AN INTRODUCTION TO WORLD WAR I
Key Questions/Themes:
The causes of World War I are the most complex of any war we study. It was the first total war, although there were aspects of limited and guerilla war and it also led to civil wars in parts of Europe. For example, while the Western Front was undoubtedly a total war, the war in the Middle East was both limited and had aspects of Guerilla warfare (the Arab tribes sabotaged train lines for example). One of the effects of WWI was to push a teetering Tsarist regime in Russia over the edge into revolution and this eventually led to a Russian Civil War (1918-22). However, WWI was not as "total" as WWII, where millions of civilians perished because of both an increased range of destructive weapons (civilian populations could be targeted from further away) and the willingness of all sides to target them.
- What were the long and short term causes of WWI?
- To what extent did the long-term causes of WWI make conflict more likely in 1914?
- How significant were the short-term causes to the outbreak of war in 1914?
- Who was responsible for starting WWI?
- To what extent should Germany be held responsible for causing WWI?
- How far did the nature of fighting in WWI represent a new type of conflict?
- How significant was the management of the war in determining its outcome?
- Did the impact of WWI make future European conflict more or less likely?
The causes of World War I are the most complex of any war we study. It was the first total war, although there were aspects of limited and guerilla war and it also led to civil wars in parts of Europe. For example, while the Western Front was undoubtedly a total war, the war in the Middle East was both limited and had aspects of Guerilla warfare (the Arab tribes sabotaged train lines for example). One of the effects of WWI was to push a teetering Tsarist regime in Russia over the edge into revolution and this eventually led to a Russian Civil War (1918-22). However, WWI was not as "total" as WWII, where millions of civilians perished because of both an increased range of destructive weapons (civilian populations could be targeted from further away) and the willingness of all sides to target them.