World War I WebQuest

1.  Go to http://www.firstworldwar.com/index.htm. Click on “Countdown to War” and answer the following questions as we create a bit of a timeline of the war.

  1. What was the date of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand?
  2. Where was he assassinated at?
  3. How did the Austrian government feel about Ferdinand?
  4. Which country did the Austrian-Hungarian government accuse of the assassination?
  5. What was Austria-Hungary’s expectation about D?
  6. What date did Austria-Hungary declare war on D, officially starting World War I?
  7. When did the US actually enter the war?
  8. Much of World War I is rooted in the beliefs and actions of Otto von Bismarck, the Prussian Prime Minister. How did he desire to build a German Empire? (Remember, he’s starting this in the 1860s)
  1. What else did Austria lose, besides the Seven Weeks War?
  2. After a war with France, what did Bismarck succeed in making?
  3. Why did Bismarck want to form alliances?
  4. What was Plan XVII?
  5. Which two countries did Germany and Austria originally align with, only for those two countries to later drop out?
  1. How did Germany’s ambitions affect Britain?
  2. Which power lost a lot of land during the Balkan Wars?
  3. What was the Schlieffen Plan?
  4. What did the Schlieffen Plan not take into account?

2.  Go to www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/w1frm.htm. Click on “Christmas in the Trenches, 1914” and read the entire article. After that, you have two tasks: 1) Summarize what happened and 2) Name at least two gifts that were given from one side to the other.

3.  On the sidebar on the left, click “Gas Attack, 1916.” Read the article.

  1. What happened to the man who couldn’t get his mask on quick enough?
  1. Who does the author say suffers the most?
  1. Who doesn’t he feel sorry for?
  1. What happened to the author’s smoke helmet?

4.  On the sidebar on the left, click on “The Execution of Mata Hari, 1917.”

  1. Who was she?
  1. Short Response: How should history remember Mata Hari: as a hero, traitor, or loyal soldier

5.  Next, read the article ”America Declares War on Germany”. First, summarize the reasons why America declared war on Germany. Second, in a short response, do you think President Wilson did the right thing by declaring war or not? Why?

6.  Read one more article on Eyewitness To History. You get to choose which one. Summarize the article and explain its overall importance to World War I.