Form 5 World History Notes for Term I Examination Syllabus Nov.

2009

Section I – Questions
1. What was the First World War?
Ans.: The First World War was the first war ever fought on such a large scale in history of mankind. It took place
between 1914-1918. 31 nations from five different continents took part in it.
The Central Powers were defeated. In 1919, the Paris Peace Conference was held. Germany was forced to sign
the Treaty of Versailles.

2. What was the causes of the First World War?

Ans.: (1) Economic and Colonial Conflicts (from the 19th century)
(2) Extreme Nationalism (in the late 19th century)
(3) Armaments Race (since relations grew tense)
(4) Alliance System (after the Franco-Prussian War)

3. What were the events leading to the First World War?

Ans.: (1) Crises in North Africa:
- Two Moroccan Crises (1905-1906 and 1911):
- Italy-Turkey War (1911-1912)
(2) Crises in the Balkans:
- Bosnian Crisis (1908)
- Balkan Wars (1912 & 1913)
(3) Sarajevo Incident (On 28 June 1914)

4. What was the impact of the First World War?

Ans.: (1) Casualties & Economic Destruction:
The First World War brought about heavy casualties and serious economic destruction.
(2) Change in World Politics:
- Four powerful empires in Europe fell. Many new nation states were created.
- Britain and France became weaker. The US and Japan grew stronger.
(3) New Technology and Weapons:
During the war, many new weapons were developed. With the use of these weapons, there was fighting on
land, at sea and in the air. Total war also began.
(4) Rising Status of Women:
Women’s abilities and their contribution to the country were recognized. Their social status began to rise.
(5) Formation of the League of Nations:
The League of Nations was set up to maintain peace.

5. What is the Second World War?

Ans.: (a) The Second World War was the second large-scale war that was fought between 1939-1945. Almost the
whole world took part in it.
(b) The Axis Powers were defeated. Germany was occupied by Britain, France, the US and the USSR. Japan
was occupied by the US.

6. What are the causes of the WWII?

Ans.: (1) Legacy of the First World War
(2) Great Depression
In 1929, the stock market in the US crashed. The Great Depression started and it spread across the world.
Worldwide economic depression helped the rise and growth of totalitarianism in certain countries.
 (3) Rise of Totalitarianism
- Features of totalitarianism:
(i) A dictator or a political party rules the state with absolute power.
(ii) The state has total control over most aspects of people’s lives.
(iii) The state suppresses all opposition.
(iv) The state follows an expansionist foreign policy.
-Italy: Italy was unhappy with the Paris Peace Settlement. It also faced serious economic problems
after WWI. These created an opportunity for Mussolini to seize power in 1922. Once in power,
Mussolini turned Italy into a totalitarian state.
-Germany: Germany also faced serious problems after WWI. It was further hit it by the Great Depression.
These helped Hitler rise to power. In 1933, Hitler became Chancellor and began to turn
Germany into Germany into a totalitarian state.
-Japan: When the Japanese economy was badly hit by the Great Depression, the militarists became
more and more popular in the country. They followed an expansionist policy towards China
and the Pacific region.

(4) Aggression of Japan, Italy and Germany

-Japan: In 1931, Japan invaded the Northeast Provinces of China. In 1937, it invaded Beijing. This set
off war between China and Japan that was to last eight years.
-Italy: Between 1935-1936, Italy conquered Abyssinia. It April 1939, it annexed Albania.
-Germany: Between 1936-1939, the German troops marched into the Rhineland, and Germany took over
Austria and Czechoslovakia. The German invasion of Poland in September 1939 started the
Second World War.
-Axis Powers: In 1937, Germany, Italy and Japan formed the Berlin-Rome-Tokyo Axis. They became
known as the Axis Powers.
(5) Responses of Britain, France and the USSR to the Aggression of the Axis Powers

3. What are the impacts of the WWII?

Ans.: (1) Casualties and Economic Losses
The Second World War brought about heavy casualties and serious economic destruction.
(2) Beginning of the Nuclear Age
The use of atomic bomb started the nuclear age. Nuclear weapons posed a serious threat to people’s life,
because their use could bring disastrous effects.
(3) Breaking up of Colonial Empires
After WWII, the colonial empires of many western powers began to break up.
(4) Rise of Two Superpowers
The WWII greatly weakened the European powers. n their places came two superpowers: the US and the
USSR.
(5) Beginning of the Cold War
After WWII, most nations in the world were divided into the capitalist bloc (led by the US) and the
communist bloc (lead by the USSR). The two blocs were suspicious of each other. The Cold War began.
(6) Formation of the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) was set up to replace the League as a new peacekeeping organization.

Section II – Historical Terms

1. Armaments Race （軍備競賽）

An armaments race is a competition between countries in increasing their military strength, like recruiting a
larger military force and making more powerful arms and weapons.
e.g. an armaments race developed in Europe before the outbreak of the First World War.
2. Extreme Nationalism （極端民族主義）
Extreme nationalism is an idea that says that people should be absolutely loyal to the nation and support its
foreign expansion. It emphasizes national glory. Pan-Germanism and Pan-Slavism are examples of extreme
nationalism.
3. Central Powers （同盟國 – 第一次世界大戰）
The Central Powers were the countries that fought the Allied Powers during the First World War. They
included Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria.
4. Allied Powers （協約國 – 第一次世界大戰／盟軍 – 第二次世界大戰）
The Allied Powers were the countries that
(i) fought the Central Powers during the First World War, and included Britain, France, Russia, Serbia, etc.
(ii) fought the Axis Powers during the Second World War, and included Britain, France, China, the US, the
USSR, etc
5. Total War （總體戰）
Total war is a kind of war in which all the people of a country, not just soldiers, make their own contribution to it.
The two world wars were both total wars.
6. Totalitarianism （極權主義）
Totalitarianism us a political system under which:
(i) a dictator / a political party rules the state with absolute power,
(ii) the state has total control over most aspects of people’s lives,
(iii) the states suppresses all opposition and follows an expansionist foreign policy.
e.g. Fascism in Italy, Nazism in Germany and Militarism in Japan.
7. Propaganda （宣 傳）
In order to gain support from the people, some political parties and countries may use propaganda to make
people think and act in certain ways.
During the First World War, both the Central Powers and the Allied Powers used propaganda to make their
people believe that it was right to fight the war.
During the Second World War, Mussolini and Hitler also used propaganda to promote their political ideas.
8. Appeasement Policy （綏靖政策）
The appeasement policy was the foreign policy of Britain and France during the 1930s. By adopting this policy,
they tried to meet the demands of Nazi Germany in order to prevent war.
9. Axis Powers （軸心國）
The Axis Powers were the countries that fought the Allied Powers during the WWII. They include Germany,
Italy and Japan.
10. War Crimes （戰爭暴行）
These are crimes committed during wartimes. They include using poison gas and other prohibited weapons to
kill / torture people from enemy countries.

Section III – Map Completion

1. New states in Asia and the years they gained independence. (World History Express 3, page 54)

- India (1947)
- Sri Lanka (1948)
- Burma (1948)
- Indonesia (1949)
- Laos (1953)
- Cambodia (1953)
- Vietnam (1954)
- Malaysia (1957)
- Singapore (1965)
Section IV – Supplement
1. Completions & Chronological Order
(A) Germany formed the Triple Alliance with Austria
(B) France allied with Russia and Britain to form the Triple Entente.
(C) Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were shot dead in Sarajevo.
(D) Germany invaded France through Belgium.
(E) The Treaty of Versailles was signed.
(F) The League of Nations was formed

2. Concept Checking
(1) Britain and Germany competed with each other in building submarines before WWI. (F)
(2) The idea of Pan-Germanism promoted unity among all German people in Europe. (T)
(3) The Ottoman Empires felt after WWI. (T)
(4) In Nov. 1917 Russia became a democratic country. (F)
(5) The UN was set up to maintain peace after WWI. (F)
(6) Austria-Hungary was divided into two separate countries after WWI. (T)
(7) Before WWI, the high demand for raw materials and overseas markets led economic and colonial (T)
conflicts among major powers.
(8) Germany started the alliance system to attack other countries. (F)
(9) The tank was first invented by Britain to break through German tranches. (T)
(10) The Paris Peace Conference was controlled by Britain, France and US. (T)

3. Time Sense
1 Germany invaded France through Belgium.
2 German formed the Triple Alliance with Austria.
3 France allied with Russia and Britain to form the Triple Entente.
4 Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were shot dead in Sarajevo.
5 The Treaty of Versailles was signed.
6 The League of Nations was formed.

Section V – Time Chart

A.D. Events A.D. Events
1882 Formation of the Triple Alliance 1922 Establishment of the USSR; Il Duce of Italy
Second Hague Conference;
1907 1929 Great Depression (1929-1933)
Formation of Triple Alliance
1914 Outbreak of the WWI (1914-1918) 1932 The Japanese established Manzhouguo
1917 Russia withdrew from the WWI 1933 Hitler became the leader of the Nazi Germany
End of the WWI; Formation of Berlin-Rome-Tokyo Axis
1918 1937
Fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire Japan begins its full-scale invasion of China
Paris Peace Conference
1919 Signing of the Treaty of Versailles; 1939 Outbreak of the WWII (1939-1945)
Fall of the German Empires
Formation of the League of Nations; Fall of France to Nazi Germany (1940)
Hitler’s reorganization of the Nazi Party. German invasion of the USSR
1920 1941
The British government in HK surrendered
Pearl Harbour Attack
Fall of Berlin. German surrendered;
1945 The US dropped two atomic bombs on Japan
Formation of the UN.
Section VI – Historical Persons
Mussolini (Fascist Party in Italy) and Hitler (Nazi Part in Germany) are both:
(1) Gift speakers
(2) Use of propaganda means such as radio, public meetings and posters to promote their ideas
(3) Understood the needs of the people, made different promises to different people in order to gain support