Deck 21: Things Blow Up: World War I and the Russian Revolution, 1910-1922

Question 1

What was the Order of the White Feather?

A) a British group that shamed young men who had not enlisted
B) a French group that buried those who had died in battle
C) a Russian group of women who fought in World War I
D) a German anti-Semitic group
E) an international women's trade union

Answer 1

a British group that shamed young men who had not enlisted

Question 2

What was a result of the development of trench warfare?

A) the need for generals to rely on strategy rather than brute force
B) limited fatalities but increased numbers of wounded and captured
C) the elevation of the idea that war was a heroic, noble pursuit
D) the modernization of traditional military tactics
E) a war of very little territorial gain

Answer 2

a war of very little territorial gain

Question 3

What was one result of the battle of Tannenberg, the first battle of World War I in which Russia directly confronted Germany?

A) The Russian army massacred German forces.
B) Germany lost significant territory along its eastern border.
C) The Allies split their forces in order to come to the aid of the Russians.
D) Italy entered the war.
E) The Germans relieved pressure on the Western Allies in Belgium and France.

Answer 3

The Germans relieved pressure on the Western Allies in Belgium and France.

Question 4

What prompted Britain to enter World War I?

A) the Austrian attack on Belgrade
B) the German invasion of Belgium
C) the Serbian mobilization
D) the Russian demand that Britain fulfill its treaty agreement
E) the assassination of Jean Jaurès

Question 5

How did the war change as time went on?

A) The Allies abandoned Belgium to the Germans and retreated into France.
B) More nations joined the war and the geographical range of fighting expanded.
C) Italy finally entered the war on the side of the Central Powers.
D) Austria-Hungary abandoned Germany and surrendered to the Allies.
E) The geographical range of fighting shrank to two tight concentrations of forces on the eastern and western fronts.

Question 6

How did German soldiers react to Belgian resistance of the German invasion?

A) They fired upon coastal cities with Dreadnought battleships.
B) They began fortifying front lines with trenches.
C) They retreated and made a new advance through Luxembourg.
D) They slaughtered thousands of hostages and committed atrocities against civilians.
E) They commenced a campaign relying on massive aerial bombardment.

Question 7

Leaders of the major nations involved based their military planning on the assumption that

A) a willingness to engage in brutality would be necessary.
B) victory would entail large-scale casualties and likely take years.
C) the war would move very quickly and be decided by a few key battles.
D) military technology would play a decisive role in victory.
E) trench warfare would require a new style of fighting.

Question 8

What motivated the Black Hand to resist Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia-Herzegovina?

A) their opposition to strict censorship laws and bans on political organizations
B) their desire to unite all southern Slav territories into a single nation
C) their resentment over brutal treatment of Slav civilians
D) their religious and cultural differences
E) their wish to establish Western democratic practices

Question 9

What three nations made up the Triple Alliance?

A) Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece
B) Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy
C) Germany, Turkey, and Belgium
D) Italy, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey
E) Albania, Serbia, and Montenegro

Question 10

How did the German and Allied generals hope to break free from trench warfare?

A) relying on surveillance and espionage
B) abandoning traditional infantry attacks
C) diminishing the barrier to the trenches
D) abandoning the use of explosive shells
E) increasing their reliance on horses in battle

Question 11

Which of the following statements accurately describes historians' assessment of the effects of World War I?

A) The war stoked a sense of French invincibility.
B) The war caused a sharp rise in resentment toward technology.
C) The war was a boon for British national identity and shattered German national unity.
D) The war was felt as a brutal trauma by nations throughout Europe and the world.
E) The war prompted a European return to nineteenth-century social values.

Question 12

Which occurred within the major European powers in the years immediately preceding the outbreak of World War I?

A) strict censorship of antiwar writing and speeches
B) the demobilization of reserve forces
C) violent conflicts between peace activists and police
D) flurried diplomatic efforts to resolve differences peacefully
E) a massive increase in military arms production

Question 13

Which of the following statements about the public response to the outbreak of World War I is accurate?

A) Popular reactions to the war varied considerably, including excitement and dread.
B) Fervor for the war was most often long-lived and included entire populations.
C) The public was largely indifferent to the outbreak of war because all major powers had already fought one another in the last hundred years.
D) Armies in countries such as Great Britain struggled greatly to recruit soldiers.
E) Of all political groups, socialists were the most in favor of the war.

Question 14

Which characterizes the assassination of Franz Ferdinand?

A) a complex plan expertly executed by members of the secret police
B) the act of a lone gunman with no political motives
C) a poorly planned and badly executed terrorist attack
D) a French move to goad Germany into war
E) part of a political coup d'état

Question 15

What prompted the creation of the Franco-British-Russian Triple Entente?

A) close family relations between the nation's rulers
B) shared economic interests
C) the assassination of Franz Ferdinand
D) a shared concern over Germany's ambitions
E) a shared eagerness to create and carry out the Schlieffen Plan together

Question 16

What action did the leaders of Austria-Hungary take immediately in response to the assassination of Franz Ferdinand?

A) They fired on the Serbian capital of Belgrade.
B) They organized a similar assassination in retaliation.
C) They requested British mediation.
D) They signed a treaty with Germany.
E) They demanded that Serbia repress anti-Austrian activity.

Question 17

Why did trench warfare develop on the western front?

A) It was a key component of the Schlieffen Plan.
B) The Allied forces could not effectively challenge German war technology.
C) The German and Allied forces began to face a stalemate.
D) Neither Allies nor Germans were willing to incur high casualties.
E) It was the most effective defense against poison gas attacks.

Question 18

What effect did World War I have on the economies of the nations involved?

A) Governments reaffirmed their commitments to the gold standard.
B) Increases in war spending resulted in shortages of consumer goods.
C) Governments increasingly relied on private corporations to keep their economies running.
D) War spending resulting in economic booms.
E) Inflation rates stayed near zero.

Question 19

How did European leaders on all sides characterize World War I when justifying it to their people?

A) They said it was a war for civilization in defense of peace.
B) They took it as an opportunity for significant territorial gains.
C) They claimed it was a means toward cleansing society of corrupt tendencies.
D) They said it was a battle between good and evil.
E) They considered it a stage for personal valor and national glory.

Question 20

What is a way that World War I changed women's lives?

A) A large number of women took jobs in munitions factories.
B) Allied governments gave women the right to vote at the outbreak of the war.
C) In Germany, female soldiers saw active service.
D) In Russia, all professions were open to women except the military.
E) Women abandoned conventional female jobs such as nursing.

Question 21

What explains the easy success of the Bolsheviks in the October Revolution?

A) the support of the successful provisional government
B) a power vacuum following the tsar's abdication
C) broad Bolshevik support throughout the Russian Empire
D) an alliance with the Russian Orthodox church
E) military superiority

Question 22

Which political orientation characterized the Bolshevik Party at the time of the Bolshevik Revolution?

A) a left-wing coalition of nobility and leading industrialists
B) pacifist utopians deeply committed to nonviolent revolution
C) a quasi-anarchist socialist democracy
D) secretive revolutionaries, tightly organized around a strong leader
E) a decentralized alliance of affiliated trade unions

Question 23

What was the significance of the sinking of the Lusitania?

A) Britain developed submarines as a result of the attack.
B) It was the debut of the German U-boats.
C) For the first time, Germany targeted a merchant vessel.
D) It brought the United States closer to entering the war.
E) It marked a shift in the balance of power between British and German naval forces.

Question 24

Who was responsible for the Armenian genocide in response to an Armenian nationalist movement?

A) Ottoman Empire
B) Germany
C) Austria-Hungary
D) Russia
E) Palestine

Question 25

How did the state of battlefield medical care affect soldiers during World War I?

A) Vaccinations dramatically reduced deaths that were due to disease.
B) Battlefield psychologists helped prevent widespread incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder.
C) Antibiotic shots eliminated amputations due to trench foot.
D) Failure to develop effective antiseptics meant that serious wounds were a near-certain death sentence.
E) The absence of anesthesia supplies required surgeons to operate on patients who were fully awake.

Question 26

Which of the following statements is true of opposition to the war early in the war years?

A) Legislation limiting freedom of speech suppressed all antiwar expression.
B) Public opposition to the war occurred only in Allied nations.
C) In Britain, overwhelming antiwar activity nearly led the country to withdraw.
D) The British government imprisoned conscientious objectors, such as Quakers.
E) Antiwar activity was limited and had little effect on public opinion overall.

Question 27

At what point did the German army begin attacking all vessels-both neutral and enemy-carrying food and war materiel?

A) at the start of the battle of the Somme in the summer of 1916
B) after America entered the war in April 1917
C) when Italy entered the war on the side of the Allies in 1915
D) following the first use of Allied tanks in 1918
E) during the turnip winter of 1916-1917

Question 28

What type of government did the Bolsheviks establish in 1917-1918?

A) communist dictatorship
B) socialist republic
C) parliamentary monarchy
D) direct democracy
E) totalitarian theocracy

Question 29

What brought an end to the Russian monarchy?

A) nationalization of great landed estates by Bolsheviks
B) a coup d'état led by the holy man Grigori Rasputin
C) mass strikes and protests in which the army joined insurgents
D) a disastrous defeat of Russian army by Austria-Hungary
E) Lenin's return to Russia from Swiss exile

Question 30

What combatant was the first to end its participation in World War I?

A) Germany
B) Russia
C) Italy
D) Austria-Hungary
E) Ottoman Empire

Question 31

What role did military technology play in World War I?

A) Poison gas became a highly effective means of gaining the advantage in trench warfare.
B) Military technology remained pre-industrial throughout the war.
C) A number of new weapons were developed, but none of them could relieve the stalemate.
D) The British development of tanks put an end to the use of trench warfare.
E) The development of airplanes resulted in a significant increase in civilian deaths.

Question 32

What was the Gallipoli Campaign?

A) a brutal Austrian occupation of Serbia
B) a failed Russian assault on East Prussia
C) a German attempt to break the British naval blockade
D) an Allied and German stalemate in western Belgium
E) a failed British attack on Turkish troops

Question 33

What primarily motivated French soldiers to mutiny in 1917?

A) widespread post-traumatic stress disorder
B) widespread calls to end the war
C) an urge to overthrow the French state
D) disgust at ineffective leadership
E) a desire to begin a communist revolution

Question 34

How did British generals react to the massive casualties incurred on the first day of the Big Push?

A) They dug a new line of trenches even closer to the German line.
B) They halted the attack and waited for American reinforcements.
C) They changed to a strategy based on aerial bombardment.
D) They continued the offensive with no change in strategy.
E) They began sending only enlisted men rather than officers "over the top."

Question 35

What did the British and Allies incorrectly assume, leading to their plan for the Big Push?

A) Infantry and artillery attacks were no longer effective.
B) The use of tanks would constitute a significant advantage.
C) A massive number of men and explosives would make a breakthrough possible.
D) Using minimal explosives and manpower would surprise the Germans.
E) Germany's military strength had been greatly depleted by the British blockade.

Question 36

How did the Bolshevik Revolution affect the direction of World War I?

A) The revolution-invigorated Russian army achieved significant victory over Austria-Hungary.
B) The revolution inspired a similar communist revolution in France, resulting in France's pulling out of the war.
C) The Bolsheviks signed peace terms with Germany, ending the war on the eastern front.
D) The revolution inspired civil unrest in Britain, distracting the British army from the war effort.
E) German troops invaded Russia in response, harming their efforts on the western front.

Question 37

What was the result of the first use of British tanks in battle?

A) An arms race began, with Germans committing to developing tanks of their own.
B) The tanks' failure to function properly exacerbated soldiers' sense of despair.
C) The war on the western front at last moved beyond trench warfare.
D) Germans abandoned their trenches and breakthrough was finally achieved.
E) Allied morale soared and soldiers resumed trench warfare with renewed vigor.

Question 38

Why was the battle of Verdun significant?

A) It was the first battle involving American troops.
B) It represented a German shift to a war of attrition in an effort to sue for negotiated peace.
C) It had the fewest casualties of any World War I battle due to new offensive strategies.
D) It was the most intensive, successful Allied effort to achieve a breakthrough on the western front.
E) It marked the opening of the war on the Italian front.

Question 39

Who led the Bolshevik Revolution and was described by American journalist John Reed as "a leader purely by virtue of intellect: colorless, humorless, uncompromising, and detached"?

A) Kaiser Wilhem
B) Leon Trotsky
C) Tsar Nikolai
D) Rasputin
E) Lenin

Question 40

What occurred during the Easter Rising?

A) Irish nationalists attempted to achieve independence from Britain.
B) German munitions workers staged a one-day strike.
C) Enemy soldiers organized an informal holiday truce.
D) Russian Marxists launched a general strike in Petrograd.
E) Young Turks took over the Ottoman Empire.

Question 41

The American involvement in the war was a decisive boon for the Allies.

Question 42

Which of the following statements accurately describes Communist revolutions in other European nations following the Bolshevik takeover of Russia?

A) They were widespread and powerful, resulting in multiple civil wars.
B) They were successful only in France.
C) They were scattered and quickly ended by right-wing forces.
D) They were instigated by Russian agents.
E) They were nonexistent, despite the fears of Churchill and others.

Question 43

Russia allowed women to fight in active battle beside men.

Question 44

What change to society did the Bolsheviks oppose?

A) legalization of divorce and abortion
B) liberation of women from traditional gender roles
C) religious freedom for all churches and denominations
D) popularity of non-representational avant-garde art
E) equalization of social classes

Question 45

Why did Woodrow Wilson clash with French and British leaders at the Versailles Peace Conference?

A) The three nations could not agree on how to fairly share German reparation payments.
B) French and British populations resented the low toll the war had taken on the American population.
C) French and British sympathy with socialist ideals challenged American dedication to a capitalist economy.
D) French and British desire for revenge on Germany worked against America's ideal of peaceful international cooperation.
E) French and British leaders were opposed to Wilson's principle of self-determination.

Question 46

Which of the following was a factor in the failure of the German Spring Offensive in 1918?

A) Great Britain's anticipation of the attack
B) fuel shortages
C) the arrival of American troops
D) the cautious approach taken by German generals
E) bad weather

Question 47

What ultimately led to Germany's surrender?

A) a declaration of independence by Croat and Slovene nationalists
B) civil unrest and military mutiny
C) the achievement by Great Britain of a long-sought breakthrough
D) the lack of involvement by workers' unions and the Social Democratic Party
E) Austria-Hungary's suing for peace

Question 48

What were the Fourteen Points?

A) constitutional changes in Germany that stripped power from the kaiser
B) a Bolshevik plan for organizing the economy
C) the terms of German surrender
D) an American plan for creating a new European order
E) the organizational principles of the Comintern

Question 49

World War I marked the first time in European history in which entire societies were mobilized for war.

Question 50

A "war of attrition" mentality led British General Haig to view high casualty rates for his own troops as a sign of progress.

Question 51

Some modernists viewed war as a means of purifying a decadent society.

Question 52

Repressive treatment of native ethnic groups by both Austria-Hungary and the Ottomans had weakened both empires by 1900.

Question 53

Before the start of World War I, war was seen as natural and inevitable by most people.

Question 54

German tactical doctrine called for "absolute destruction" of civilian populations.

Question 55

The two sides in the Russian Civil War were the Red Army, ________, and the White Army, ________.

A) led by Bolsheviks; composed of various anti-Bolshevik forces
B) led by Lenin; led by Trotsky
C) aided by the Allies; commanded by former tsarist officers
D) backed by the Russian Orthodox Church; backed by the landed gentry
E) led by the Kadet Party; led by the Bolshevik Party

Question 56

Chemical weapons had not yet been prohibited when they were used by Germany and Britain in World War I.

Question 57

How did conservative military forces in Germany respond to the loss of World War I?

A) They publicly blamed socialists, liberals, and Jews.
B) They led a military coup d'état that put Hitler in power.
C) They rejected membership in the League of Nations.
D) They publicly executed creators of the Schlieffen Plan.
E) They purged pro-war elements from positions of power.

Question 58

What was the significance of the Kronstadt Mutiny?

A) It suggested that the Russian Orthodox Church retained considerable power.
B) It indicated that ethnic rivalries within USSR would be problematic.
C) It proved that Soviet workers were incapable of organizing effective resistance.
D) It represented the end of Soviet promises of equality for women.
E) It made it clear that Bolsheviks' main concern was preserving their own power.

Question 59

Which of the following groups did the Allies exclude from the principle of self-determination?

A) Polish
B) Slavs
C) non-Europeans
D) Italians
E) Romanians

Question 60

The Bolshevik Revolution was the world's first successful communist revolution.

Question 61

Why did the generals and combatants become increasingly desperate as time went on? Give examples of shifts in the approach taken by both British and German generals.What finally brought the war to its end?

Question 62

Most historians consider the Versailles Peace Conference to have been one of the most successful peace conferences in history.

Question 63

What new weapons were used by which nations during the course of World War I? To what extent did they significantly change the way in which the war was fought? Why did they develop?

Question 64

How did the Bolsheviks come to power?

Question 65

War communism-which was adopted by the Bolsheviks in the face of the Russian Civil War-made industry and the economy far less centralized.

Question 66

What did communism promise? To what extent did Bolshevik-Party Russian communism live up to these ideals?

Question 67

What principle guided the peace settlements established at the Versailles Peace Conference? How did this principle, and the resulting treaties, sow the seeds of future conflicts?

Question 68

Who coined the phrase the war to end all wars? What hopes and fears did it capture?

Question 69

Who was Franz Ferdinand? What motivated his assassination? How did his death lead to the outbreak of World War I?

Question 70

The Comintern was an international group of Communist Parties that had formed in response to the Bolsheviks' rise to power.

Question 71

In what ways was World War I a total war? What actions did governments take to mobilize their economies and societies? How did civilians participate in the war effort?

Question 72

What characterized trench warfare? Why did it develop? Why did it lead to such high casualties?

Question 73

The principle of national self-determination resulted in peaceful transitions to a new group of politically stable small nations.

Question 74

Allied troops fought on the side of the White Army in the Russian Civil War.

Question 75

What developments and conditions in Europe led nations to begin preparing for war in the early 1900s? What type of war did European leaders expect?