Introduction
World War I began in 1914 and ended in 1918. It was the bloodiest war in history at the time and introduced a completely new meaning to the word war.
Task
You are to go to the following websites to help answer the questions:
http://history1900s.about.com/od/worldwari/p/World-War-I.htm
The assassination of who, sparked the beginning of World War I?
Explain the Schlieffen plan.
Explain plan XVII.
What was the area between trenches called?
What is a war of Attrition?
http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/worldwari/p/World-War-I-The-Fourtee…
Explain what the Lusitania was and why it matters.
What was the Zimmerman Telegraph?
What is the signifigance of Woodrow Wilson's 14 points? What were their purpose?
Why do you think Wilson's 14 points were not followed?
Many historians group Wilson's 14 points into 3 categories. Try to determine what these 3 groups are.
Critical Thinking Questions
Why do you think that the assassination of the leader of a small country caused a global war to erupt? How could this have been prevented?
What can be done to prevent this from happening again?
Is it important to study World War I today? Why or Why not?
Why was World War I so bloody?
Do you think that World War II would have happened even if Wilson's 14 points had been followed? Explain your answer.
Process
You will work on your own to answer the questions above.
Evaluation
The majority of your grade comes from the Critical Thinking Questions. Many of these do not have a definitive right or wrong answer, I am more interested in hearing your thought process and that you show me you have a thorough understanding of the subject.
Conclusion
Upon completion of this assignment you will have hopefully learned a lot about World War I. Along with why it is still pertinent information today.