Essay Questions for Thinking through Sources 20

1. Describing the war: Based on these sources, how would you define the novel or distinctive features of World War I compared to earlier European conflicts?
2. Considering war and progress: How do you think the creators of these sources might have responded to the idea of “the perfectibility of humanity” described by Condorcet during the European Enlightenment of the eighteenth century? (See Source 15.3 in Thinking through Sources 15.)
3. Noticing what’s missing: What perspectives on the war are NOT reflected in these sources? Where might you look to find those perspectives?