Why Study World War I?
I chose World War I for my Digital Unit Plan because I feel it is one of the most important things that have ever happened historically. This war set the stage for every major war throughout the 20th century and the many conflicts that have happened so far this century. The ideas of nationalism, militarism, imperialism, and alliances forever changed Europe and introduced to the world a new type of war that spread across continents and resulted in millions of lives being lost. The aftermath of World War I was a devastated Germany and a nervous Europe and United States. The conditions in Europe as a result of this war directly led to World War II which in turn resulted in the Cold War and the numerous conflicts and proxy wars that came as a result. The Big Ideas discussed in my digital unit plan discuss ideas such as blind allegiance and the risks of complicated alliance systems. The idea of nationalism created an "Us vs Them" mentality throughout the world. The climate in Europe just before the first World War was intense, dangerous, and fragile. It took something very small in perspective to launch a world war. This is because of the ideas listed above. Nearly every armed conflict and war of the last 100 years is a direct result of the conditions that led to World War I. Those conditions set the stage for how countries interacted and fought with each other.