World War One

Short Answer Questions

Question 1

Define nationalism. State the difference between nationalism and aggressive nationalism.

Answer

Nationalism refers to the sense of unity felt by the people, who share a common history,
language and culture. This feeling of unity soon turned into extreme pride, which made the
people of many countries believe that their country is superior to the other countries. This led to
the development of aggressive nationalism in Europe. Therefore, aggressive nationalism meant
love for one’s own country and hatred of other countries.

Question 2

State two features of Imperialism.

Answer

Two features of Imperialism are-

1. 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 gaining
political and economic control. Once conquered, this country was claimed as a colony.
2. These colonies were governed and administered by the imperial nation through its
representatives or a puppet government.

Question 3

What was the cause of Franco-German rivalry?

Answer

Germany defeated France and annexed the French territory of Alsace-Lorraine. The war and the
subsequent annexation caused widespread resentment and a strong desire for revenge in France.
This was the cause of Franco-German rivalry.

Question 4

How did the Sarajevo Crisis in 1914 lead to the First World War?
Answer

Sarajevo Crisis, the immediate cause of the war was the murder of Archduke Francis Ferdinand,
the heir to the Austrian throne, on June 28, 1914 by a Serbian at Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia.
Austria served 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. Russia started preparation for war to support
Serbia. On August 1, 1914 Germany declared war on Russia and on August 3, war was declared
on France. German troops marched into Belgium to press on to France on August 4 and on the
same day Britain declared war on Germany. Thus, the First World War began.

Question 5

Which country was blamed for the assassination of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand? Which
country declared war on Serbia? Name two countries which supported Austria.

Answer

Serbia was blamed for the assassination of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand. Austria declared war
on Serbia. Two countries which supported Austria were Germany and Turkey.

Question 6

Why did Britain declare war on Germany in 1914?

Answer

Great Britain declared war on Germany on 4th August, when the German army invaded Belgium
whose neutrality had been guaranteed by England.

Question 7

Name the five major powers who got involved in the hostilities in 1914.

Answer

The five major powers that got involved in the hostilities in 1914 were Austria, Germany,
Russia, France and Britain.

Question 8

Why is the war fought between 1914 and 1918 called the First World War?

Answer
The war fought between 1914 and 1918 is called the First World War because of the following
reasons-

1. The War was fought on the land and in the air, on the sea and under it. In the War were
mobilised all methods of destruction, such as tanks, submarines, gunfire and
bombardments.
2. The War began in Europe, but very soon it spread to continents of Asia and Africa as
well.

Question 9

Which country withdrew from the First World War and why?

Answer

Russia withdrew from the First World War after the October Revolution. The Russian Empire
had suffered serious reverses in the War. Over 600,000 Russian soldiers were killed. The day
after the Bolshevik Government came to power under the leadership of Lenin, it issued the
Decree on Peace with proposals to end the War without any annexations and indemnities.

Question 10

Explain briefly the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer

The victorious powers or the Allies, met in a conference first in Versailles, a suburb of Paris, and
later in Paris, between January and June 1919.

As a result of the discussions at the Paris Conference, on June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles
was signed. It ended the War. The basis of the treaty's negotiations was the American President
Wilson's Fourteen Points. The treaty was designed to prevent Germany from going to war again.

Question 11

Name the country which emerged as a world power after the War. What happened to the
Austrian Empire after the First World War?

Answer

The United States of America emerged as a world power after the War.

After the First World War, the ruling dynasty of Hapsburg in Austria-Hungary was destroyed
and Austria and Hungary became separate independent states.

Question 12
What was the effect of the First World War on the colonial possessions of industrialised
countries?

Answer

France got back Alsace-Lorraine which she had lost in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871).
France was given full ownership of the rich coal mines in the Saar basin for a period of 15 years.
The fate of Schleswig was determined by a plebiscite. Germany had to surrender the areas of
Eupen and Malmedy to Belgium. The city of Memel went to Lithuiana. The newly created State
of Poland got back all the territories she had lost in the War.

Besides territorial losses in Europe, Germany lost all her colonies and overseas possessions.
Togoland and the Cameroon were partitioned between Britain and France and German East
Africa was shared between Britain and Belgium. Palestine and Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq)
were also held by Britain under a Mandate from the League of Nations.

Question 13

How was Denmark affected by the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer

According to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, Schelswig-Hostein was restored to Denmark.

Question 14

When and why was the League of Nations formed?

Answer

The League of Nations was created as a world organisation of all independent States in 1920.

The horrors of War convinced the leaders of the world that there must be a mechanism to prevent
war and promote international cooperation. This culminated in the setting up of the League of
Nations.

Question 15

Name the two major countries which were not allowed to become the members of the League of
Nations.

Answer

The two major countries which were not allowed to become the members of the League of
Nations were Germany and the Soviet Union.