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Causes of War

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Causes of War

Causes of War

World map showing 20th-century conflicts

📚 Part 1: Understanding Causes of War

1. Match each type of cause with its correct definition:
1. Political causes
2. Economic causes
3. Social causes
A. Competition for resources and trade disputes
B. Power struggles, nationalism, and territorial disputes
C. Ethnic tensions, social inequalities, and propaganda
2. Which of the following is an example of a political cause of war?

Competition for oil resources

The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand

Ethnic tensions between groups

Economic sanctions on trade

🔍 Part 2: Categorising Causes

3. Read each scenario below and tick which type of cause it represents. Some may have multiple causes.

Scenario A: A country invades its neighbour to gain control of valuable diamond mines.

Political

Economic

Social

Scenario B: Two ethnic groups within the same country begin fighting after years of discrimination and inequality.

Political

Economic

Social

Scenario C: A nation declares war after another country forms a military alliance with its enemy.

Political

Economic

Social

📝 Part 3: Historical Examples

4. Fill in the blanks using the words from the word bank below:

Word Bank: economic, Yugoslavia, Ferdinand, resources, nationalism, propaganda

The assassination of Archduke _____________ was a political cause that helped start World War I. _____________ sanctions on Germany after WWI created _____________ tensions. Ethnic conflicts in _____________ in the 1990s were driven by social causes including _____________ and _____________.

5. Give one example of each type of cause from 20th-century conflicts:

Political cause example:

Economic cause example:

Social cause example:

💭 Part 4: Critical Thinking

6. Explain why understanding the causes of war is important for building peace in today's world:
7. Choose one cause of war and suggest how it might be prevented:

Cause I chose: ________________________

How it could be prevented:

8. Draw a simple diagram showing how political, economic, and social causes might be connected in causing a conflict:

🎯 Part 5: Exit Reflection

9. Rate your understanding of each cause of war (circle one number for each):

Political causes: 1 (don't understand) - 2 (somewhat understand) - 3 (understand well) - 4 (can teach others)

Economic causes: 1 (don't understand) - 2 (somewhat understand) - 3 (understand well) - 4 (can teach others)

Social causes: 1 (don't understand) - 2 (somewhat understand) - 3 (understand well) - 4 (can teach others)

10. One thing I learned today that surprised me:

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