As you learned in the Windows On (Drama in Russia) box on page 751, Russian military defeats in World War I helped precipitate political revolution. The war strained the already limited resources of the Russian government to the point of collapse, at the same time as is it served to highlight the weakness of Russia's leaders and political institutions. The result was a situation in which war-weary soldiers and workers were able to force the abdication of the Tsar. Assess the evidence relating to World War I and its consequences described below and then respond to the essay question that follows. Read the excerpts on page 747 and then take a look at the poster depicting the execution of a British nurse on page 750. How would you explain the widespread willingness, even eagerness, to go to war? What role, if any, did public opinion play in the outbreak of World War I? Compare the 1914 British recruitment poster on page 777 with a 1916 British poster and a 1917 American poster. What do the similarities between the British and American posters suggest about the political and social relationship between the two countries? The map on page 749 identifies the major fronts in World War I. What role did geography play in the contrasting nature of the war on the western and eastern fronts? Why were the Germans able to prevail on the eastern front, despite the vast size of Russia's army? Read the documents on page 753 describing the experiences of soldiers at the front and then examine the painting by Paul Nash on page 754. Was the experience of soldiers in World War I different from that of soldiers in previous wars? If so, in what ways? What role did the press play in maintaining enthusiasm for the war on the home front? As would be the case in World War II, male labor shortages caused by World War I brought large numbers of women into the work force. Take a look at the table on page 758 and the photograph on page 759. How might have women's experiences during World War I prepared the ground for the enfranchisement of women in many nations in the years immediately following the war? Read the documents on page 762 in which Lenin describes the need for a Vanguard Party and outlines his revolutionary strategy. How did Karl Marx's theory of historical change inform Lenin's approach to revolution? Compare and contrast the excerpts from Woodrow Wilson's "Fourteen Points" and the Treaty of Versailles on page 764. How would you explain the differences in focus and approach between the two documents? Why did Wilson's plan receive such a cool reception from European leaders? The map on page 767 shows the political configuration of post-war Europe. What problems were the new national boundaries meant to solve? What potential trouble spots were created by the new political arrangement? When you have finished reviewing the evidence, write a well-organized essay on World War I and its consequences. In what ways was World War I the first "modern" war? Use the evidence you have just examined to support your claims and observations.