Grade 9 students have begun the enormous task of trying to wrap their minds around the causes of the First World War. This “seminal catastrophe”, as one historian has written, began one hundred years ago. Thanks to its controversial ending (which the students will study next), the causes of the war is probably the most written-about historical period. Ever.
The First World War changed everything. It was the great shattering, the moment when the world became something else. It was the end of the innocence, the end of the idea that world powers (in Europe) were a force for good. It was a time of great slaughter and great heroism.
Over the next six weeks, I encourage you to talk to the grade 9 students about the causes of the war. The reasons were complex and overlapping and I hope that by the end of this unit the students will be able to confidently converse and write about those causes.
