World War I and the peace treaties that redrew the map
Grade 10 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.
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Cause and effect chain “A new map of Europe, 1914 to 1923”. Long-term cause 1: Four empires end: the German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman. Long-term cause 2: Wilson's promise of self-determination for peoples. Long-term cause 3: The Allies' wish to punish the defeated powers. Arrows from every long-term cause lead to the trigger. Trigger: 1919 to 1920: the peace treaties are signed in and near Paris. Arrows from the trigger lead to the effects. Effect 1: Saint-Germain (September 10, 1919) creates the Republic of Austria; new states include Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Effect 2: Trianon (June 4, 1920): Hungary gives Transylvania to Romania. Effect 3: Sèvres (August 10, 1920) for the Ottoman Empire is followed by a Turkish War of Independence and the Treaty of Lausanne (1923). Effect 4: German East Africa is divided: Britain takes Tanganyika, and Belgium takes Rwanda and Burundi, as League mandates. Card A (today): “World War I: Treaties and Reparations”. Who made it: historians at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. For whom: readers of an online encyclopedia. Why: to describe what the treaties did to the map. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman empires ceased to exist; Russia's revolutions of 1917 had already ended its empire. Saint-Germain made the Republic of Austria, and Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes appeared as successor states. At Trianon, Hungary ceded Transylvania to Romania. Sèvres was followed by a Turkish War of Independence and then Lausanne in 1923. Promises to revise Versailles gave radical right-wing parties, including the Nazis, credibility. Context (what else was happening): Written today, with the history of the 1930s known. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It lists changes; it does not say whether the people living in each place were asked.
Saint-Germain made the Republic of Austria, and new states appeared. Ari asks if that applies self-determination. What can be said?
- No: states drawn by victors in Paris cannot count as self-determination in any way
- In part: new states were made for peoples, but the cards do not show who was asked
- In full: Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland each lasted, which shows their borders matched their peoples
- Fully: each new state was made for one people, so the principle was applied across the old empire
A student says “Hungary giving Transylvania to Romania at Trianon shows self-determination was applied.” Bo tests it. What is the best reply?
- It shows the principle, since land went to a state whose people had claimed it, as the treaty says
- It shows land changing hands by treaty; the card does not say who lived there or whether they were asked
- It shows the opposite, since a treaty signed by the defeated state cannot reflect any wish of its people
- It shows the principle, since the Fourteen Points came first and Trianon followed them in 1920
Use this
Cause and effect chain “A new map of Europe, 1914 to 1923”. Long-term cause 1: Four empires end: the German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman. Long-term cause 2: Wilson's promise of self-determination for peoples. Long-term cause 3: The Allies' wish to punish the defeated powers. Arrows from every long-term cause lead to the trigger. Trigger: 1919 to 1920: the peace treaties are signed in and near Paris. Arrows from the trigger lead to the effects. Effect 1: Saint-Germain (September 10, 1919) creates the Republic of Austria; new states include Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Effect 2: Trianon (June 4, 1920): Hungary gives Transylvania to Romania. Effect 3: Sèvres (August 10, 1920) for the Ottoman Empire is followed by a Turkish War of Independence and the Treaty of Lausanne (1923). Effect 4: German East Africa is divided: Britain takes Tanganyika, and Belgium takes Rwanda and Burundi, as League mandates. Card A (today): “World War I: Treaties and Reparations”. Who made it: historians at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. For whom: readers of an online encyclopedia. Why: to describe what the treaties did to the map. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman empires ceased to exist; Russia's revolutions of 1917 had already ended its empire. Saint-Germain made the Republic of Austria, and Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes appeared as successor states. At Trianon, Hungary ceded Transylvania to Romania. Sèvres was followed by a Turkish War of Independence and then Lausanne in 1923. Promises to revise Versailles gave radical right-wing parties, including the Nazis, credibility. Context (what else was happening): Written today, with the history of the 1930s known. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It lists changes; it does not say whether the people living in each place were asked. Card B (today): “Early colonial policies and East African integration”. Who made it: a student writing a master's thesis at Harvard Extension School. For whom: the thesis committee and later readers. Why: to study colonial policies in East Africa. Summary in our words, not a quotation: By 1914 Africa was almost entirely under European control. Germany held German East Africa (Tanganyika, Rwanda and Burundi) until after the war, when Britain took Tanganyika and Belgium took Rwanda and Burundi as League of Nations mandates. Context (what else was happening): Written today, as a thesis on colonial policy and economic links. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): A thesis summary; it says little about what the people of the region wanted.
German East Africa was divided into mandates under Britain and Belgium. Esme asks how that fits self-determination for peoples.
- It is unrelated, since the principle applied to Europe and had nothing to say about colonies
- Not clearly: mandates run by Britain and Belgium, with no vote shown
- It fits, since the region joined a new independent state like Austria or Czechoslovakia
- It fits, since the League supervised the mandates and the League stood for self-determination
Use this
Cause and effect chain “A new map of Europe, 1914 to 1923”. Long-term cause 1: Four empires end: the German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman. Long-term cause 2: Wilson's promise of self-determination for peoples. Long-term cause 3: The Allies' wish to punish the defeated powers. Arrows from every long-term cause lead to the trigger. Trigger: 1919 to 1920: the peace treaties are signed in and near Paris. Arrows from the trigger lead to the effects. Effect 1: Saint-Germain (September 10, 1919) creates the Republic of Austria; new states include Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Effect 2: Trianon (June 4, 1920): Hungary gives Transylvania to Romania. Effect 3: Sèvres (August 10, 1920) for the Ottoman Empire is followed by a Turkish War of Independence and the Treaty of Lausanne (1923). Effect 4: German East Africa is divided: Britain takes Tanganyika, and Belgium takes Rwanda and Burundi, as League mandates. Card A (today): “World War I: Treaties and Reparations”. Who made it: historians at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. For whom: readers of an online encyclopedia. Why: to describe what the treaties did to the map. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman empires ceased to exist; Russia's revolutions of 1917 had already ended its empire. Saint-Germain made the Republic of Austria, and Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes appeared as successor states. At Trianon, Hungary ceded Transylvania to Romania. Sèvres was followed by a Turkish War of Independence and then Lausanne in 1923. Promises to revise Versailles gave radical right-wing parties, including the Nazis, credibility. Context (what else was happening): Written today, with the history of the 1930s known. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It lists changes; it does not say whether the people living in each place were asked. Reading X (invented for this sheet): “The peace of 1919 to 1923 was built on punishment. The Allies broke up empires and imposed terms on the defeated, and the resentment it caused helped bring a second war.” Reading Y (invented for this sheet): “The peace was built on weak ground, not harshness. Four empires had already collapsed, new states had to be drawn on a crowded map, and the victors could not agree how to enforce what they signed.”
Jun wants evidence that separates X from Y. Which would help most?
- Evidence of the dates on which the treaties were signed, since both readings use those dates
- Evidence that the Nazis promised to revise Versailles, since reading X alone depends on resentment
- Evidence of whether the victors disagreed about enforcing the terms
- Evidence that a second war followed, since both readings need it to be true before they can be tested
Which fact in card A best supports X, the reading that the peace was built on punishment and resentment, Kira?
- The Republic of Austria being made, since a small state was left weak to punish the empire
- Promises to revise Versailles gave radical right-wing parties, including the Nazis, credibility
- Sèvres being followed by a Turkish War of Independence, which supports Y's weak-ground reading as well
- Four empires ceasing to exist, since the Allies broke them up to punish the defeated
Use this
Cause and effect chain “A new map of Europe, 1914 to 1923”. Long-term cause 1: Four empires end: the German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman. Long-term cause 2: Wilson's promise of self-determination for peoples. Long-term cause 3: The Allies' wish to punish the defeated powers. Arrows from every long-term cause lead to the trigger. Trigger: 1919 to 1920: the peace treaties are signed in and near Paris. Arrows from the trigger lead to the effects. Effect 1: Saint-Germain (September 10, 1919) creates the Republic of Austria; new states include Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Effect 2: Trianon (June 4, 1920): Hungary gives Transylvania to Romania. Effect 3: Sèvres (August 10, 1920) for the Ottoman Empire is followed by a Turkish War of Independence and the Treaty of Lausanne (1923). Effect 4: German East Africa is divided: Britain takes Tanganyika, and Belgium takes Rwanda and Burundi, as League mandates. Card C (today): “The Armenian Genocide (1915–16)”. Who made it: historians at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, with Encyclopaedia Britannica for comparison. For whom: readers of online encyclopedias. Why: to explain the Armenian genocide. Summary in our words, not a quotation: About 1.5 million Armenians lived in the Ottoman Empire in 1915. The genocide took place between spring 1915 and autumn 1916, and the museum says at least 664,000 and possibly as many as 1.2 million lost their lives. Britannica gives 600,000 to more than 1,000,000. Some scholars date the destruction more widely, from 1908 to 1923. Context (what else was happening): The genocide happened during the war, before the peace treaties. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): Counts are estimates, and sources differ on the numbers and the dates.
A student says “Exactly 1.2 million Armenians lost their lives.” Noah tests the claim against card C. What is the best reply?
- Wrong: Britannica gives 600,000, so the museum's number must be wrong
- Right: the museum gives 1.2 million, so that is the exact toll of the genocide
- 1.2 million is the top of a range that begins at 664,000
- Wrong: the sources disagree, so no number can be given for the genocide
Use this
Cause and effect chain “A new map of Europe, 1914 to 1923”. Long-term cause 1: Four empires end: the German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman. Long-term cause 2: Wilson's promise of self-determination for peoples. Long-term cause 3: The Allies' wish to punish the defeated powers. Arrows from every long-term cause lead to the trigger. Trigger: 1919 to 1920: the peace treaties are signed in and near Paris. Arrows from the trigger lead to the effects. Effect 1: Saint-Germain (September 10, 1919) creates the Republic of Austria; new states include Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Effect 2: Trianon (June 4, 1920): Hungary gives Transylvania to Romania. Effect 3: Sèvres (August 10, 1920) for the Ottoman Empire is followed by a Turkish War of Independence and the Treaty of Lausanne (1923). Effect 4: German East Africa is divided: Britain takes Tanganyika, and Belgium takes Rwanda and Burundi, as League mandates. Reading X (invented for this sheet): “The peace of 1919 to 1923 was built on punishment. The Allies broke up empires and imposed terms on the defeated, and the resentment it caused helped bring a second war.” Reading Y (invented for this sheet): “The peace was built on weak ground, not harshness. Four empires had already collapsed, new states had to be drawn on a crowded map, and the victors could not agree how to enforce what they signed.”
A student says “The war guilt clause caused the second war.” Pia tests it against the cards. What is the best reply?
- Right: card D says the settlement played an important role in the rise of Nazism, so it caused the war
- Wrong: Y says the peace was built on weak ground, so the guilt clause had no part in the war
- Card D names an important role, not the sole cause; X and Y differ on its size
- Right: X says the peace was built on punishment, and the guilt clause was the main punishment in it
Use this
Cause and effect chain “A new map of Europe, 1914 to 1923”. Long-term cause 1: Four empires end: the German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman. Long-term cause 2: Wilson's promise of self-determination for peoples. Long-term cause 3: The Allies' wish to punish the defeated powers. Arrows from every long-term cause lead to the trigger. Trigger: 1919 to 1920: the peace treaties are signed in and near Paris. Arrows from the trigger lead to the effects. Effect 1: Saint-Germain (September 10, 1919) creates the Republic of Austria; new states include Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Effect 2: Trianon (June 4, 1920): Hungary gives Transylvania to Romania. Effect 3: Sèvres (August 10, 1920) for the Ottoman Empire is followed by a Turkish War of Independence and the Treaty of Lausanne (1923). Effect 4: German East Africa is divided: Britain takes Tanganyika, and Belgium takes Rwanda and Burundi, as League mandates. Card A (today): “World War I: Treaties and Reparations”. Who made it: historians at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. For whom: readers of an online encyclopedia. Why: to describe what the treaties did to the map. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman empires ceased to exist; Russia's revolutions of 1917 had already ended its empire. Saint-Germain made the Republic of Austria, and Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes appeared as successor states. At Trianon, Hungary ceded Transylvania to Romania. Sèvres was followed by a Turkish War of Independence and then Lausanne in 1923. Promises to revise Versailles gave radical right-wing parties, including the Nazis, credibility. Context (what else was happening): Written today, with the history of the 1930s known. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It lists changes; it does not say whether the people living in each place were asked.
Sèvres was followed by a Turkish War of Independence and then Lausanne in 1923, while Saint-Germain and Trianon stood. What does that suggest, Ren?
- The Ottoman terms were harsher than the others, since that treaty alone had to be replaced
- A treaty imposed on a defeated state could be resisted and replaced
- Lausanne replaced Trianon, since both treaties concern the lands of former empires in 1920 to 1923
- The war of independence alone ended Sèvres, since war is the one way to replace a treaty
Use this
Cause and effect chain “A new map of Europe, 1914 to 1923”. Long-term cause 1: Four empires end: the German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman. Long-term cause 2: Wilson's promise of self-determination for peoples. Long-term cause 3: The Allies' wish to punish the defeated powers. Arrows from every long-term cause lead to the trigger. Trigger: 1919 to 1920: the peace treaties are signed in and near Paris. Arrows from the trigger lead to the effects. Effect 1: Saint-Germain (September 10, 1919) creates the Republic of Austria; new states include Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Effect 2: Trianon (June 4, 1920): Hungary gives Transylvania to Romania. Effect 3: Sèvres (August 10, 1920) for the Ottoman Empire is followed by a Turkish War of Independence and the Treaty of Lausanne (1923). Effect 4: German East Africa is divided: Britain takes Tanganyika, and Belgium takes Rwanda and Burundi, as League mandates. Card C (today): “The Armenian Genocide (1915–16)”. Who made it: historians at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, with Encyclopaedia Britannica for comparison. For whom: readers of online encyclopedias. Why: to explain the Armenian genocide. Summary in our words, not a quotation: About 1.5 million Armenians lived in the Ottoman Empire in 1915. The genocide took place between spring 1915 and autumn 1916, and the museum says at least 664,000 and possibly as many as 1.2 million lost their lives. Britannica gives 600,000 to more than 1,000,000. Some scholars date the destruction more widely, from 1908 to 1923. Context (what else was happening): The genocide happened during the war, before the peace treaties. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): Counts are estimates, and sources differ on the numbers and the dates.
The museum gives at least 664,000 to 1.2 million; Britannica gives 600,000 to more than 1,000,000. Why can both be true, Tala?
- The numbers are low, since the dating in card C stops in 1916 and ignores later years
- Both give overlapping ranges because the counts are uncertain
- One of the two is wrong, since a count of lives lost has to be a single number
- They measure different groups, since a museum counts the whole population and an encyclopedia counts some
Use this
Cause and effect chain “A new map of Europe, 1914 to 1923”. Long-term cause 1: Four empires end: the German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman. Long-term cause 2: Wilson's promise of self-determination for peoples. Long-term cause 3: The Allies' wish to punish the defeated powers. Arrows from every long-term cause lead to the trigger. Trigger: 1919 to 1920: the peace treaties are signed in and near Paris. Arrows from the trigger lead to the effects. Effect 1: Saint-Germain (September 10, 1919) creates the Republic of Austria; new states include Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Effect 2: Trianon (June 4, 1920): Hungary gives Transylvania to Romania. Effect 3: Sèvres (August 10, 1920) for the Ottoman Empire is followed by a Turkish War of Independence and the Treaty of Lausanne (1923). Effect 4: German East Africa is divided: Britain takes Tanganyika, and Belgium takes Rwanda and Burundi, as League mandates. Card A (today): “World War I: Treaties and Reparations”. Who made it: historians at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. For whom: readers of an online encyclopedia. Why: to describe what the treaties did to the map. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman empires ceased to exist; Russia's revolutions of 1917 had already ended its empire. Saint-Germain made the Republic of Austria, and Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes appeared as successor states. At Trianon, Hungary ceded Transylvania to Romania. Sèvres was followed by a Turkish War of Independence and then Lausanne in 1923. Promises to revise Versailles gave radical right-wing parties, including the Nazis, credibility. Context (what else was happening): Written today, with the history of the 1930s known. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It lists changes; it does not say whether the people living in each place were asked.
Card A says promises to revise Versailles gave radical right-wing parties credibility. What does the word “credibility” show, Zee?
- Nothing about support, since credibility is a feeling and cannot be measured in history
- That revision promises came before the parties, since the treaty was signed in 1919
- That the treaty created these parties, since a promise to revise it needed a treaty to exist
- That revision promises helped these parties gain support, not that the treaty created them