Themes of Unit 8

 World War I was unprecedented in its size and impact

 * Four empires collapsed: the Russian Empire in 1917, the German and the Austro-Hungarian in 1918, and the Ottoman in 1922

* Nearly 10 million soldiers died and about 21 million were wounded

* The Bolsheviks took power in Russia

* Germany was required to pay reparations eventually set at $33 billion; accept responsibility for the war

* World War I killed more people--9 million combatants and 5 million civilians--and cost more money--$186 billion in direct costs and another $151 billion in indirect costs--than any previous war in history.

(excerpted from Digital History)

World War I was a major step forward in the impact of war on society and government

Because the industrial revolution and advances in technology had increased the size and scope of warfare, countries at war found it necessary to involve all parts of their society in the war effort.  This step to “total war” meant that governments had to increase their control and influence on society.  Economically, wages and prices were controlled, products were rationed.  Legally, governments changed their conception of free speech, censorship was seems as necessary to avoid the “clear and present” danger of some opinions.

 World War I laid the foundations for the eventual rise of fascist governments in Germany and Italy and played a role in the birth of the Soviet Union .  

The Treaty of Versailles can be seen as a failure in the sense that it created the conditions that would result in World War II

You should know:

            * The vocabulary listed in the Unit Outline

            * The causes of World War I

            * The effects of technology on the war

            * The chronology (timeline) of the start of the war

            * The techniques of propaganda, you should be able to interpret a poster from world war I and explain how it uses certain propaganda techniques

            * The impact of the war on the home front

* The terms of the Treaty of Versailles

            * The changes of a European map before and after the war