Practice work Paper Group Wise

Topic: WW1 (Causes)

Class- Grade 7
Subject: History
Session – 2023- 24
Before the First World War, alliances already existed in the 1800s. Patterns involved a network of treaties,
agreements, and ententes that were signed before 1914. Such alliances created national tensions and rivalries
among nations in Europe. An alliance can be defined as a formal, economic, military, or political agreement
between two or more nations. Military alliances were (and still are) the most common alliances during and after
World War I. Alliances were not a new thing in European history. For centuries, there had been ethnic, political,
and territorial rivalries in Europe, and they would often, due to paranoia, lead to war.
● Alliances usually contain pledges that if a war or an act of aggression occurs, one nation will support the other
in terms of an army that is mobilising troops, weapons, and relief.
● These terms are usually present in an alliance document. Moreover, alliances can also be economic terms,
such as bilateral or multilateral trade agreements, investments, or even loans.
● It was common during the 19th and early 20th centuries for European nations to form, annul, and restructure
alliances regularly.

• Alliances prevented larger, stronger states from waging war on the smaller, weaker states. In the 1700s,
alliances were both a defence measure and a political instrument. It was not uncommon for kings and princes
to form, reform, or restructure alliances in an attempt to benefit their interests.
• Sometimes this was just a move to isolate and starve their rivals. These alliances often did not last as
they either collapsed when new leaders took over or were replaced by other alliances.

1. Define the following terms based on your understanding of the historical context.
A. ALLIANCE – A group of one or more countries with an agreement to provide necessary measures of

support on depending circumstances. It can be military, economical etc.

B. ENTENTE – The Entente was the coalition group formed at the base with France and Russia and later

by the United Kingdom. It was an alliance between these countries who jointly fought together in

WW1.

C. CORDIALE – Formality, Cordiale here defines Formal Warfare.

 D. RIVALRY – Competition between two parties over the upper hand in a field of resource.

E. WORLD WAR I – World War 1 or The Great War is the first world war in human history which was

triggered in 1914 at the assassination of Archuduke Franz Ferdinand. It was first concentrated in Europe

were most of the fighting was before spreading to Africa, parts of Asia, and the south of Latin America

(Las Malvinas/Falklands).

2. Complete the following table

Long term causes Definition How did it contribute in the WW1

of WW1
Militarism The concentration and
focus of spending a state’s
economic power on the
militarization of its defense
forces. This includes the
participation of gearing and
purchasing armaments
Militarism – Arms races were spread across the
powerful nations of the European continent, as
technology advanced further and became more lethal
and deadlier than ever before. Conscription was
introduced in all countries except Great Britain, and
machine guns were being rapidly produced (especially
in Germany) to aid in their favor. The nations believed
that a modern war would favor the offenders not the
defenders.

Alliances A formal agreement
between countries to assist
and aid one another during
necessary windows.
Alliances were joint pacts and treaties by different
nations for non-aggression and defensive pacts. This
ensured that should a country be attacked by one,
another would most certainly get involved, causing
futile bloodshed, and exponentially more deaths.

Imperialism A foreign country or state’s
influence on a territory,
especially one that is to be
colonized.
Europe was the dominant force of the world in the 20th
century, and her nations had conquered many lands,
and established colonies within them. Great Britain
herself accounted for a fourth of the entire land mass of
the Earth. The UK and France had many colonies, and
the Germans and Italians expressed the wish to have as
many; therefore, there was much competition in
imperialism.
Nationalism Nationalism is the self-
declared and supported
nationalistic pride in an
individual of his or her
country.
Nationalism is a prime and unforgettable subject, as it
would lead to the events that triggered the spark for
World War 1. Patriotism or pride in one’s own country
was in the hearts of almost every Balkan man. Subjects
of these small independent nations would often cause
skirmishes, and small-scale conflicts as they fought for
land they felt rightfully theirs. It was because of this
that, Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian-Bosnian nationalist shot
dead the Archduke Franz Ferdinand; which made the
Austria-Hungarian Empire egregious, and in the process
lead to a chain of events, that would cause the ‘Great
War’.

3. Write the name of the opponents of WW1.

Triple Alliences Tripple Entente

Germany France
Austria Hungary Russia
United Kingdom