AP EURO - WORLD WAR I AND THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION

PRACTICE ESSAY QUESTION 1. “Each of the belligerents in Europe was responsible for the outbreak of World War I.” Defend or refute this statement. Many Americans, influenced to this day by creative Allied propaganda and by German aggression in world War II, believed that Germany was responsible for starting the First World War. Certainly the Kaiser’s prewar arrogance was one of the friction points, but England, France, and Russia each carried out policies that aggravated the tension. In framing your answer, consider the network of alliances that France and Germany engineered after the Franco-Prussian War; economic rivalry between Germany and Britain; the roles of Britain as well as Germany in the naval arms race; the mentalities of both “have” and “have-not” nations in the race for colonies; Russian support for Pan-Slavism in Austria-Hungary; the volatile Balkan situation. 2. “After the first few months of war, the combat on the Western Front was very different from anything the strategists on either side had envisioned.” Assess the validity of this statement. Each of the belligerents anticipated a quick, decisive victory at the out break of war. The end result was a war of attrition - a gradual and inexorable wearing down of the manpower, resources, and will to fight. In “determining the truth” of the assertion, consider the German Schlieffen Plan, the unexpected speed of Russian mobilization, the Battle of the Marne, the attempts at outflanking, the resulting line of trenches from Switzerland to the North Sea. Be aware of the development of new tactics and weaponry; sea blockades, unrestricted submarine warfare, massed artillery, poison gas, aircraft, and tanks. 3. Explain why the war ended the Russian, Austro-Hungarian, and German empires. “Explain” in this context means to “offer the causes and reasons for” the collapse of those great empires. The scope of the issue is very broad, so a detailed accounting of each is not practical. Look for causes common to all three; the strains of a war of attrition - shortages, casualties; political instabilities; defeats in battle. Emphasize the different characters of their problems: the Bolshevik movement in Russia; ethnic rivalries in Austro-Hungary; democratic and socialist opposition movements in Germany. 4. Contrast and compare the Fourteen Points with the peace settlements in Paris. Had President Woodrow Wilson’s idealistic plan for peace had been implemented, the grievances that led to World War II might have been settled. The main provisions of the Fourteen points: no secret treaties; freedom of the seas; free trade; arms reduction; settlement of colonial claims, notional autonomy and adjustment of borders; establishment of a League of Nations. The big Four Allied leaders met in Paris and drew up three treaties, without representatives of any of the Central Powers, to end the war. It is not necessary to show the differences or ascertain similarities between the Fourteen Points and each of these treaties. In general terms, show what Wilson gave up during the negotiations in order to attain his prime goal, the League of Nations. 5. Evaluate the Treaty of Versailles To “judge the worth of,” “discuss the advantages and disadvantages, the pluses and minuses,” examine the main provisions - border adjustments, occupation, colonial adjustments, war guilt, indemnities, German disarmament - and consider the significance and consequences. How did he reparation payments by Germany affect its economy? How did Hitler use the war guilt clause in his propaganda? How did the Polish Corridor create conflict between Germany and newly independent Poland? What were the implications of Japan’s receiving German Pacific colonies? How did Hitler use the remilitarization of the Rhineland and German rearmament to increase his popularity and power?