP 4

Closer: Total War

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 7 of the Lesson 6.3 Teaching Guide Locked .

Extension Materials
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Explore how governments tried to encourage people to support the war effort with these image analysis materials.
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World War Propaganda

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 7 of the Lesson 6.3 Teaching Guide Locked .

Governments used propaganda posters to convey all sorts of wartime messages.