World Depth Study: The First World War, 1914–18

What you'll learn

The causes, course and end of the First World War.

Key themes

• Causes: alliances, militarism and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
• The Schlieffen Plan and its failure; trench warfare and stalemate.
• Major battles such as the Somme (1916); new weapons (gas, tanks, machine guns).
• U-boats, the USA joining in 1917, and the Armistice (11 Nov 1918).

Exam tips

• Separate long-term causes from the trigger.
• Use battles as evidence of the nature of warfare.

Common mistakes

• Treating the assassination as the only cause.
• Vague description of trench conditions.