Task Booklet
The Causes of the
First World War
(1900 - 1914)
Name ________________________
Form ________
Task 1:
Design a revision aid to help you remember details about the Great Powers
in 1900. It can be anything that helps you to remember e.g. a bullet-point list,
poster, mind map, poem etc.
Use AQA textbook p.8-9
Task 2:
In small groups, study the Nationalities of the Austria-Hungarian Empire,
discuss the three tables and make a list of as many facts, details, bits of
information you can obtain from this source.
Can you think of any reasons why Austria-Hungary was worried by Serbia’s
aim to unite all Slavs?
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Task 3:
What can a historian learn from Source A about armament spending
between 1872 - 1912?
(3 marks)
EXAM TIP: Make sure your answer is clear and easy to understand. Try
using the following method:
The first thing you can learn from Source A is… (add a fact/detail from the
source). The second point is … (add a fact/detail from the source). The
third point is… (add a fact/detail from the source).
SOURCE A:
Extension Question:
Which of the three facts is the most useful and why?
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Task 4:
Read the information below and design a graph that shows the
differences between the two ships. Then select 3 points from the
source and explain why these are significant.
Focus on
‘The Dreadnought’
The ‘Dreadnought’ class battleship had an eleven-inch armour plating for
protection. Compare this with a battleship built only a year earlier.
HMS Dominion built in 1905. 16,350 tons; length 457 feet; 4 twelve inch
guns, 4 nine inch guns, 5 torpedo tubes; armour 9 inches thick; top speed
18.2 knots.
HMS Dreadnought built in 1906. 17,900 tons; length 526 feet;
10 twelve-inch guns, 18 four-inch guns, 5 torpedo tubes; armour
11 inches thick; top speed 21.6 knots.
If you are a visual learner look at the front cover of the Task Booklet you
may find it helpful.
Task 5:
Read Source 1 and 2 on page 7 of the Information Booklet. What are
the differences between the two sources?
EXAM TIP: Highlight/underline and annotate the sources as you read
them.
Write a paragraph comparing the differences of the 2 sources. You
must refer to both sources in your answer.
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Task 6
Using the AQA textbook p.10 and the information below develop a detailed
timeline to show how the alliances were formed.
Task 7
Read Source B, it is one sided. Can you explain how and why you think it is one sided?
SOURCE B: A comment from a British newspaper, the Daily Mail, February 1903.
While great naval power in the hands of Britain cannot constitute a menace, in the
hands of Germany it will be a great peril to the world. This is even more so as the
recent history of German policy of daring aggression and the lack of space at home
compels Germany to conquer the colonies of others or perish.
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Task 8
Read AQA p. 12 and your info booklet p. 11-12 then in your own words
explain what happened at the Second Moroccan Crisis, 1911. Use no
more than 50 words.
Word Count:
Now swap with your partner and mark their work:
Level 1: Basic answer. [Lacks detail and structure]
Level 2: Average answer [must have evidence of planning]
Level 3: Good answer [clear and easy to understand]
Level 4: Excellent answer [detailed with dates, facts and well planned]
Marker’s comment: Suggestions on how to improve
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Task 9
Compare the two maps of the Balkans before and after the Balkan Wars
(information booklet page 13) and answer the following questions:
1.
What happened to the Turkish Empire?
2.
Which Balkan state increased in size the most as a result of these wars?
3.
What important geographical advantage would Serbia have gained if
Albania had been included in its borders?
Task 10
Complete the table below
Crises
Which powers involved
How it increased tension
1905 Morocco
1908 Bosnia
1911 Agadir
1912-13 Balkans
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Task 11
Can you answer this key question:
Why did tension increase in Europe between 1900 and 1914?
Draw a mind map or a spider-diagram, on A3 paper, that illustrates all the
reasons why tension increased between 1900-14. Use your information
booklet if you need to. Use as many colours and pictures as you can as
these aid memory. Use the Key Question as your title/centre.
Task 12
What evidence can you find on page 15 (AQA textbook) to support the
claims that:
A.
Austria-Hungary was trying to start a war.
B.
That Serbia was trying to prevent a war starting.
Extension Activity: Do a series of newspaper headlines in the following
countries showing how each reacted to the news of
the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand:
1. Serbia
2. Russia
3. Germany
4. Austria-Hungary
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Task 13
Design a visual that explains the events from June 28th to August 3rd,1914.
Possible ideas are a cartoon, poster or short news reel (story board) for the
cinema.
Task 14
Either in pairs or individually, PLAN how you would answer this essay
question:
Which of the following two events was more significant for triggering the First
World War:


The Agadir crisis, 1911
The Balkan Wars, 1912-13
You must refer to both events in your answer.
Advice - Your plan should include a link sentence that answers the essay
question at the end of each paragraph you are planning to write.
Your conclusion is extremely important so please write it in full
(3 or 4 sentences will be ample).
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Extension Activities and things to evaluate how much you’ve learned:
How much have you remembered?
In pairs or small groups ask each other the following questions:
1.
2.
3.
Name the Great Powers in Europe in 1900
Why did the Kaiser want a ‘place in the sun’?
Explain the rivalry between Serbia and Austria-Hungary. Who was the
protector of Serbia?
4. What was the Dreadnought and why was it so significant?
5. How did Kaiser Wilhelm II increase rivalry between the Great Powers?
6. Name the two alliances and who was in them.
7. Name 4 long term causes of World War I.
8. Why was Bosnia significant?
9. Why did the Kaiser become involved in Morocco in 1905?
10. Name the two war plans that you have learned about. For a bonus name
the countries as well.
11. Explain the significance of the Panther in the crisis of 1911.
12. What part did the following play in the assassination of Franz Ferdinand:
A. Gavrilo Princip?
B. Sophie von Chotkowa und Wognin?
C. The Black Hand?
Key Word Review:
Read the definition to your partner and they have to tell you the Key Word.
You could also try getting them to spell it.
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Assassination. But was it a set up?
Read the following details then discuss it with your group.
Instructions:
2 members need to argue that it was not a set up (use evidence from your
studies).
2 members need to argue that it was a set up.
You have 2 minutes to convince the other side that your view is the correct
one.
Was the assassination a set-up?
There is much evidence to suggest that Franz-Ferdinand was set up to
be assassinated to provide Austria with an excuse to invade Serbia.
The Austrian army wanted to destroy the Black Hand by attacking Serbia.
Between January 1913 and June 1914 the Austrian army chief-of-staff
recommended war with Serbia 25 times.
The Archduke could not have
chosen a worse day to visit
Sarajevo. It was Serbia’s National
Day — the anniversary of the
battle, in 1389, when Serbia had
been conquered by the Turkish
Empire. On the same day a Serb
hero, Milos Obilic, assassinated
the Turkish Sultan.
SOURCE C: The Kaiser to the
Austrian ambassador
It is now or never deal with the Serbs.
Straight away. The Tsar is unlikely to
intervene if he does, Germany will
stand at Austria’s side.
Austrian spies in Serbia had reported that there was going to be an assassination
attempt.
Pasic, the Prime Minister of Serbia, had also told the Austrian
government that there was going to be trouble.
Only 120 policemen were on duty
in Sarajevo. There was no extra
security.
The Archduke and his wife
travelled in an open-topped car.
An easy target for an assassin.
The assassins were allowed to
cross the border from Serbia into
Bosnia.
SOURCE D: Serb reactions to the
assassination
The accounts of eyewitnesses say that people
fell into each other’s arms in delight Remarks
were heard such as: ‘It serves him right We
have been expecting this for a long time.’
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Things you need to remember
Long-term causes:
1. Colonial Rivalry
2. Balkan nationalism
3. Alsace-Lorraine
4. The Arms Race (including the Naval Race)
5. Wilhelm II and German militarism
6. The ALLIANCE SYSTEM
The Crises 1905-14
A. The Moroccan Crisis, 1905-06
B. The Bosnian Crisis, 1908-09
C. The Agadir Crisis (Second Moroccan Crisis), 1911
D. The Balkan Wars, 1912-13
The Immediate Cause of War
1. The murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
2. Austrian reaction and German support.
3. The declaration of war, late July to early August.
4. Why Britain decided to go to war.
If you read through the above list and there are things you don’t know or are
unsure about, then either re-read your information booklet, or talk to a
Classmate, or speak to your teacher about it.
Finally turn to page 2 of your information booklet and tick off all the topics
you feel confident that you now know about.
Remember the more times you review your work
then the easier your exam revision will be.
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Glossary: the following definitions will help you understand this
topic.
Alliance - agreement between two or more countries in which they
agree to help each other (could be military help in a war).
Armaments - weapons of war.
Balkans - area of south-west Europe previously controlled by the
Turks; including Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria.
Colonies - Territories taken over by countries in Europe
(mainly in Africa)
Conscription - young people must join the armed services when they
reach a certain age, normally for one or two years.
Dreadnought - battleship launched by Britain made all earlier
battleships out of date.
Empire - group of countries, colonies or states ruled over and owned
by another country.
Entente - agreement between two or more countries to settle any
problems.
Heir - next in line to a position.
Imperialism - the policy of building up an empire.
Isolated - without friends or allies.
Kaiser - the Emperor/ruler of Germany
Militarism - settling a problem or dispute through war.
Mobilisation - getting soldiers and equipment ready to go to battle.
Nationalism - love for your country/ the belief that your country is
better than others.
Neutral - staying out of a war, not taking sides.
Schlieffen Plan - Germany plan to defeat France by attacking
through Belgium.
Slavs - peoples such as the Serbs, Bosnians, Bulgarians & Romanians
‘Splendid isolation’ - Britain felt safe from invasion due to its strong
navy, so it chose to be isolated (didn’t need
help from other powers). This policy changed in
the early 20th Century as Britain began to feel
threatened by Germany.
The ‘Scrap of Paper’ - The Treaty of London of 1839 by which the
Great Powers guaranteed the neutrality of
Belgium.
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Ultimatum - a final demand from one country to another.
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