BIG HISTORY PROJECT STUDENT

UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSES OF WORLD

WAR I
Preparation
• Open or Download “Crisis and Conflict on the Global Stage” from the Google Classroom

Purpose
In this activity, you’ll critically evaluate some of the causes and consequences of World War I while also paying attention to the methods that historians use
to draw conclusions. This helps you understand the war better and it also helps you develop your ability to think like a historian.

Practices
Claim testing, causation, reading
You will dig into some of the claims made in an article. In addition to using the support provided in the article to test those claims, you’ll do some research
to further corroborate them. You can use your understanding of causal analysis to decide if the author’s method for evaluating the past make sense, or if
your approach to causal reasoning works better.

Process
In this activity, you are going to critically examine part of the article “Crisis and Conflict on a Global Stage” to determine if you agree with the assertions
that the author makes in this article. In the article, Straussman asserts that there are three things that contributed to the two world wars and the Great
Depression. Those are global political order, economics, and technological advancements. Let’s assume that those are, in fact, the three main themes
that contributed to the turbulence of the era. However, do you agree with him? Do you think he interpreted his sources correctly? It’s your job to decide
whether he did or didn’t.
Your teacher will put you into small groups. One group will be examining global political order, another economics, and the last technological
advancements. Each group is going to evaluate “A Not So Great War: Causes and Consequences of the First World War” (the first major section of the
article “Crisis and Conflict on the Global Stage”) to determine whether or not they agree with Straussman. Pick two assertions that Straussman made
about World War I in relation to your particular theme. So, for example, the economics group might look at an economic cause of World War I and an
economic consequence of the war.
Once you have picked your assertions, you should do some research on each and find one external source that either corroborates or opposes what
Straussman wrote. In addition, note if any important details were left out of the story. Also, remember to use claim testers to evaluate whether or not your
source of information is reliable.

Be prepared to share what you found with the class. Then, think about the following: Do you agree with Straussman’s assertions in the article? What
do you think he’s missing? What do you think he got right? Is his thinking consistent with what you saw from other historians? How is it the same or
different? Do his methods of drawing conclusions about history make sense? Why or why not?

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BIG HISTORY PROJECT Date:
UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSES OF WORLD WAR IName:
Directions: Read “A Not So Great War,” the first major section of the article “Crisis and Conflict on the Global Stage.” Pick two assertions Saul Straussman
makes in the article that relate to the theme you’ve been assigned. For each assertion, do some research to find one external source that either
corroborates or opposes what Straussman wrote. Note if you think he left out any important details. Then, write about whether you agree or disagree with
Straussman based on the evidence you found.

Theme:

Assertion 1: Sources:

Assertion 2: Sources:

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