Problem
Provide references supporting the information you provide. Use short parenthetical citations to identify your sources: (Di Scala, 179), (Zweig, 52) - the latter refers to a document in Perry et al. Part I: Essay Question (40%) Answer two of the following questions. Remember to explain the historical context, locate events in time and space (when and where did they happen?), define all key terms, justify your answer with evidence and concrete examples. Each answer is worth 20% of the exam grade.
A. Describe the events that resulted in the outbreak of the Great War in the summer of 1914. What was the popular reaction to the outbreak of war in the different European countries? How did the political and military authorities envision the development and outcome of the war? As it unfolded over the next few years, did the Great War conform to the plans and expectations of 1914?
B. Why did the Central Powers lose the Great War? Why did the sudden collapse of Austria and Germany take many of their citizens by surprise? What would be the consequences, in the following two decades, of the surprising realization of defeat among the public at large? Justify your answer.
C. Discuss the causes and outcome of the February and October 1917 Revolutions in Russia. How did Russia differ from the other European powers in the early twentieth century? To what extent did the Bolshevik Revolution succeed in solving Russia's political and social problems? Support your answer with specific evidence.
D. How did the Paris Peace Conference reshape the political landscape in Eastern Europe? What were the major challenges confronted by the newly created countries of Eastern Europe, and how did they fare in the 1920s?