World War I was a revolutionary event that swept away the old empires of Austria-Hungary, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire. Germany was significantly weakened. In 1914 only three governments in Europe could choose their own leaders, By the end of 1918 there were 13 republics. In this unit students compare and contrast the disruptive changes that took place in Russia, Italy, Germany, and other countries after the war. In many countries, conflicts continued within countries after the war ended, and new conflicts were created.
Students also learn about the popular culture of the middle and late years of the 1920s, the "roaring 20s." The good times of the these years made it easy to forget both the painful years of the war and the unresolved conflicts that burst out again when the Great Depression hit in the 1930s.
Vocabulary
Conflicts created by the First World War (We will work through this document in class. Note that the images do not display correctly.)
Timeline of the Russian Revolution (click Timeline to use Read&Write for Google and listen to the text)