Year 9 History Exam Preparation Homework
For this exam you must have a knowledge and understanding of the
Causes of World War One. This includes:
The growing power of Germany – including why Britain and France were
worried about Kaiser Wilhelm, his ambitions and his actions. This would include
the naval race
The alliance system – including the problems of alliances and how they could
contribute to war.
The Moroccan Crisis – including the Kaiser’s actions in 1906 and 1911 and
the effect these had on Britain and France (The Entente Cordial)
The Bosnian Crisis – including Austria’s actions in 1908 and the effects of this
on relations in the Balkans.
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand – including what
happened, why it happened and the chain of events which followed
between July and August 1914.
The Schlieffen Plan – what it said and why it failed
Choose any 3 activities from the selection below to prepare for
your exam on Wednesday 4th May
Suggested revision activities:
Activity 1 - Use the 6 steps for analysing a political cartoon (printed on orange paper and
stuck in your exercise book) to analyse one or both of the political cartoons on the back of
this sheet. Then have a go at explaining the message of the cartoon in your own words.
Activity 2 – Use some of the pages from the GCSE Bitesize website to revise the events of
July and August 1914, after the assassination. Use the information from this website to make
a revision card containing key information and dates.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/ir1/ - click on the revise button
next to the outbreak of war topic.
Activity 3 – Use the same pages from the GCSE Bitesize website and your notes in your
book to draw your own diagram to show the Schlieffen plan. List on your diagram the
reasons why it failed.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/ir1/ - click on the revise button
next to The outbreak of war topic.
Activity 4 – watch the 4 video clips on GCSE Bitesize
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/ir1/ - click on video for each of the
topics listed under Causes of World War One.
Activity 5 – write a plan for an answer to the following 10 mark question:
The Bosnian Crisis was the most important cause of the First World War.’
How far do you agree with this statement?
Explain your answer. [10 marks]
Think about: What would you write about the Bosnian Crisis? Which other causes of war would you include in
your answer? What would you write about these other causes? What would be your final judgement?
A British cartoon about tensions in the
Balkans in 1909.
A cartoon about the Entente Cordiale
published in Britain in 1905.
Activity 6 – Do some or all of the the 4 online tests on GCSE Bitesize
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/ir1/ - click on Test for each of the
topics listed under Causes of World War One.
Activity 7 – Cut out the causes of World War One sort cards (below). Sort them into
chronological order and use them to tell a parent/sibling/friend about why World War One
broke out. You could also sort them into order of importance and explain to a
parent/sibling/friend why each cause contributed to war and why you think it is most/least
important.
Germany’s desire to become
greater and gain an Empire.
The assassination of the Archduke
Franz Ferdinand.
The Alliance System.
The Moroccan Crisis
The Bosnian Crisis
The Naval Race between Britain and
Germany
The Austrian declaration of
war on Serbia.
The Schlieffen Plan