Why did Italy change sides?

The Triple Alliance was defensive, while the Entente offered Austro-Hungarian territory in the Treaty of London, so Italy followed its interest.

Did the Dawes Plan settle reparations?

It only made payment workable through American loans; when lending stopped in 1929 the whole system collapsed.

S5 History The First World War, Paper 4: switching sides, the conference and the post-war order

2026-11-02

Tutor Prep Guide · Primary English

Paper 4 follows Italy into the Entente in 1915 and covers the 259 days at Gallipoli, Brest-Litovsk, the 161 days of the Paris conference and the 95 days of the Hundred Days, then the Ruhr, the Dawes Plan, four years to Hitler and twenty to the next war.

Reminders　Italy changed sides only in 1915, landing and evacuation are separate dates, and the post-war order is read through reparations and loans.

01　Paper details (check answers afterwards)

Item	Detail
Questions	10
Suggested time	25
Difficulty mix	Foundation 4 · Intermediate 3 · Challenge 2 · Error redo 1
Chapter	Chapter: S5 History: The First World War
Level	S5

02　Questions (10 items)

FoundationIn 1915 Italy switched sides. Which alliance did it join?
FoundationWhich 1915 amphibious campaign against the Ottomans ended in evacuation?
FoundationWhich treaty took Bolshevik Russia out of the war?
FoundationThe Paris Peace Conference opened on 18 January 1919 and the treaty was signed on 28 June. How many days?
IntermediateThe Hundred Days Offensive began on 8 August 1918 and the armistice came on 11 November. How many days?
IntermediateWhich German industrial region did France and Belgium occupy in 1923 over reparations?
IntermediateWhat was the 1924 American-brokered scheme that loaned Germany money to pay reparations?
ChallengeThe Great Depression began in 1929 and Hitler became chancellor in 1933. How many years apart?
ChallengeTreaty of Versailles in 1919 and the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939: how many years apart?
Error redoError repair: a student said Italy fought with the Central Powers throughout the war. What is correct?

03　Answers and one-line notes

#	Answer	One-line note
1	The Entente	The Treaty of London promised territory, so Italy joined the Entente in 1915 and declared war on Germany the next year.
2	The Gallipoli campaign	Landings began on 25 April 1915 and the last troops left on 9 January 1916, 259 days later, so the second front failed.
3	The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk	Signed in March 1918, it stripped Russia of vast western territory and ended the eastern front.
4	161 days	Subtracting the dates gives 161 days; the conference ran from January to June, arguing over territory, reparations and war guilt.
5	95 days	The German army called 8 August its black day, and the advance continued until the armistice 95 days later.
6	The Ruhr	Germany answered with passive resistance and hyperinflation, so the currency collapsed and reparations became even harder to collect.
7	The Dawes Plan	American loans flowed into Germany, Germany paid reparations to Britain and France, and the circle calmed Europe for a while.
8	4 years	1933 minus 1929 is 4; mass unemployment and fear pushed voters to the extremes and ended the Weimar Republic.
9	20 years	1939 minus 1919 is 20; the territorial and reparations grievances left by the treaty are counted among the long-term causes of the next war.
10	Italy joined the Entente in 1915	The Triple Alliance was defensive in form, and Italy put territorial gain first, fighting alongside the Entente from 1915.

04　What to do after marking

After marking, redo only the wrong items and write down which step went wrong (formula, unit, or misread number).
Repeat the same item two days later; move to the next paper only when both attempts are correct.
Parents only need the answer and note columns; there is no need to explain every item.

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