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Causes of World War One, 1900-1914 

  

Contents:

1.  Background

2.  The Growing Crisis

3.  Four Steps to War

4.  Interpretations 

5.  Causes WWI Cascade 

6.  Self-test

 

  

How to study this topic:

1.    Start by reading some easy sources – perhaps the section in my Options in History KS3 account; or Peter Moss; or the ‘Basics ’ sheet in the ‘Going Deeper’ panel on this page.  Get a grasp of the basic story.

        Make a list of key dates - leave space to add other dates you may discover during your studies. 

        It might be a good idea to do this before you start to study this topic in class.

2.    Work through the study sections 1-3 above on the Background, The Growing Crisis, and the Four Steps to War.  You can do this over time as you study the topic in lessons.

        Take advantage of some of the links to explore, more deeply, aspects of the topics which attract your interest.  Try to become ‘an expert’ on some issues.

3.    Visit the historiography to learn how historians have interpreted events, and to consider what YOU think about what happend.

4.    Plunder the Cascade webpage to help you write any essays you are given.

5.    When it comes to the exam, the Cascade webpage and the Self-test will be useful as revision tools, along with other exercises in the Revision section of this website.

Going Deeper

The following links will help you widen your knowledge:

Basics - 'panic revision' overview sheet

Prof Rempel's notes on the Causes of the War

BBC site - by Gary Sheffield

FirstWorldWar.com - detailed account

Mr Punch's History of the Great War - first published in 1919; includes lots of cartoons

 

Podcasts:

- BBC debate-podcast on why war broke out

- Giles Hill on the causes of the First World War

 

Old texts:

PJ Larkin (1965)

Reed Brett (1967)

Peter Moss (1967)

John D Clare (1995)