Introduction

The Great War finally came to an end as the guns fell silent on the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month of 1918, a day we now call Armistice Day. Of course, in reality, as you have learnt, the last shot fired was in fact on 23^rd November in North Africa. In this topic, we learn what brought World War I to an end and how world leaders tried to make sure that a conflict on this scale would never happen again. We also look at the impact that the Great War had on everyday life and society in the years that followed, and try to answer the question: ‘Was the Great War worth winning?’ Remember to read the content properly before attempting any activities.

Working through your coursebook

Study pages 50 to 51 and complete a mind map focusing on how the War affected everyday lives. Use the green subtitles to help you plan your note-taking effectively.
Pages 52 to 63 deal with how WW1 ended. Either complete the ‘Over to You’ sections across these pages or aim to take notes, as this unit is especially important if you are planning on taking IGCSE history. Take note of the cartoons and verbally discuss them with your observer too as you will be looking at cartoons in your assignment.
Study pages 60 to 63 to check your skills in source analysis. The weighting of marks will be different in your assignments but the same source structure applies.

Interactive Kerboodle Activities

Log into Kerboodle and complete these activities to further support and reinforce your learning.

This veteran explores more about the end of WW1:

WATCH - 2.9 Film Clip: Veteran (Kerboodle)

Complete this activity on the significance of Poppy Day:

COMPLETE - 2.9 History Skills: Cause and Consequence (Kerboodle)

This film clips gives an excellent breakdown of Versailles (and you will need this knowledge for future assignments!):

WATCH - 10A clip: Versailles | British Pathé (Kerboodle)

Extension activity for this topic

There are already a lot of activities to complete in this section. However, if you want an analysis challenge, have a go at the Interpretation analysis on page 57.
In the following video David Olusoga engages Yasmin Khan on the legacy of Soldiers of the Empire and combines some of our previous learning. This is a great podcast developing the concepts of interpretations and ‘white washing’ of history:

WATCH - Forgotten Soldiers of Empire (YouTube)

Optional resources

This is an excellent video about the Treaty of Versailles and its impact on Germany :

WATCH - Why The Treaty of Versailles Was Such A Shock For Germany? (YouTube)

These HA GCSE podcasts give you a good flavour of the kinds of analysis expected at GCSE and are also super interesting!

LISTEN - World War I Peace Treaties (Historical Association)