1

International Conflicts and Threats to Peace

in the 20th Century
Worksheet 1

Answer the following questions.

1

Which of the following statements about the causes of WWI are wrong? Put an X in the
appropriate boxes provided below.
(a) The First World War was the first international conflict in the 20th century.
(b) The Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente were formed in 1882 and 1907
respectively.
(c) Alsace-Lorraine belonged to Prussia initially.
(d) The alliance system was one of the causes of the First World War.
(e) The aim of the alliance system was to isolate Britain.
(f) The Triple Alliance consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy.
(g) Relations between Britain and Germany became very tense because of their
naval race.
(h) In the early 1910s, France had the most sizable army in Europe.

Study the following hints and find the related words from the table
Y

(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
3

The capital of France.

The Chancellor of Germany during 1871-90.
A place France gave to Germany after the Franco-Prussian War.
A new kind of battleship before the First World War.
Another place France gave to Germany after the Franco-Prussian War.
A state at war with France in 1870.
A country defeated by Prussia in 1871.
A place where the Prussian King was crowned German Emperor.

Answer the following questions according to the passage below.

I firmly believed our country could defeat our enemy at any time and prevent her from
getting Alsace-Lorraine back but the situation would change if she could find some
allies, so I had a new way to isolate her

(a) Which country does our country refer to?

________________________________________________________________________
(b) Which country does our enemy refer to? Explain your answer with reference to the
passage.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(c) What does the new way refer to? How successfully was this way?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(d) Who introduced this new way?
________________________________________________________________________

What was the cause of armaments race in Europe?

________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

Worksheet 2
Answer the following questions.
1

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions.

(a) When did the two Moroccan Crises break out?
A 1907 and 1911
B 1908 and 1910
C 1905 and 1911
D 1906 and 1910

(b) Relations between Austria-Hungary and Serbia deteriorated because of

A their territorial disputes over Bulgaria.
B their territorial disputes in the Balkans.
C their territorial disputes over Romania.
D their territorial disputes over Italy.

(c) What was the result of German expansion in Turkey?

A endangering British interests in the east Mediterranean
B endangering French interests in the east Mediterranean
C endangering Russian interests in the Balkans
D endangering French interests in north Africa

(d) Which of the following countries wanted to expand in the Balkans?

A Portugal
B France
C Poland
D Russia

(e) Relations between Italy and France worsened because of their conflict over the control of
A Serbia.
B Tunisia.
C Morocco.
D Bosnia.

Make a list of the causes of the First World War.

(a) ________________________________________________________________________
(b) ________________________________________________________________________
(c) ________________________________________________________________________
(d) ________________________________________________________________________

Which of the causes mentioned in Question 2 do you think was the most important one? Explain
your answer.
I think ___________________________________________________ was the most important
cause of WWI because _________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

Worksheet 3
Answer the following questions.
1

Which of the following statements about the causes of WWI are wrong? Put an X in the
appropriate boxes provided below.
(a) Austria-Hungary annexed Albania in 1908.
(b) Bulgaria invaded Serbia after the First Balkan War in 1912.
(c) The Sarajevo Incident led to the outbreak of the Bosnian Crisis in 1908.
(d) Turkey defeated Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Montenegro in the First Balkan
War in 1912.
(e) Britain declared war on Germany when the latter invaded Belgium.

The following questions are based on the passage below.

All the citizens of the capital city of Sarajevo find that their souls are filled with happiness,
and they most enthusiastically greet Your Highnesses most illustrious visit with the most
cordial of welcomes ...
The passage is excerpted from the reception speech of the mayor of Sarajevo on June 28, 1914.
(a) Whom do Your Highnesses in the passage refer to? Explain your answer.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(b) Which nation did Sarajevo belong to? When did that nation get the control of Sarajevo?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

(c) Did the reception speech accurately describe the attitudes of the citizens of Sarajevo
towards the nation in the above question? Explain your answer.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Study the pictures and answer the following questions.

(a) Write a suitable caption for each of the following pictures.

(i)

______________________

(ii)

______________________

(iii) _____________________________________

(b) Arrange the above events chronologically, beginning from the earliest.
________________________________________________________________________
(c) Which of the above events do you think was the most influential one?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Worksheet 4
Answer the following questions.
1

The following questions are based on the cartoon below.

Russia
Germany
AustriaHungary

Italy

Britain

France

Belgium

(a) Which incident does the sport in the picture refer to?
________________________________________________________________________
(b) Study the picture. Which nation did not participate in the sport in 1914? When did that
nation join the sport?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(c) The participants were divided into two groups. What do they represent?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2

Which of the following statements about the cause of WWI are wrong? Put an X in the
appropriate boxes provided below.
(a) The United States adopted the policy of neutrality and did not join the First
World War until 1917.
(b) Russia withdrew from the First World War after October Revolution.
8

(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
3

The First World War ended with the defeat of the Central Powers in 1918.
Germany, Bulgaria, Austria-Hungary and Russia belonged to the Central Powers.
Germany sent her submarines to attack the Allies.
Italy was a neutral country during the First World War.

The following questions are based on the posters below.

(a) Which policy does the poster on the left refer to? Which country introduced this policy?
What was the aim of this policy?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(b) Do you think this policy was successful? Explain your answer.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(c) What was the poster on the right about? What was the relationship between these two
posters?

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

The following questions are based on the picture below.

(a) Which event does the above picture refer to? When did this event take place?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(b) Which countries dominated the meeting shown in the picture above?
________________________________________________________________________
(c) Which country did those countries mentioned in question (b) want to punish at the meeting?
Why?
________________________________________________________________________
5

Label the nations which were founded after WWI.

10

11

Worksheet 5
Answer the following questions.
1

The following questions are based on the pictures below.

(a) Which incident do the above pictures refer to?

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(b) Why did the incident break out?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(c) What was the significance of the incident?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

12

The following questions are based on the pictures below.

(a) Which of the following persons was the first leader of the Soviet Russia?
________________________________________________________________________

13

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

(b) What policies did he introduce during his rule?

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(c) Which person became the leader of the Soviet Union after the death of Lenin in 1924?
________________________________________________________________________
(d) How did the person in the above question turn the Soviet Union into a modern country?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

14

Worksheet 6
Answer the following questions.
1

Which of the following statements about Fascism and Nazism are wrong? Put an X in the
appropriate boxes provided below.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)

Italy became a totalitarian state after 1870.

The Italian democratic government enjoyed wide support.
Italy was able to solve the problems caused by the Great Depression.
Mussolini set up the Fascist Party in 1919.
Hitler supported the Treaty of Versailles.
The Nazi Party was a communist party.
Hitler rose to power in 1933.

The following questions are based on the passage below.

He believed that the Treaty of Versailles should be abolished. He adopted an expansionist
policy in order to gain more Lebensraum He adopted the policy of genocide towards the
Jews when he came to power.

(a) Whom does the passage refer to? Explain your answer with reference to the passage.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(b) What is the meaning of the word Lebensraum? Why did the person in the passage
believed that his country needed more Lebensraum?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

15

The following questions are based on the passage below.

This government was formed in 1918. It represented Germany at the Paris Peace Conference.
It became very unpopular after signing a peace treaty at the conference many Germans
thought the treaty was unfair and harsh.

(a) What does This government refer to in the passage? Explain your answer with reference to
the passage.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(b) What does the treaty refer to in the passage? Why did many Germans believed this treaty
was unfair and harsh?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4

Fill in the following crosswords according to the hints given.

(a)

(b)
(c)

(d)
(e)

(f)

16

(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)

He sent his opponents to concentration camps.

He was the leader of the Fascist Party.
A form of totalitarianism in Germany.
This country became a totalitarian state in the 1920s.
The place where the Paris Peace Conference was held.
Kings of Germany.

Worksheet 7
Answer the following questions.
1

Some of the following statements are wrong? Put an X in the appropriate boxes provided
below.
(a) Japan became a totalitarian state in the 1930s.
(b) Japan began to adopt an expansionist policy towards China in the 1930s.
(c) The Great Depression (1929-33) started in Britain and spread to the United States.
(d) Britain and France were able to solve the problems caused by the First World War
successfully.

(f) There were many demonstrations in Europe during the Great Depression.

(g) France, Britain and the United States determined to stop the aggression of
Germany, Italy and Japan despite their economic difficulties.

(e) The United States became the world's largest creditor after the First World War.

The following questions are based on the picture on the right.

(a) When did the event in the picture happen?
_________________________________
(b) What were the causes of the event in the
picture?
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
17

_________________________________
_________________________________
(c) Why did the man in the picture have to sell his car? Do you think this phenomenon was
common at that time?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Worksheet 8
Answer the following questions.
1

Some of the following statements about the Second World War are wrong? Put an X in the
appropriate boxes provided below.
(a) The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, was the first person who
suggested the policy of appeasement.
(b) During 1921-34, the powers held four meetings to limit naval armaments.
(c) The United States never joined the League of Nations.
(d) Germany invaded Abyssinia in 1935.
(e) Germany annexed Austria and Czechoslovakia in 1938 and 1939 respectively.
(f) In 1931, Japan attacked Manchuria in northeast China.

The following questions are based on the passage below.

He believed that Germany was unfairly treated at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. He
thought that his country could not prevent Germany from conquering Czechoslovakia
wars could be avoided if he made concessions to Germany

(a) Whom does He refer to?

________________________________________________________________________
(b) Why did the person in the above question thought that his country could not protect
Czechoslovakia?
18

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

(c) What policy did he adopt towards Germany in the 1930s? Do you think his policy was
successful?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3

State the reasons for the failure of the League of Nations to keep peace.
(a) ________________________________________________________________________
(b) ________________________________________________________________________
(c) ________________________________________________________________________

19

Worksheet 9
Answer the following questions.
1

Some of the following statements about the Second World War are wrong? Put an X in the
appropriate boxes provided below.

(e) Decolonialization started after the Second World War.

(f) The United Nations replaced the League of Nations as the new international
peacekeeping organization in 1945.

(a) The Berlin-Rome-Tokyo Axis Pact was signed in 1937.

(b) France defeated Germany in forty days.
(c) Germany was divided into five occupation zones after the Second World War.
(d) Japan was occupied by Britain and the United States during 1945-52.

Arrange the following events chronologically, beginning from the earliest.

(a) (i) Germany occupied Austria
(ii) Italy attacked Abyssinia

(iii) Japan invaded Manchuria

(iv) Germany attacked Poland

________________________________________________________________________
(b) (i) Hitler's suicide
(ii) Atomic bombing of Nagasaki

(iii) End of Mussolini's Fascist rule

(iv) Japanese unconditional surrender

________________________________________________________________________
3

The following questions are based on the passage below.

The United States was shocked when Japan attacked her naval base in Hawaii. She had
adopted the policy of neutrality when the Second World War broke out in 1939. The U.S.
government changed its policy towards the war after this incident
(a) Which incident does the passage refer to? Explain your answer with reference to the
passage.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
20

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

(b) How did the United States respond to this incident?

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(c) Why did Japan attack the American naval base in Hawaii?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4

The following questions are based on the pictures below.

(i)

(ii)

(iv)

(iii)

21

(a) Arrange the events chronologically, beginning from the earliest.

_______________________________________________________________________
(b) Which incident do you think is the most influential? Explain your choice.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

22

Worksheet 10
Answer the following questions.
1

Some of the following statements about the Cold War are wrong? Put an X in the appropriate
boxes provided below.
(a) The Cold War was caused by strategic and ideological differences between the
capitalist bloc and the communist bloc.
(b) The capitalist bloc and the communist bloc were led by Britain and the Soviet
Union respectively.
(c) The capitalist bloc supported public ownership.
(d) The Berlin Blockade led to the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
in 1949.
(e) Mao Zedong proclaimed the birth of the People's Republic of China in 1950.

The following questions are based on the passage below.

NATO is an alliance of Western nations, formed in 1949 with twelve members. It was formed
to stop the expansion of the Soviet Union.
(a) What does the word NATO stand for?
________________________________________________________________________
(b) Which incident does the passage refer to?
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

23

Classify the following nations into different camps according to their political systems.
Nations
Britain
France
North Korea
Switzerland
West Germany
Canada
East Germany
Portugal
Spain
Italy
Australia

24

Worksheet 11
Answer the following questions.
1

Some of the following statements about the Cold War are wrong? Put an X in the appropriate
boxes provided below.
(a) General MacArthur led the North Korean Forces during the Korean War.
(b) President Kennedy of the United States supported the installation of missiles
in Cuba.
(c) Khrushchev was the leader of Cuba.
(d) North Vietnam and South Vietnam signed an armistice in 1975.
(e) Gorbachev was the last leader of the Soviet Union.
(f) The Cold War ended with the breakup of West Germany in 1990.

Write a suitable caption for each of the following

pictures.

(i)

_____________________________

(ii)

25

____________________________

(iii) ____________________________
(iv) ____________________________
The following questions are based on the passage below.
The United States discovered that the Soviet Union had built missile bases in Cuba. President
Kennedy of the United States ordered a naval blockade of Cuba. It was likely that a nuclear
war would break out between the two superpowers. The Soviet Union made concessions and
withdrew her missiles from Cuba
(a) Which incident does the passage refer to? When did the incident happen? Which countries
were involved in this incident?
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
(a) Why did President Kennedy order the blockade of Cuba?
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

Fill in the blanks with suitable words.

(a) Before 1954, Vietnam was a ___________________________ . In 1954, Vietnam became
independent. ____________________________________ broke out in 1965. The United
States failed to win the war. In 1973, President _________________ brought North and
South Vietnam to sign a __________________________________ agreement. Eventually,
North Vietnam defeated ___________________________________ in 1975 and Vietnam
became a unified country.
(b) In 1985, _____________________ became the leader of the Soviet Union. He carried out
_________________________ and gave up control of the _________________________
states in _________________________ . Eventually, the _________________________
ended with the breakup of the Soviet Union in ______________________ .

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Suggested Answers:

Worksheet 1
1
2

(c), (e), (h)

(a) PARIS
(b) BISMARCK
(c) VERSAILLES
(d) DREADNOUGHT

(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)

LORRAINE
ALSACE
FRANCE
PRUSSIA

(a) Germany.
(b) France. France was Germany's enemy because France was defeated by Prussia in the
Franco-Prussian War (1970-71). France was forced to cede Alsace-Lorraine to Germany
after the war.
(c) The alliance system. The alliance system isolated France during 1871-1904.
(d) Bismarck.
The armaments race started after the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71). Many European powers
were engaged in the armaments race because they thought that military might could ensure their
national security.

Worksheet 2
27

(a) C
(b) B
(c) A
(d) D
(e) B
(a) The Alliance System
(b) The Armaments Race
(c) Economic and Colonial Rivalries
(d) Extreme Nationalism
Free response.

Worksheet 3
1
2

(a), (c), (d)

(a) They refer to the Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife. They visited Sarajevo on June
28, 1914.
(b) Sarajevo was a city in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina
in 1908.
(c) The reception speech was not an accurate description of the attitudes of the citizens towards
Austria-Hungary. They did not want to be governed by Austria-Hungary. Many antiAustrian societies were formed after 1908. The assassination of Francis Ferdinand and his
wife by a Bosnian showed that Austria-Hungary was unpopular in Sarajevo.
(a) (i) The Sarajevo Incident (1914)
(ii) German invasion of Belgium (1914)
(iii) The First Moroccan Crisis (1905)
(b) (iii), (i), (ii)
(c) Picture (i) the Sarajevo Incident was the most influential one because it led to the outbreak
of the First World War in 1914.

Worksheet 4
1

(a) It refers to the First World War.

(b) Italy did not take part in the sport in 1914. Italy joined the First World War in 1915.
(c) The men on the left represented the Central Powers while those on the right represented the
Allies.
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2
3

(d), (f)
(a) It refers to the U-boat campaign of Germany. Germany claimed that her submarines would
attack any ships sailing to Britain. Germany wanted to stop Britain from getting food and
armaments from other countries.
(b) This policy was not successful. Germany could not defeat Britain with this U-boat
campaign. It led to the U.S. entry into the First World War when German submarines sank
U.S. ships.
(c) The poster on the right is about the recruitment of soldiers in the United States during the
First World War. The U-boat campaign of Germany urged the United States to declare war
on Germany because the U-boat campaign threatened the safety of her ships.
(a) It refers to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles at the Paris Peace Conference. It took
place in June 1919.
(b) The United States, France and Britain.
(c) Germany. They believed Germany had started the First World War.

5
Finland

Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania

Poland
Czechoslovakia
Hungary
Yugoslavia

Worksheet 5
29

(a) They refer to the October Revolution in Russia.

(b) The October Revolution broke out in 1917. The provisional government, formed after the
abdication of Nicholas II, was very unpopular. Many Russians turned against the
government. The Bolsheviks, under Lenin's leadership, staged a revolution to overthrow the
provisional government.
(c) The October Revolution led to the formation of the first communist state in the world. It
encouraged the communist movement in the 20th century.

(a) (iv)
(b) (i) He introduced public ownership.
(ii) He controlled industries, economy and trade.
(iii) He ordered farmers to give most of their products to the government.
(c) Picture (ii) Stalin.
(d) (i) He introduced three Five-Year Plans.
(ii) He introduced agricultural collectivization.

Worksheet 6
1
2

(a), (b), (c), (e), (f)

(a) He refers to Hitler. Hitler introduced the policy of genocide against the Jews when he came
to power.
(b) It means living space in English. Hitler thought that Germany needed more living space in
order to become economically self-sufficient.
(a) This government refers to the Weimar Republic. It was formed in 1918 and represented
Germany at the Paris Peace Conference.
(b) It refers to the Treaty of Versailles. The Germans believed that the treaty was unfair and
harsh because they thought that Germany should not be held responsible for starting the
First World War.

4
(a)

(b)
(c)

I (d)T

30

(e)E

S
M

N
K (f) A

Worksheet 7
1
2

(b), (c), (d), (g)

(a) The event in the picture happened during the Great Depression.
(b) The causes were over-crediting and over-speculation in the stock market of the United
States.
(c) It was because he lost all his money in the stock market. It was very common during the
Great Depression because a lot of people had lost their money in the stock market.

Worksheet 8
1
2

3.

(a), (b), (d)

(a) He refers to the British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain.
(b) Chamberlain believed that Britain had not recovered from the Great Depression. Besides,
his countrymen would not support the use of military forces to enforce the Treaty of
Versailles.
(c) Chamberlain adopted the policy of appeasement towards Germany. His policy was not
successful because it encouraged the aggression of Germany and Italy. In fact, it was one of
the causes of the Second World War in 1939.
(a) It did not have a peacekeeping force.
(b) Britain and France did not give full support to the League of Nations.
(c) The United States never joined the League as a member.

Worksheet 9
1
2
3

(b), (c), (d)

(a) (iii), (ii), (i), (iv)
(b) (iii), (i), (ii), (iv)
(a) It refers to the Pearl Harbour Incident (1941). Japan launched a sudden attack on the
31

(b)
(c)
4

(a)
(b)

American naval base in 1941.

The United States changed her policy of neutrality and declared war on Japan after the Pearl
Harbour Incident.
Japan regarded the American naval base as an obstacle to her expansion in Asia. She had to
destroy the American naval base in order to achieve this goal.
(ii), (iii), (iv), (i)
Free response.

Worksheet 10
1
2

(b), (c), (e)

(a) It stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
(b) It refers to the Berlin Blockade.

3
Nations
Britain

France

North Korea

Switzerland

32

West Germany

Canada

East Germany

Portugal

Spain

Italy

Australia

Worksheet 11
1
2

(a), (b), (c), (f)

(a) (i) The Berlin Wall (1961)
(ii) The Unification of Germany in 1990
(iii) The Korean War (1950-53)
(iv) The Vietnam War (1965-75)
(a) It refers to the Cuban Missile Crisis. It happened in 1962. The United States, the Soviet
Union and Cuba were involved in this crisis.
(b) Kennedy believed that the Soviet missile bases in Cuba would threaten the security of the
United States. He ordered the blockade of Cuba in order to force the Soviet Union to
withdraw her missiles from Cuba.
(a) French colony, The Vietnam War, Nixon, cease-fire, South Vietnam,
(b) Gorbachev, economic reforms, Soviet satellite, Eastern Europe, Cold War, 1991

33