Lesson 2: Conduct of World War I and the Interwar Period
Duration of Days: 3
Lesson Objective
Students will explain how World War I was fought and how its outcomes contributed to political instability in the interwar period.
How did World War I differ from earlier conflicts?
Why did peace settlements fail to create lasting stability?
trench warfare, total war, Treaty of Versailles, reparations
APWH Unit 7 Topics 7.2, 7.3
Skill 4.A
Reasoning Process: Continuity and Change
Synthesizing cause-and-effect relationships across texts.
Students analyze wartime practices and postwar settlements to understand instability between wars.
Purpose: Link war conduct to long-term consequences
DOK: 3
Post-conflict peacebuilding and reconstruction challenges.
Students may assume the end of fighting meant lasting peace.
Timelines; scaffolded document analysis.
Short analytical paragraph using evidence.
Treaty excerpts, wartime visuals