Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in History · 4HI1 · Free · no account needed
The origins and course of the First World War, 1905–18
Option A1 · Paper 2 Section A — historical investigation · 1905–18
Every lesson here ends the same way: learn it, teach it to an AI pupil who asks the awkward question, then defend it against the thinker with the strongest claim on it — free · no account needed.
In one line. 13 free lessons across 5 key topics — the alliance system and international rivalry, 1905–14; the growth of tension in Europe, 1905–14; the Schlieffen Plan and deadlock on the Western Front; the war at sea and Gallipoli; the defeat of Germany.
Often called the First World War, the origins of WW1, the causes of World War One — the specification's own title is above.
An investigation is examined through sources as well as knowledge — the lessons say which question each strand is genuinely set through.
The The origins and course of the First World War timeline — every dated event in the option, with why each one matters.
Beyond the specification: The First World War — the story-first course behind this option, for curiosity rather than the exam.
The key topics
Key topic 1 · The alliance system and international rivalry, 1905–14
The alliance system did not cause the war by mechanically dragging members in — Italy was in the Triple Alliance and joined the other side. It caused the war by making every local crisis a test of whether an ally could be relied on, which is what turned Sarajevo into a continental question.
- The Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente — If the alliance system dragged Europe into war, why did Italy fight on the other side?
- Economic, imperial and military rivalry — How can Britain and Germany be each other's largest trading partners and still be enemies?
Key topic 2 · The growth of tension in Europe, 1905–14
The July Crisis lasted five weeks and every participant had exits available. Treating 1914 as an inevitable explosion removes the decisions — and the decisions are where the marks are, because Level 4 wants criteria applied, not a chain of dominoes described.
- Balkan nationalism, the Bosnian Crisis and the Balkan Wars — Why did Russia's climbdown in 1908 make its refusal to climb down in 1914 more likely?
- The naval race and the Moroccan Crises — Why did two German attempts to break the Entente both make it stronger?
- Sarajevo and the July Crisis — Serbia accepted almost every term of the ultimatum and was invaded anyway — what does that establish?
Key topic 3 · The Schlieffen Plan and deadlock on the Western Front
Haig is the specification's built-in interpretation question, which is why it belongs to the paper that assesses AO4. The strongest answers do not defend or attack him; they ask what a commander in 1916 could have known and what alternative was actually available, which is what 'in the context of historical events studied' means.
- The Schlieffen Plan and why it failed — Did the plan fail at Liège, at the Marne, or on the day it assumed Russia would need six weeks?
- Trenches, new weapons and the reasons for deadlock — Why could an attack break into a trench system and never break through it?
- The Somme, Passchendaele and the responsibility of Haig — What could a commander in 1916 have known, and what alternative did he actually have?
Key topic 4 · The war at sea and Gallipoli
The naval war decided the outcome without a decisive battle: the British blockade and the convoy answer to the U-boats mattered more than Jutland. A learner drawn to battles will under-rate the war they cannot see, which is exactly the AO2 significance skill.
- Heligoland Bight, Dogger Bank and Jutland — Britain lost more ships and more men at Jutland. In what sense did it win?
- The U-boat threat, the Lusitania and the convoy system — Why did the Admiralty resist convoys for two and a half years, and what changed its mind?
- Gallipoli: reasons, features, evacuation and effects — The evacuation was faultless and the campaign was a disaster. What does that pairing teach?
Key topic 5 · The defeat of Germany
Germany lost because its last offensive succeeded: it took ground it could not hold, spent its best troops doing it, and then faced an enemy being reinforced faster than it could be. 'Reasons for German defeat' is a question about attrition arithmetic, and the blockade belongs in the answer.
- The significance of US entry — If American troops barely fought in 1917, why did Ludendorff have to attack in March 1918?
- The Ludendorff offensive and the Hundred Days — How can an offensive that gained more ground than anything since 1914 be the reason Germany lost?
Exam practice
16 authored exam-style questions on The origins and course of the First World War, 1905–18 — the three question shapes this option is examined with, at their real tariffs, each with the specification statement it assesses. Exam Ready marks them on Incandio against the real structural caps.