AU HistoryFreePrintable

Europe at War Worksheet

A free au history worksheet ready for your classroom. Open in Kuraplan to grab the print-ready PDF, customize it for your students, or generate a fresh version in seconds.

Download now

Name:Date:

Europe at War Worksheet

Read the historical briefing, then complete the questions. Use evidence from the briefing and your own historical reasoning. For extended responses, the answer shown is an example; other well-supported answers may also be correct.

Historical briefing: The road to war

After the First World War, the 1919 Treaty of Versailles imposed territorial losses, military limits and reparations on Germany. These terms contributed to resentment, but they do not by themselves explain the Second World War. Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party used aggressive nationalism, racism and dictatorship to build power. From 1936 to 1939, Germany took increasingly dangerous steps: remilitarising the Rhineland, annexing Austria, and taking the Sudetenland after the 1938 Munich Agreement. In March 1939, German forces occupied the rest of the Czech lands, showing that Hitler's aims extended beyond uniting German-speaking people. On 23 August 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact. Its secret protocol divided parts of eastern Europe into spheres of influence, including Poland. On 1 September, Germany invaded Poland from the west. German forces used coordinated aircraft, armour and ground troops in a fast-moving campaign often called Blitzkrieg, or “lightning war”. The Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland on 17 September. Britain and France had promised to support Poland; after Germany did not withdraw, they declared war on Germany on 3 September. Australia, as a member of the British Empire, also declared war on Germany on 3 September. The invasion of Poland is commonly treated as the beginning of the Second World War in Europe, although conflict in Asia had begun earlier.

Part A: Establish the sequence

Use the historical briefing to answer Questions 1–4.

1.Which event happened first?

Germany invaded Poland
Germany annexed Austria
The Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland
Britain and France declared war on Germany

2.Complete the sentence: Germany invaded Poland on 1939; Britain and France declared war on Germany on 1939.

3.What did the secret protocol in the German–Soviet pact do, according to the briefing?

4.True or false? The briefing says that the invasion of Poland was the beginning of all fighting in the Second World War, including in Asia. Correct the statement if it is false.

TrueFalse

Part B: Explain and evaluate

Support your reasoning with details from the briefing.

5.What does the term Blitzkrieg mean, and what combination of forces does the briefing say Germany used in this fast-moving campaign?

6.The briefing says the Treaty of Versailles contributed to resentment but does not explain the war by itself. Give one other factor described in the briefing that helps explain the outbreak of war.

7.Why did Britain and France declare war on Germany on 3 September 1939? Explain the link between their earlier promise and Germany's actions.

8.Australia declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939. According to the briefing, what connection helps explain Australia's decision?

Part C: Perspectives and communication

Historical perspectives depend on what people knew, where they lived and what they feared. Avoid claiming that every person in a group thought the same way.

9.Imagine you are a Polish civilian on 2 September 1939. Write a short diary entry describing what you might know at that moment and one concern you might have. Do not include knowledge of events that had not happened yet.

10.A newspaper editor in Britain and a newspaper editor in Germany might report the invasion differently. Give one possible difference in emphasis, and explain why historians should compare reports with other evidence.

11.Write a concise newspaper headline and a two-sentence opening for a report dated 3 September 1939. Include the invasion of Poland and the declarations of war. Use factual language rather than inventing details.