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The First Total War

Driving Question: How did people in different regions experience the First World War?

World War I was more than a battlefield—it was a global experience. It blurred the line between home and front, and changed what war looked and felt like.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Create arguments using historical evidence to support claims and communicate conclusions through informal writing.
  2. Use evidence to understand key events and developments of World War I and evaluate how the conflict affected both soldiers and civilians.
  3. Use a graphic biography to support, extend, or challenge the overarching narratives of this period.
STEP 1

Opener: The First Total War

Engage deeply with the complex causes of World War I, using course materials to support claims with evidence. This material will help prepare you to articulate strong historical arguments.

STEP 2

Events of World War I

STEP 3

What Is Total War?

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

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.
STEP 4

Living in Total War

These materials offer insight into the emotional and social toll of total war on individuals from different backgrounds. Uncover how these experiences and reactions reflected deeper shifts in society.

STEP 5

Closer: The First Total War

Extension Materials
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These extension materials offer a deeper look at World War I’s global scale and lasting impact. Explore often-overlooked regions and technologies that reveal new dimensions of the first total war.
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Southeast Asia and the Middle East in World War I

Learn how World War I shaped regions far beyond Europe. Through two videos, you’ll examine how colonial powers mobilized people and resources in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, and how those regions responded to the pressures and promises of total war.

Southeast Asia and World War I External link

Southeast Asia was a complicated place in 1914. Competing empires, religious ties, and shifting loyalties all played a role in sparking an uprising in Singapore.

Key Ideas

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

The Middle East and World War I External link

Imperialism, religious identity, and nationalism collided during World War I, laying the groundwork for the political and social landscape of the modern Middle East.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
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Technologies of World War I

These short videos reveal how new technologies transformed warfare during World War I. From gas masks to trench tools, you’ll learn how industrial innovations changed how wars were fought—and how soldiers survived.

British Gas Hood 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.

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.