Week 2 Assignment
https://www.vox.com/a/world-war-i-maps
Early maps focus on the causes of war and highlight many of the key battles (maps 1-24). Youmay skim details in the first half. The later maps (25-40) focus on the summary takeaways about the war and its impact.
Some important aspects of World War I to consider.
1. It was a ‘total war’ that required the full mobilization of all citizens and most of the economies of the belligerent nations. All adults, soldiers and civilians, made sacrifices; and all expected some rewards afterward.
2. It was a technological war that brought new ‘weapons of mass destruction’ into the 20th century world: rapid fire artillery, chemical warfare, mechanized transport, and some aerial warfare. Definitions of war and what was accceptable began to change.
3. Old nations and old empires died; new ones with new values were born. People’s citizenship changed overnight.
Assignment
Before beginning this assignment, (1) read my intro to the First World War and (2) read the article by Margaret Macmillan in the Wall Street Journal. You will need to evaluate those sources in order to offer a good, critical analysis.
Historian Margaret Macmillan selects many examples of the important consequences of World War I. Which two of her main points strike you as the most significant? Explain each of the two she emphasized and why you think each is especially important for 20th century history.