Chapter 33: The Great War: The World in Upheaval Chapter 34: An Age of Anxiety 1. Would the experiences of the soldiers of World War I be representative of all soldiers in all wars? Was there something unique about the experiences of these soldiers? What would their experiences say about warfare in the twentieth century? 2. What were the fundamental mistakes of the negotiators at Paris who drew up the Treaty of Versailles? Were they doomed from the start? Was World War II inevitable? 3. Discuss the factors that led to the outbreak of World War I. What role did the alliance system play in this process? What role did nationalism and imperialism play in the road to World War I? 4. What role did women play in World War I? What effect would their contribution to the war effort have on their lives both during and after the war? How does this effect relate to concepts such as total war and the home front? 5. What were the major consequences of World War I? How was the world transformed by this bloody confrontation? 6. Examine the course of World War I in Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. Why did the war spread? How important were these centers of the war? How were these areas influenced by the war? 1
7. Examine the causes of the Russian revolution. How was it tied to World War I? What were Lenin's main ideas? How did he transform Russia and the world? 8. How did the imperialistic rivalries of the European powers contribute to international tensions before World War I? Be specific. 9. How else did the war transform civilian life? Consider especially the enlarged role of the government. 10. Why did Japan enter WWI? What did they gain? 11. Examine the causes and implications of the Great Depression. Why was the depression so widespread and so devastating? How did different countries respond to the depression? What would be the long-term consequences of the depression? 12. What did Gertrude Stein mean when she wrote that "You are all a lost generation"? What had caused this profound split from earlier generations? Can you think of similar dramatic breaks with the past in different countries and different centuries? 2
13. What caused thinkers such as Oswald Spengler to believe that European society was entering its final stage? Why was progress doubted? 14. Compare and contrast the ideas and regimes of Stalin and Hitler. Despite tremendous differences in political orientation, how similar were the German and Soviet states? In what ways were Stalin and Hitler a product of their times? 15. What were some of the economic problems facing the world powers in the 1920s? Specifically, what factors led to the crash of 1929 and the depression that followed? 16. What was the impact of the depression on social attitudes? On women and families? 17. What did John Maynard Keynes recommend as a solution to the economic crisis? How did the New Deal of President Roosevelt exemplify this solution? 18. What are the defining characteristics of fascism in both Italy and Germany? Consider the organizational structure and symbols that each adopted. To whom did this message appeal? 3
Vocabulary List Term Definition/Significance 4
5
6
7