First World War Icse Q - A

FIRST WORLD WAR
2020
What was meant by the term 'Imperialism', as a cause for World War I ?
Imperialism refers to the state policy or practice by which a powerful
nation establishes its control over another country, either by direct
territorial acquisition or by gathering political and economic control.
2019
State any two objections imposed by the Treaty of Versailles on the
German military power.
1. The German Army was restricted to a force of 1,00,000 soldiers and
the Navy was limited to 15,000 men and 36 ships.
2. The Air Force and submarines of German Army were banned.
Name the Signatory Countries of the Triple Alliance.

Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy were the signatory countries of the
Triple Alliance.
2018
With reference to the Two Major World Wars in the 20th century,
answer the following questions :
(a) Explain briefly the causes of World War I with reference to
Nationalism and Imperialism. [3]
(b) Explain briefly the territorial rearrangements as a result of World
War I
(a) As far as the Nationalism and Imperialism contexts are concerned,

the causes of World War I are as follows :
1. Aggressive nationalism meant love for one’s own country and hatred
for the other countries. Each nation thought about its own national
interests and did not care for the interests of the other nations. These
countries developed expansionist policies in the name of nationalism.
Every country began to increase her military power. The assassination of
Archduke Ferdinand also hurt the nationalistic feelings of the people of
Austria. They were backed by various other countries which ultimately
led to the outbreak of the war. The unsatisfied nation spirit of Balkans,
discontentment among Italians also helped fuel the war.
2. Imperialism is when a country takes over new lands or countries and
makes them subject to its rule. By 1900, the British Empire extended
over five continents and France had to control large areas of Africa.
With the rise of industrialism, new markets were needed.
3. The amount of lands ‘owned’ by Britain and France increased the
rivalry with Germany who had entered the scramble to acquire colonies
late and only had small areas of Africa.
(b) Germany lost World War I. In the 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was
signed. The victorious powers (the United States, Great Britain, France
and other allied states) imposed punitive territorial, military and
economic provisions on the defeated Germany.
1. In the west, Germany returned AlsaceLorraine to France. It had been
seized by Germany more than 40 years ago.
2. Further, Belgium received Eupen and Malmedy; the industrial Saar
region was placed under the administration of the League of Nations for
15 years and Denmark received Northern Schleswig. Finally, the
Rhineland was demilitarised; that is, no German military forces or
fortifications were permitted there. In the east, Poland received parts of
West Prussia and Silesia from Germany.
3. In addition, Czechoslovakia received the Hultschin district from
Germany; the largely German city of Danzig became a free city under
the protection of the League of Nations and Memel, a small strip of
territory in East Prussia along the Baltic Sea, was ultimately placed
under Lithuanian control. 4. Outside Europe, Germany lost all its
colonies. In sum, Germany forfeited 13 per cent of its European territory
(more than 27,000 square miles) and one-tenth of its population
(between 6.5 and 7 million people).
2017
The 1914 and 1939 Wars that engulfed almost the entire world, were
known as the World Wars due to its unprecedented impact and damage.
In this context, answer the following :
(a) Explain the immediate cause of the First World War. [3]
(b) Explain the consequences of the Second World War with reference
to the Cold War. [3]
(c) Mention any four terms of the Treaty of Versailles which affected
Germany after World War I. [4]
(a) Immediate cause : Archduke Francis Ferdinand, the heir to the throne
of Austria-Hungary, was assassinated at Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia on
June 28, 1914. The assassination was organised by a secret society
called ‘Black Hand’ or ‘Union of Death’ formed by extremist Serbian
nationalists whose aim was to unite all Serbians into a single Serbian
State. Austria declared an ultimatum on Serbia on July 23 making eleven
demands. Serbia accepted most of the demands except those that would
have led to the loss of her sovereignty. Austria declared war on Serbia
on July 28, 1914. This was the beginning of the First World War.
(b) Consequences of the Second World War with reference to Cold
War : The United States and Russia emerged as great powers in the
world. During the Second World War, the USA and the Soviet Union
fought together in cooperation with each other. Though both the
countries did not engage in actual fight against each other, there was a
state of extreme political tension between the two. This state of tension
between countries, in which each side adopted policies designed to
strengthen itself and weaken the other without any armed conflict, is
known as the ‘Cold War’. Thus, the USA and the USSR continued to
maintain diplomatic relations and did not resort to overt clashes, but
treated each other with hostility. It also led to the formation of various
military alliances such as NATO or North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
under US leadership and the Warsaw Pact signed by the representatives
of Russia and other Communist countries. This led to the division of the
world into two power blocs. One bloc was led by the USA and the other
by the erstwhile USSR. 1. The Democratic and Capitalist Bloc : The
bloc led by the USA, called the Western bloc or the American bloc,
believed in liberal democracy based on Capitalism. This bloc comprised
Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands,
Greece, Pakistan, Turkey, etc. 2. The Communist Bloc : The bloc led by
the USSR, called the Eastern bloc or the Soviet bloc believed in
Communism based on Marxist theory. 212 ICSE History & Civics-2017
The Soviet bloc countries considered the western style democracy as a
farce, meant only for the rich and upper middle class.
(c) Four terms of the Treaty of Versailles which affected Germany after
World War I : 1. The treaty declared Germany guilty of aggression.
Germany was required to pay for the loss and damages suffered by the
Allies during the war. The amount of reparations was fixed at 33 billion
dollars. Germany had to cede her merchant ships to the Allies as
compensation and had to supply huge quantities of coal to France, Italy
and Belgium for ten years. 2. The area of the Rhine Valley was to be
demilitarised and the German territory west of Rhine was to be occupied
by the Allied troops for 15 years. 3. Germany lost Alsace-Lorraine to
France, Eupen-et-Malmedy to Belgium, and Schleswig to Denmark.
Danzig became a free port in the Polish territory. 4. Germany ceded
parts of her pre-war territory to Denmark, Belgium, Poland,
Czechoslovakia and France. The coal mines in the German area called
Saar were ceded to France for 15 years and the area was to be governed
by the League of Nations.
2015
Name the two rival blocs formed in Europe before World War I.
There were two kinds of rival blocs formed in Europe before World War
I or in the early 20th century i.e. Triple Alliance and Triple Entente.
2014
Mention any two terms of the Treaty of Versailles signed on June 28,
1919.
State two factors which were responsible for the failure of the League of
Nations.
1. Germany was held responsible for effectuating World War and

causing great loss and damage. In return, it had to compensate the loss
and pay an indemnity of 6,600 million pounds to the victorious nations.
2. In order to redress the destruction caused to the coal mines of France
by Germany, France was given complete control over the rich coal
mines in the Saar Basin.
1. The League of Nations failed to prevent the Japanese aggression into

Manchuria and the attack on Abyssinia (present Ethiopia) by Italy.
2. The U.S.A. never became its member and the defeated nations were
not allowed to become its members. Thus, it failed to become
instrumental in bringing world peace.
2013
What was the immediate cause of the First World War ?
The assassination of Austrian Prince Archduke Franz Ferdinand in
Sarajevo on June 28, 1914 was the immediate cause of the First World
War
2012
Name the signatory countries of the Triple Alliance (1882). State the
rival bloc that was formed.
The Triple Alliance, also known as the Triplice, was a secret agreement
between Germany, Austria, Hungry and Italy formed on 20 May, 1882
and renewed periodically, until World War I. In 1882, Serbia joined the
alliance, in effect, through a treaty with Austria-Hungry. Romania joined
the group in 1883 and a powerful Central European bloc was created.
2011
With reference to the First World War answer the following questions :
(a) Explain any three causes of the First World War. [3]
(b) Mention three points under the Treaty of Versailles, which affected
Germany. [3]
(c) What were the objectives of the League of Nations ? Name the
organization formed in October, 1945 with objectives similar to those of
the League of Nations.[4]
(a) Three causes of the First World War were :

1. Aggressive Nationalism : The unlimited spirit of Nationalism was
another cause for the Great War. Love for one’s own country led to
intense hatred for the other. There existed strong feelings of hatred
between France and Germany, between Germany and England and
between Russia and the Balkans. After the expulsion of Turks from
Europe, there were widespread revolts. Each nation wanted “National
Honour” and the idea of mutual give and take did not exist among the
European nations. This narrow nationalism of competitive patriotism led
to bitterness and suspicion amongst nations.
2. Economic Imperialism : There was a race for colonial expansion
among the European countries. The rapid growth of industrialization
brought great demand from the colonies for raw materials and to find
new markets for their finished goods. This resulted in colonial conflicts
and national rivalries. Each country wanted to fight for its commerce
and trade. The entry of Germany in the race for colonies complicated
matters further.
3. Armament Race : Germany defeated France in the Franco Prussian
War and took away the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine. The French
never recovered from the sheck of this defeat. They waited to take
revenge and recover their lost territories. The Italians and Balkan states
of Poland, Austria-Hungary, Serbia and Bulgaria were also dissatisfied.
By 1914, all European countries were armed and ever ready to fight at
the smallest provocation. The intense nationalism and distrust triggered
armament race among European nations. Each country began preparing
for war by arming itself to the teeth by stockpiling of arms and
ammunition. Germany too began to increase its naval force and started
large scale production of arms and ammunitions.
(c) The objectives of League of Nations were :
1. To achieve international peace and security. To prevent future wars by
establishing international relations based on justice and honour.
2. To promote cooperation between the nations of the world so as to
make people’s lives ‘happier and nobler’.
3. To formulate plans for the reduction of national armaments to the
lowest point, consistent with national safety.
4. To preserve the territorial integrity and political independence of all
members of the League against any external aggression.
5. To provide for a peaceful change in international relations by
reconsidering international treaties that hindered peaceful relations
between the nations.
6. To supervise the working of mandatory systems and promoting
human welfare. The United Nations organisation was formed on 24th
October, 1945 with objective similar to those of the League of Nations.

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FIRST WORLD WAR

Name the Signatory Countries of the Triple Alliance.

(a) As far as the Nationalism and Imperialism contexts are concerned,

1. Germany was held responsible for effectuating World War and

1. The League of Nations failed to prevent the Japanese aggression into

(a) Three causes of the First World War were :

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