Context

The First World War was an armed conflict that took place between 1914 and 1918, involving many of the most powerful nations of the time. This conflict, also known as the Great War, began as a European dispute but quickly spread to other continents, reaching the status of a world war.

This war had a significant impact on the course of 20th-century history, reshaping the political map of Europe and the world and causing profound socio-economic changes. It was characterized by its large-scale destruction, the enormous number of dead and wounded, and the introduction of new war technologies.

The First World War triggered a series of political, social, and economic transformations in the global structure. The war ended the power alliances system that had governed Europe since the Congress of Vienna, dismantled four empires (Russian, German, Austro-Hungarian, and Ottoman), and led to the rise of the United States as a global superpower. Socially, it accelerated the emancipation of women and had profound implications on the condition of workers and the middle class.

Practical Activity

Activity Title: "1st World War: Causes, Conflicts, and Consequences"

Project Objective:

This project aims to deepen students' understanding of the main events, causes, and impacts of the 1st World War, allowing them to explore different aspects of the conflict in a creative and collaborative way.

Detailed Project Description:

The project will be divided into four main parts, each focusing on an aspect of the First World War. Each group of three to five students will be responsible for all four topics, working together to present their results in a final exhibition at the end of the project:

1. Conflict Causes: Explore the underlying reasons that led to the war's outbreak, such as imperial rivalries, arms race, alliance system, nationalism, and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

2. Conflict Development: Detail significant war events, military strategy and tactics, technologies used, as well as key actors and their actions.

3. Impact on the Population: Analyze the war's effect on civilian populations, including experienced violence, cultural changes, reaction and resistance to colonial powers, and the war's effects on the Brazilian industry.

4. Post-War Consequences: Examine the war's geopolitical consequences, including the Treaty of Versailles, the formation of new countries and empires, the role and rise of the United States, and subsequent conflicts.

Required Materials:

• Books and online resources for research
• Office supplies (pencils, paper, post-its, etc.)
• Computers with internet access
• Presentation software (e.g. Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides)

Detailed Activity Steps:

1. Group Formation: Students will be divided into groups of three to five people. Each group will receive a project folder containing all four topics they need to research and present.

2. Research and Planning: Each group will be responsible for researching all assigned topics, using various sources of information to deepen knowledge and form a holistic understanding of the First World War.

3. Collaboration and Organization: The group must collaborate to divide responsibilities, plan their time, and organize their tasks.

4. Presentation Creation: Each group will create a presentation for each topic. They should include detailed information, images, maps, charts, timelines, and other visual tools they deem necessary.

5. Final Exhibition: Groups will present their findings and analyses in the form of an exhibition in the classroom, where each group will have a dedicated stand for each topic.

6. Final Report: After the exhibition, each group must submit a detailed written report covering all four topics: Introduction, Development, Conclusions, and Bibliography used.

Project Deliverables:

At the end of the project, each group must deliver:

1. Presentations: Each group must create and present a visual presentation for each topic. Presentations should be clear, engaging, and visually appealing. Each presentation should include a brief description of the topic, a summary of key findings and analyses, and a conclusion.

2. Exhibition: A classroom exhibition, where students take turns presenting their stands and discussing their findings with others.

3. Final Report: The report should be divided into four main sections: Introduction (contextualizing the theme and its objective in this project), Development (explaining the theory behind the project's themes, detailing the activity, indicating the methodology used, and presenting the results obtained), Conclusion (summarizing the main points, explaining the learnings and conclusions drawn from the project), and Bibliography (indicating the sources they relied on to work on the project). This document should reflect the hard work done in the project and demonstrate the knowledge acquired.