World Wars

Poland became a center of great-power distrust before the Cold War. For exams connect Yalta with Eastern Europe.

The aim of the UN was to maintain international peace and security. For exams remember both aims and limits of the institution.

The Bretton Woods system was linked with post-war economic reconstruction and stability. For exams count economic institutions as results too.

These institutions became part of the post-war economic order. For exams do not ignore economic results of war.

In the post-war order open trade was seen as a tool of stability. For exams connect economic cooperation with peace order.

Coal and steel were bases of war industry so shared control was a peace effort. For exams connect roots of European integration with war experience.

After the Holocaust and other atrocities preventing genocide became a global concern. For exams study law and human rights together.

The World Wars created mass displacement. For exams study the refugee question as a human consequence.

Memorials and museums help understand social memory. For exams understand the link between memory history and sources.

The World Wars were multi-causal and global events. For exams connect diplomacy economy geography ideology and human impact together.

The assassination started the crisis but long-term tensions already existed. For exams write immediate and long-term causes separately.

Alliances can provide security and also widen a crisis. For exams understand alliances as a double-edged system.

Rapid military preparation pressured leaders to decide quickly. For exams understand the relation between military planning and diplomacy.

The attack on Belgium became a key basis for British entry. For exams connect the position of small states with power politics.

Machine guns and artillery made open attacks very costly. For exams remember the imbalance between technology and tactics.

Both strategies targeted economy and logistics beyond soldiers. For exams treat war also as a struggle over resources.

The sinking of the Lusitania and Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare raised concerns about the safety of American citizens and neutral maritime rights. The Zimmermann Telegram proposed that Mexico join Germany against the United States, increasing fears about national security. Thus, US entry into the First World War resulted from multiple pressures, including maritime rights and security concerns. Explaining it as only an economic decision is incomplete. Exam tip: Link Lusitania with submarine warfare and the Zimmermann Telegram with a security threat.

Russia's exit relieved Germany but US entry changed the balance. For exams treat 1917 as a year of two major changes.

Wilson wanted open and just peace but many secret agreements already existed. For exams understand the difference between idealism and power politics.

The harsh terms of the treaty increased German resentment. For exams connect Versailles with the background of the Second World War.