Formal Summary

Guide

 

A Formal Summary is a restatement of the main ideas and most important details in a coherent and organized way. 

 

Rationale:  Research demonstrates that the extraction of main ideas from notes, practicing language to convey meaning, and reviewing and organizing information increases understanding and retention.

 

Instructions:  Write a paragraph paraphrasing all major points and number them.  Write a paragraph for each number, providing the context for, thoroughly explaining, and commanding vocabulary and details.

 

General Guidelines

 

·         Use a Topic Outline

·         Be logical

·         Write efficiently

·         Provide context

·         Command vocabulary and details

 

Formal Summary Rubric

 

#

possible points

expectations

specifics

Op1

Op2

Op3

Self

points earned

1.

5

Clarity

Has and follows a Topic Outline

 

 

 

 

 

Uses numbers and superscript to correlate to Topic Outline

Underlines appropriate terms

Good paragraph structure

Good sentence structure

3.

5

Efficiency

Concise word choices

 

 

 

 

 

Relevance of all text

5.

N/A

Thoroughness

Covers main topics of unit

 

 

 

 

 

Uses excellent but discerning detail

Uses terms appropriately

 

10

 

total

 

 

 

 

 

 

Formal Summary Student Example

 

 

 

Formal Summary Example

 

Topics I want to cover:

  1. Nationalism
  2. Militarism
  3. Chain of Events
  4. US Neutrality
  5. US Provoked
  6. US Preparations
  7. US Entry
  8. Allied Victory
  9. Civic Activism
  10. Opportunities for Women and Minorities
  11. US Propaganda Machine
  12. Russian withdrawal
  13. Peace of Paris
  14. Global Consequnces

 

WWI would ultimately prove to be the most costly and bloody war in world history, yet no one could really point out why the war was fought.  Nationalism (1) and militarism and the associated systems of alliances had taken hold, especially in the Balkans, where the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne was assassinated and sparked the first declaration of war which ultimately led over thirty nations to participate (2).  Despite drastic efforts on both sides, new technology had caused a change in warfare and the war quickly grew into a stalemate (3).  After a period of US Neutrality (4), the United States experienced a series of provocations (5) while secretly preparing for war (6).  After the US entered the war (7), the US quickly reorganized the economy to assure an Allied Victory (8).  The resulting economic vigor would ultimately lead a new civic activism (9) and increased opportunities for women and minorities (10).   The US Government ensured support for the war despite some criticism (11).  Russia withdrew from the war towards the end (12), and the US led Peace of Paris (13) would prove to have lasting, global consequences (14).   

 (1) WWI broke out in Europe due to growing nationalism and militarism as well as the system of alliances designed to bring order to international politics.  The area of the Balkans was called the “powder keg of Europe” because of the many ethnic identities that had been uniting to challenge Ottoman rule and gain independence, including Serbia and Bosnia.  Austria-Hungary and Serbia both believed they had historical claims to territories in Bosnia.  When the more powerful Austria-Hungary moved to annex Bosnia, Serbians were outraged and when Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, visited Sarajevo in 1914 he was assassinated. 

(2) Militarism, or the glorification of military strength, had been sweeping Europe in the post Napoleonic period because nations had learned, first hand, that a strong military is all that will protect peoples from a despotic power.  Mistrust of strong nations was rampant, so states had allied themselves with others in order to prevent the domination of a stronger military.  After the archduke was shot, a chain of declarations of war ensued: Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, Germany offered to help.  Russia honored its alliance with Serbia, bringing France and Britain into the war.  The Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers in their fight against the Allied Powers. 

(3) The war soon came to a stalemate in eastern France because of the new style of warfare required by new military technology, trench warfare.  The Germans quickly invaded France through Belgium to try to push Allied troops back to the isle of Britain, but were held by Belgian troops while British and French troops came to their aide.  The machine gun forced troops to dig trenches to avoid the rapidly firing bullets.  Mustard Gas was used to try to kill soldiers in trenches and gas masks were thus spread among the troops.  Tanks were later introduced to pierce machine gun lines, and planes were first used in hopes to shoot soldiers in the trenches but soon were distracted in acrobatic air battles made famous by the German Ace – the Red Baron.  Notable battles include the Battle of the Marne, where allies first pushed back German troops, the Battle of the Somme, in which over a million soldiers died, and the Battle of Argonne Forest, in which American forces helped to defeat the German concentration on the western front following Russia’s withdrawal from the war.     

 

(4) As the war broke out, the United States was caught off guard and did not understand the European war.  The US vowed to maintain neutrality.  Woodrow Wilson even won reelection based on the campaign slogan “he kept us out of war.” 

(5) The German engaged in two activities that provoked Americans to enter the war: German submarines, called U-Boats, were torpedoing passenger lines from the US to Britain claiming they were carrying military supplies, the most famous of which was named the Lusitania, even after making the Sussex Pledge to not sink them; and, the German Secretary of State requested the Mexican government to go to war with the United States, promising that Mexico would regain areas in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona in the new international order, in the Zimmerman Note.

(6) Though mainstream history claims that Germans provoked the US into the war, the US had been preparing for the war and secretly assisting the Allies by providing supplies and loans because industrialists and bankers in the United States did not want to pass up the opportunity to make money.  The National Defense Act built up US forces as diplomatic relations intensified.  William Jennings Bryan, US Secretary of State, resigned over Wilson’s consistent threats to the German government and was replaced by Robert Lansing who was more willing to go to war to support the allies. 

(7) Following the Zimmerman note, Wilson requested Congress declare war claiming that the US must make the world “safe for democracy” and Congress voted in favor of war with a small but vocal minority, including Jeannette Rankin.  The Selective Service Act was passed to institute a draft which would ultimately draft 2.8 million of 4.8 million soldiers provided.  American forces under John J. Pershing helped build infrastructure in France before joining the fighting.  American war ships protected merchant vessels in a convoy system, providing the allies with much needed supplies. 

(8) At home, the economy needed to be reorganized to provide for a war and conserve vital resources, so economy was directed by a number of federal war boards, all overseen by the War Industries Board.  William McAdoo, Secretary of the Treasury, made it a patriotic duty to buy Liberty and Victory Bonds to finance the war, as taxes were a small source of revenue at the time.  The Food Administration, headed by future president Herbert Hoover, was particularly influential in daily life and asked people to have wheatless and meatless days and also tend to Victory Gardens in their yards, parks and schools.       

(9) Civic activism was extended into other areas as well.  Labor Unions were particularly active during this time, so much so that Wilson had to create a National War Labor Board to arbitrate conflicts between labor and business.  Volunteerism was popular, as illustrated by Juliette Gordon Low starting the Girl Scouts. 

(10) The war sufficiently stimulated the economy and jobs opened up opportunities for women and minorities.  Blacks and Mexicans moved northwards for job opportunities.  Blacks often left to flee the rampant discrimination in the south but found that Northern states were often filled with similar prejudice and violence towards Blacks.  This period is referred to as the Great Migration.  Blacks were also discriminated against in the military where they were generally kept in kitchen positions. 

(11) The popularity of foreign wars is often dependent on the government’s ability to create propaganda; the Committee on Public Information was created and quickly realized that images of cruel and monstrous Germans helped sway public opinion.  The fledgling movie industry produced movies consistent with the image the government was looking to promote.  Public criticism of the war was outlawed by the Espionage and Sedition acts and thousands of people were arrested including Eugene Debs, the former head of the IWW and the socialist candidate for president.  The acts, which are often noted for their inconsistency with the first amendment, were upheld by the Supreme Court in Schenk v. the United States.

(12) As the Bolsheviks took power in Russia after the revolution against the Czar, they withdrew from the war allowing Germany to focus on the Western front in France.  Over a million German soldiers poured into France, and allied forces counterattacked and soon saw the German army collapse. 

(13) Woodrow Wilson outlined his plan for world peace in his Fourteen Points presented to Congress, including enforcing the principle of self-determination and creating a League of Nations.  The Peace of Paris was conducted mostly by the Big Four – France, Britain, Italy, and the US.  The terms of the Treaty of Versailles were harsh according to the desire of Britain and especially war torn France to pay for the war and prevent German power from ever returning.  The Senate, under the leadership of Henry Cabot Lodge, rejected the Treaty of Versailles over the terms of membership in the League of Nations, which suggested active US military participation in global affairs. 

(14) The War left Europe devastated, with over 8.5 million deaths in battle and 28 million wounded.  To boot, Influenza also took a significant number of lives.  The world would soon enter a global depression and Germany would particularly suffer from the harsh terms of the Peace of Paris.  The stage would be set for WWII.