Deck 25: The Beginning of the Twentieth-Century Crisis: War and Revolution

Question 1

Because of sexual discrimination and traditional conservative attitudes, women played little role in World War I.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

​The Battle of Gallipoli marked the demise of the Ottoman Empire in World War I.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The immediate cause of World War I was

A)an uprising of Catholic peasants in Bavaria.
B)the assassination of Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand in Sarajevo.
C)the German invasion of Poland.
D)the German naval blockage of Britain.
E)the French occupation of the Ruhr.

Answer 3

the assassination of Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand in Sarajevo.

Question 4

In World War I, the participating states gave industrialists and businessmen greater freedom and independence from government regulations under the assumption that laissez-faire capitalism would be more efficient and productive in achieving the hoped-for victory.

Question 5

The United States entered World War I in 1917 on the side of Britain and France after a German expeditionary force occupied several neutral islands in the Caribbean.

Question 6

The immediate impact of World War I in Asia was the dismantling of Germany's overseas possessions and their domination by other powers in the Pacific.

Question 7

The Schlieffen Plan was designed to prevent

A)America's entry into the war.
B)war.
C)a prolonged two-front war.
D)a war of attrition.
E)a European-wide war.

Question 8

Which of the following trends helped lead to the outbreak of the Great War?

A)The hopes of conservative leaders to crush internal democratic movements through war.
B)The adoption by European generals of new military policies.
C)The belief of European states that they had to uphold the power of their allies for their own internal security.
D)The downward spiral of European economies.
E)The dismantling of Europe's overseas empires.

Question 9

The leader who remarked, "In questions of honor and vital interests, you don't consult others" was

A)Emperor William II of Germany.
B)Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.
C)Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary.
D)General Paul von Hindenburg.
E)Queen Victoria of Great Britain.

Question 10

European diplomacy on the eve of World War I was based on a dangerous policy of brinkmanship.

Question 11

Most Europeans went to war in 1914 with considerable concern, fear, and trepidation.

Question 12

The Great War annihilated which of the following basic precepts on which Western civilization seemed to have been founded?

A)The belief in democracy.
B)The belief in progress.
C)The belief in equality.
D)The belief in the benevolence of the Christian God.
E)All of these are correct.

Question 13

Austria-Hungary, Italy, and Russia had much less success than Britain, France, and Germany in mobilizing their societies for total war.

Question 14

The rivalry between Russia and Austria-Hungary for domination of the new states in southeastern Europe played out largely through a conflict involving

A)Slovenia.
B)Bulgaria.
C)Greece.
D)Italy.
E)Serbia.

Question 15

German territorial losses in the Treaty of Versailles included Alsace and Lorraine and sections of Prussia.

Question 16

The "blank check" had the effect of

A)assuring Russia a sufficient supply of guns.
B)making the war vastly more expensive than it had to have been.
C)making it impossible for England to enter the war.
D)encouraging Austria to attack Serbia.
E)demonstrating Germany's desire for peace.

Question 17

Which pair of nations had not practiced conscription prior to World War I?

A)Germany and Austria-Hungary.
B)Great Britain and the United States.
C)France and Great Britain.
D)Italy and Germany.
E)Russia and France.

Question 18

In the Balkans crisis of the summer of 1914, the "blank check" refers to Germany's promise to support the Serbians against Russian aggression.

Question 19

The German High Command supported Lenin in his attempts to sow chaos in Russia in early 1917.

Question 20

Among nineteenth-century European political movements, the one most responsible for triggering World War I was

A)nationalism.
B)liberalism.
C)conservatism.
D)socialism.
E)modernism.

Question 21

As public morale and support for the war ebbed

A)workers' strikes became less frequent as they were brutally repressed.
B)the liberal French government under Clemenceau found it impossible to end internal dissent.
C)propaganda posters and weapons became less important.
D)police powers were expanded to include the arrest of all dissenters as traitors to the state.
E)politicians attempted to end the war short of total victory.

Question 22

On the eve of the outbreak of war in Europe in 1914, William II of Germany

A)was plotting the overthrow of Nicholas II in Russia.
B)was intentionally provoking the Russians to attack Austria and set off a world war.
C)attempted to engage Nicholas II in a diplomatic dialogue to possibly avoid war.
D)sent ultimatums to England and France that were so clumsy and insulting as to make war inevitable.
E)abdicated in favor of his son, the Crown Prince, and sought exile in Belgium.

Question 23

The most important consequence of the first year of World War I was

A)a deadly stalemate on the western front as a result of the failure of German war plans.
B)Italy's decision to switch sides to the German-Austrian alliance.
C)the collapse of German armies on the Russian front.
D)Serbia's rapid advance into Austria-Hungary.
E)the Ottoman Empire's decision to join the Triple Entente.

Question 24

The development of trench warfare in France was characterized by

A)quick advances and seizures of enemy trenches.
B)fewer casualties due to thick fortifications.
C)long periods of boredom broken by artillery barrages and frontal assaults by enemy troops.
D)high morale and assurance of victory among the troops, whose use of modern weapons reduced casualty rates.
E)fraternization between the opposing armies.

Question 25

The underlying motive that led Great Britain to declare war on Germany was

A)the German invasion of Belgium.
B)a desire to plunder on the continent.
C)the desire to maintain world power.
D)fear of German intentions in France.
E)anxiety concerning a possible German invasion of Britain.

Question 26

How many men died during the ten-month Battle of Verdun?

A)10,000
B)100,000
C)500,000
D)700,000
E)1 million

Question 27

Evidence that the Russians struggled to mobilize for total war can be found in the fact that they conscripted millions of men but could only arm

A)10 percent of them.
B)25 percent of them.
C)40 percent of them.
D)50 percent of them.
E)none of them; soldiers were required to bring their own weapons upon conscription.

Question 28

As soldiers on both sides realized that no one could gain an advantage in trench warfare

A)savage treatment of prisoners became commonplace.
B)the trenches were sterilized and sanitized and offered satisfactory accommodation.
C)daily life for the soldier became increasingly squalid and miserable in rat-infested trenches.
D)they were increasingly encouraged by their officers not to fight and to await a peace treaty ending the war.
E)most of the participants on all sides simply quit active fighting and the war bogged down into a stalemate.

Question 29

Economically, World War I

A)saw European governments adopt a "hands off" policy toward their economies.
B)saw European governments all take control of only war-related industries.
C)witnessed European governments gradually take full control of all aspects of their economies.
D)did little to affect the domestic industries of European nations.
E)brought considerable prosperity to all of the belligerent nations.

Question 30

Most Europeans believed that the Great War would

A)be much like the American Civil War in length.
B)be an exciting, emotional release from the otherwise dull and boring existence of mass society.
C)last for years and create a rousing state of perpetual heroics as proclaimed by Nietzsche in his writings on the "superman."
D)ultimately bring about the unification of Europe in one centralized and highly militarized government.
E)result in a new balance of power throughout all of Western civilization.

Question 31

The chief reason for the United States' entry into World War I was

A)the success of British propaganda.
B)German violations of the principles of neutrality and freedom of the seas.
C)the expulsion of the American consul from Berlin.
D)diplomatic chicanery on the part of the Austrians.
E)the threat by Mexico to invade the southwestern United States.

Question 32

The entry of the United States into World War I in April 1917

A)gave the nearly-defeated Allied Powers a psychological boost.
B)was greatly feared by the German naval staff.
C)was a response to Turkey's entrance into the war on the side of the Central Powers.
D)put an end to Germany's use of unlimited submarine warfare.
E)was an attempt to keep Russia in the war after the February Revolution.

Question 33

As early as July 28, 1914, European diplomats were becoming incapable of slowing a rush toward war mainly because

A)European kings, tsars, and emperors were too bent on war to heed their advice.
B)the complex, rigid, and demanding mobilization plans devised by European army generals made immediate military action essential.
C)ordinary people everywhere went to the polls and voted for immediate opening of the war on all fronts.
D)European industrialists, seeking to profit from mass destruction, induced the politicians they owned through bribery to push declarations of war through all European legislatures.
E)the slowness of communications in a pre-computer era.

Question 34

In August 1914, the general perception of the upcoming war among Europeans was that

A)it would be the dawn of a new socialist Europe.
B)the war would be very short, possibly only weeks in duration.
C)it would mark the end of European civilization.
D)its long-term nature would revive Europe's suffering economy.
E)it would be avoided at the last minute, once the diplomats finally met together.

Question 35

Poison gas was introduced in

A)the U.S.Civil War.
B)the Boer War.
C)the Spanish-American War.
D)1915.
E)the waning months of World War I.

Question 36

During 1914, in contrast to events in Western Europe, the war in the east

A)was marked by immobility.
B)was marked by mobility.
C)developed methodically and took months to get heated.
D)was marked by careful diplomacy.
E)involved smaller numbers of troops.

Question 37

The tank was introduced by to the battlefields of World War I by

A)the Germans.
B)the Americans.
C)the British.
D)the Russians.
E)the Italians.

Question 38

The famous All Quiet on the Western Front

A)celebrated the romance and grandeur of warfare.
B)was written from the perspective of a non-combatant.
C)was Lenin's manifesto demanding the withdrawal of Russia from World War I.
D)was an essay written on the occasion of the end of the war to commemorate war as a glorious and noble endeavor.
E)exposed the grim realities of trench warfare.

Question 39

In 1914, the Ottoman Empire joined the war on the side of

A)the United States.
B)Italy.
C)France.
D)Russia.
E)Germany.

Question 40

Which of the following powers seized German-held territories in the Pacific?

A)Japan.
B)Australia.
C)New Zealand.
D)All of these are correct.
E)None of these are correct.

Question 41

At the end of World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Empire

A)continued to hold Serbia and most of the Balkans.
B)got most of southern Russia.
C)was occupied by Germany.
D)merged with the Ottoman Empire.
E)broke apart into independent nation-states.

Question 42

In the aftermath of World War I, birthrates in Europe

A)slowly increased as soldiers returned from war.
B)skyrocketed, erasing the loss of the life caused by the war by 1930.
C)declined noticeably as a result of the death and maiming of a generation of young men.
D)remained constant, having been unaffected by the war.
E)None of these are correct.

Question 43

The ethnic group that suffered a million dead as victims of genocide during World War I were the

A)Serbians.
B)Russians.
C)Irish.
D)Turks.
E)Armenians.

Question 44

The Second Battle of the Marne was

A)the end of Germany's final, futile effort to win the war.
B)the decisive victory Germans had long sought.
C)a disaster for the French.
D)decided by the entry of Australia into the war.
E)ended in a stalemate, and thus the war continued.

Question 45

For Woodrow Wilson, the most important thing after the war was to

A)punish Germany by requiring economic sanctions.
B)assure acceptance of his Fourteen Points.
C)deepen America's isolationism from European affairs.
D)bring about the disintegration of the Soviet Union.
E)dismember the defeated German Empire back to its pre-1866 borders.

Question 46

The new state of Yugoslavia had as its nucleus

A)Latvia.
B)Lithuania.
C)Serbia.
D)Bosnia.
E)Austria.

Question 47

Which of the following statements best applies to Nicholas II's tsarist regime?

A)Rasputin, an alleged holy man, ran a very efficient government.
B)Alexandra, Nicholas' wife, kept him isolated from the reality of domestic disturbances.
C)It was patriotically supported by ordinary Russians throughout the war.
D)Many reforms were made to keep the peasants content.
E)Nicholas II was a brilliant and charismatic leader who was betrayed by his military advisors.

Question 48

V.I.Lenin

A)was a central figure in the establishment of a provisional government.
B)denounced the use of revolutionary violence in his "April Theses."
C)with strong middle-class support, led the formation of a new, democratic labor party.
D)remained in neutral Switzerland until the Armistice was signed.
E)as a leader of the Bolsheviks, promised "peace, land, and bread."

Question 49

Because of inflation, people experienced a loss of purchasing in all of the following countries EXCEPT

A)Germany.
B)France.
C)Russia.
D)Italy.
E)Britain.

Question 50

One socioeconomic group that clearly benefited from World War I was

A)civil servants who received more powers and job security.
B)large industrialists, especially owners of factories making weapons and munitions.
C)young adults who received better, more technical training.
D)petty criminals who won release in wartime to work in factories.
E)rural landholders who profited by producing additional foodstuffs for the troops.

Question 51

Internal opposition to the war in European nations came largely from

A)factory owners and businessmen ruined by wartime inflation.
B)liberals and socialists appalled by the scale of human slaughter.
C)government ministers terrified of losing complete control over armies and the civilian populations being fed into the military.
D)ethnic minorities and women convinced that they would lose newly won rights as the war progressed, leading to increased repressive government policies.
E)the lower classes who were drafted or conscripted into the armies and fought in the trenches.

Question 52

The chief motivation of Georges Clemenceau's terms of armistice was to

A)punish Germany and gain security for France.
B)help Germany become a democracy.
C)maintain a demilitarized Europe.
D)limit Britain's influence on the continent.
E)establish the League of Nations.

Question 53

Following the Bolshevik seizure of power in November 1917

A)Lenin accelerated the war effort against Germany.
B)Lenin returned the control of factories to their rightful owners.
C)Lenin ratified the redistribution of land which had already been seized by peasants.
D)Lenin successfully managed to reestablish the Duma under socialist control.
E)Lenin confiscated all the agricultural land in Russia, forcing the peasants into large collective farms.

Question 54

The collapse of Russia's tsarist regime in March 1917 was aided by all of the following except

A)the leadership of the Mensheviks in forming the new Provisional Government.
B)a general strike in Petrograd.
C)the wartime casualties due to incompetent military leadership and poor equipment.
D)strife in the ruling dynasty as evidenced by the influence of Rasputin, "the mad monk."
E)the incompetent political leadership of Nicholas II.

Question 55

As a result of World War I, Eastern Europe

A)experienced little or no real change.
B)fell subject to the new Russian communist state.
C)witnessed the emergence of many new nation-states.
D)quickly overtook western Europe economically.
E)sunk into widespread international anarchy and chaos.

Question 56

The Bolshevik takeover in November 1917 could best be described as

A)a nation-wide uprising by the peasants.
B)an armed takeover of the capital.
C)the successful machinations of foreign nations coming to fruition.
D)a fair win in a free election.
E)a nation-wide uprising in the cities.

Question 57

The 1918 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk between Russia and Germany resulted in Russia's loss of

A)Finland.
B)Poland.
C)Ukraine.
D)the Baltic provinces.
E)All of these are correct.

Question 58

The women workers of World War I played an important role in

A)serving as support troops behind the front line trenches.
B)gaining equal industrial wages with men by the end of the war.
C)achieving permanent job security in the once male-dominated workplace.
D)all work areas except the textile industry.
E)gaining women the right to vote immediately following the war.

Question 59

Lenin's "April Theses"

A)outlined a specifically Russian movement toward socialism without first going through a bourgeois revolution.
B)contained his proposals to continue Russian participation in World War I.
C)listed the conditions under which the Bolsheviks would accept a new republican form of government.
D)argued that revolution was an impractical means of establishing a new government for Russia.
E)appealed to Russian patriotism, ignoring social and economic class appeals.

Question 60

The Treaty of Versailles

A)absolved the Central Powers of full guilt in causing the war.
B)created Wilson's United Nations.
C)created a system by which the old Turkish Empire could be safely dismantled.
D)dismembered the Ottoman Empire.
E)forced Germany to acknowledge "war guilt" and to pay reparations for its alleged wartime aggression.

Question 61

Why did the nations of Europe go to war in 1914? What did they hope to gain from the conflict, and how did their goals change during the course of the war?

Question 62

In what ways did the ideologies of the nineteenth century fuel the antagonisms that led to the outbreak of World War I?

Question 63

What caused the Russian Revolution? How did Lenin and the Bolsheviks manage to seize and hold power despite their small numbers? How did the Bolsheviks secure their power during the civil war?

Question 64

Is it accurate to consider World War I as primarily a European civil war? Why or why not?

Question 65

Discuss the course of the first two years of World War I: Why did many people expect a short war? Why was it not a short war? Why did World War I become a "war of attrition"? Why did the warring nations, worn out by the end of 1916, not make peace?

Question 66

Can the Treaty of Versailles be viewed as a successful settlement of the war? Why or why not?

Question 67

What is meant by the concept of total war, and how applicable is that concept to World War I?

Question 68

How did wartime governments maintain public order and mobilize public opinion during the course of the war? Compare these actions with those taken by governments in nineteenth-century wars.

Question 69

Why can 1917 be viewed as the year that witnessed the decisive turning point of World War I?

Question 70

How did the Russian Revolution alter the dynamics of European statecraft and policy during the waning months of the war and into the time of the Paris Peace Conference?

Question 71

Were there any realistic alternatives to the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles, given the causes and the consequences of the war and its impact upon Western civilization?

Question 72

After World War I, the United States Senate voted to

A)forgive the war loans to England and France.
B)renounce the Versailles Treaty that Wilson had negotiated.
C)join and actively participate in the League of Nations.
D)embark on a program of conscription.
E)form a military alliance with England, France, and Russia.