Causes of World War I
Driving Question: What were the causes of World War I, and what were its consequences?
If we could tell you exactly what started the First World War, this would be a pretty short lesson. But it’s not that simple; this massive and violent conflict had many origins. In fact, you have already investigated many of the political, ideological, economic, and social factors that were simmering away in that big pot known as the long nineteenth century. Here, you’ll get a chance to examine the causes—one ingredient at a time—to better understand the big soupy mess that boiled over from 1914 to 1918.
Learning Objectives
- Explain the causes and consequences of World War I.
- Analyze multiple scholarly perspectives regarding the causes of World War I.
Vocab Terms:
- alliance
- consumerism
- diplomacy
- infrastructure
- interdependence
- militarism
- mobilization
This is a fun, hands-on activity, and a great way to show students that World War I was not simply a “European war.” Be sure to download and print the Narratives and Region Cards ahead of time. You’ll also need a large ball of yarn and large sheets of paper.
One AP teacher wrote that this activity “transforms your classroom into a map of World War I, letting students trace the global networks that fueled the conflict. By physically connecting nations with yarn, they explore alliances, causation, and the interplay of industrialization, imperialism, and nationalism.”
Use your knowledge of the nineteenth century and a 1914 political cartoon to make predictions about the coming war. Who’s involved—and what might happen next?
Considering the “what-ifs” of history can be a lot of fun. But it’s also a great way to get your students to think about contingency and causation. It helps them see how small choices can have big consequences and how so many world events are interconnected.
As they move into learning about the world wars and other conflicts of the twentieth century, encourage students to repeat the what-if exercise they’ll encounter here. For example:
- What if Japan never attacked Pearl Harbor?
- What if Khrushchev had called JFK’s bluff and ordered Soviet ships to Cuba?
Or take a step back in time:
- What if Hannibal had defeated Rome?
- What if Zheng He had sailed across the Pacific Ocean?
- What if Napoleon hadn’t invaded Russia?
Historians offer a number of different causes of World War I, ranging from the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand to deeper issues like nationalism, imperialism, and alliance systems. Some even argue that the war was simply a tragic accident, made worse by outdated diplomacy and rising industrial powers.
-
Guiding Questions
-
Before you watch
Preview the questions below, and then review the transcript.
While you watch
Look for answers to these questions:
- What is the Balkans and why was it important in the nineteenth century?
- Who was Gavrilo Princip and what did he want?
- What were the fateful mistakes that the Archduke and his staff made that ended in his assassination?
- How did the killing of the Archduke lead to World War I?
- What were some other causes of World War I other than the assassination?
After you watch
Respond to this question: What do you think was the key choice made by Gavrilo Princip, Franz Ferdinand, or his staff that resulted in the assassination finally succeeding?
-
Guiding Questions
-
Before you read
Preview the questions below, and then skim the article. Be sure to look at the section headings and any images.
While you read
Look for answers to these questions:
- Who killed Franz Ferdinand? Why did they kill him?
- How did the European alliance system help start the war?
- How did imperialism help start the war?
- Why does the author argue that industrialization made the war inevitable once preparations were started?
- How might the First World War have happened by accident?
After you read
Respond to the following questions:
- To what extent does this article explain the causes and consequences of World War I?
- This article gives three broad explanations for the origins of the First World War. Which view, or argument, do you agree with the most, and why? Why not the others?
Now that you’ve explored the causes of World War I, hypothesize what the nations involved in the war were thinking as you revisit the political cartoon from earlier in the lesson.
Though many business leaders initially opposed the war due to fears of economic disruption, wartime production proved highly profitable for some. After the war, countries like Germany faced economic collapse, while others, like the United States, became wealthier and more powerful.
-
Guiding Questions
-
Before you read
Preview the questions below, and then skim the article. Be sure to look at the section headings and any images.
While you read
Look for answers to these questions:
- What were some economic arguments made against the war?
- What are some reasons that capitalists might have wanted a war?
- World War I cost more than any other war up to that point in history. What measures did governments take to help cover its costs?
- Which country was the economic “winner” of the war? Why did they win?
- What countries suffered as a result of the war?
After you read
Respond to the following questions:
- Using evidence from this article, explain the causes and consequences of World War I.
- You have now read several articles about the causes of the First World War. Make a list of all the causes you can remember and then rank them in order from most significant to least.
- Capitalism and industrialization weren’t new in 1914. Why do you think it took almost 150 years from the start of the Industrial Revolution for the first global mechanized conflict to occur?
Flip the script on students and have them create guiding questions. After reading a section of the article, they design a challenge question about the reading or how it relates to what they’re learning in class. Once students are done reading individually, they meet with a partner and ask each other the challenge questions. They’re not allowed to use the text to answer.
This lesson has covered a lot—including the causes of an entire global war! Take some time to reflect on all you’ve learned.
Connect the dots and see the connections in Our Interconnected World!
If you’re watching OER Project videos on YouTube, you can slow things down by going to Settings and adjusting the playback speed. This is particularly useful as John Green speaks very quickly and often students miss important details while watching Crash Course videos.
Wait, so how did World War I start again? Let’s do a quick Crash Course to refresh your memory!
-
Guiding Questions
-
Before you watch
Preview the questions below, and then review the transcript.
While you watch
Look for answers to these questions:
- Why did Princep and his co-conspirators target Archduke Franz Ferdinand?
- Why didn’t Franz Ferdinand’s uncle, the Austrian emperor, like him?
- Why was the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s ultimatum to Serbia important? And why was it important that it took a month to be issued?
- John Green lays out the chronology that led up to World War I. What action taken by a national government started the hostilities?
After you watch
Respond to the following questions:
- To what extent does this video explain the causes and consequences of World War I?
- John Green warns us that it’s really hard to understand the long-term consequences of our actions. Can you think of any historical choices that led to surprising or unfortunate results later on?