Britain in the First World War

What the test asks about this period

The First World War began in 1914 and ended in 1918. It was called the Great War until the second one came.

Britain fought alongside France and Russia against Germany and its allies. Millions died, and almost every town in the country has a memorial.

The test asks for the dates, one or two events, and what changed at home because of the war.

How it started

• The murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 set off the war.
• Britain entered the war in August 1914.
• Much of the fighting on the Western Front was from trenches, with little ground gained.

The Somme

• The Battle of the Somme began on 1 July 1916.
• Britain suffered about 57,000 casualties on the first day, the worst day in its military history.
• The battle lasted until November 1916.

The end of the war

• Fighting stopped at 11am on 11 November 1918. This is the Armistice.
• The Treaty of Versailles in 1919 formally ended the war and placed heavy penalties on Germany.
• Remembrance Day is held on 11 November each year. People wear a poppy.

Change at home

• Women took on work that men had done, in factories and on the land.
• Women aged 30 and over got the vote in 1918. Women got the same voting rights as men in 1928.
• Conscription was introduced in 1916. Men of fighting age could be called up.
• The Easter Rising took place in Dublin in 1916, during the war.

Britain and the Empire

• Britain did not fight alone. Soldiers came from across the Empire.
• Men served from India, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean and Africa.
• More than a million men from India alone served in the war.
• Their memorials stand beside British ones in France and Belgium.

How Britain remembers

• The poppy is the symbol of remembrance. It grew on the battlefields of Flanders.
• The Cenotaph in Whitehall, London, is the national war memorial.
• Almost every town and village in Britain has a memorial listing its dead.
• A two minute silence is held at 11am on 11 November each year.

Practice questions on this period

Here are 4 questions from our bank. The correct answer is marked, and under each one is a short reason.

Where to go next

• Previous period: The Industrial Revolution
• Next period: Britain in the Second World War
• All history questions: British History Questions
• The full chapter: British History study guide
• Drill this topic: practice by topic

History is the largest topic in the test. You need 18 out of 24 overall, so it is worth more of your time than any other period.

Common questions