Cookie Policy

Our website uses cookies to understand content and feature usage to drive site improvements over time. To learn more, review our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

World War I

Driving Question: What were the various causes and effects of World War I?

The First World War started in Europe, but it wasn’t just a European war. It was a global turning point. Uncover how one spark launched the world into a devastating conflict and how its impact reached far beyond the battlefield.

Learning Objectives

  1. Evaluate the global causes and effects of the First World War.
  2. Identify major changes and continuities in communities, networks, and production during and after World War I.

Vocab Terms:

  • casualty
  • communism
  • consumerism
  • diplomacy
  • ethnic
  • mobilization
  • total war
STEP 1

Opener: World War I

STEP 2

Looking Ahead

In this unit, you’ll examine how World War I began and what made it a truly global conflict. This activity hints at the tensions and alliances that set it all in motion.

STEP 3

The First World War

The First World War was not a reversal of the trends of the long nineteenth century, but rather their product. These materials introduce the many factors that led to global conflict and the lasting effects that followed.

Unit 6 Overview External link

This video unveils the key causes and global consequences of World War I, from tangled alliances and nationalism to devastation on the battlefield.

Key Ideas

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

Framing Unit 6

Understanding World War I means looking beyond battles. Through the lens of communities, networks, and production and distribution, you'll see how the war reshaped how people lived, worked, and related to one another.

Frames in Unit 6 External link

The First World War is often described as a threshold event—a moment of decisive change. Was it a real transformation or just a blip that briefly interrupted the story of humanity?

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
STEP 5

Closer: World War I

Coming soon!

Extension Materials
Checkmark Alert Banner
It’s your turn to be the teacher. Build your understanding of how to support your evidence with strong analysis by revising a sample student essay.
...

Reviewing for Analysis and Evidence

By suggesting revisions to someone else’s writing, you’ll get much better at identifying what makes strong writing. Make suggestions for improving analysis and evidence—and then keep those suggestions in mind the next time you write.