Lusitania; A fateful journey

Lusitania; A fateful journey Launched at the River Clyde in June 16, 1906, RMS Lusitania was a grand ship and the first of the two sister ships to be launched. At 785 feet in length and 31,550 gross tons, she took the title of largest liner afloat. Her maiden voyage took place September 7, 1907, and in October 1907 she recaptured the coveted 'Blue Riband' from the German liner Deutschland. The construction of Lusitania was financed by generous loans from the British government. In return for the generous loans, the Admiralty could requisition Lusitania or her sister in times of war. At the onset of World War I in August 1914, Lusitania, Mauretania and the newer 'sister ship' Aquitania were all officially requisitioned for war duties. All but Lusitania were given official orders, so Lusitania continued her regular transatlantic passenger services. Passengers, not yet settled in their accommodations, marvelled at the ship's size and splendour. With a length of 745 feet, she was one of the largest man-made objects in the world. First-class passengers could eat in a two-story Edwardian-style dining salon that featured a plasterwork dome arching some thirty feet above the floor. Those who travelled first class also occupied regal suites, consisting of twin bedrooms with a parlour, bathroom, and private dining area, for which they paid four thousand dollars one way. Second-class

  • Word count: 696
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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Vietnam source based work

Coursework 2 - Vietnam .In source A Kennedy refers to Vietnam as the 'cornerstone of the Free World in Southeast Asia. By this he means that Vietnam is an essential country in the non-communist world. He refers to the 'red tide of communism' and by this he is referring to the domino theory, when one country becomes Communist its neighbouring countries become communist and then communism spreads further. From the source I can learn that America got involved in the Vietnam War because Kennedy believed that it was a very important country to the non-communist world. This is what he means by the phrase 'crucial to the Free World'. He believed that Vietnam was essential to the economy of Southeast Asia. He thought that if Vietnam became Communist then all the surrounding countries would also become communist. This is why America got involved in the Vietnam War to prevent the threat of Communism spreading. 2. Source B refers to the 'commitment of North Korea to take the South in 1950' and this worried the Americans because they didn't want the same thing that happened in North Korea to happen again in Vietnam. Another reason for America's involvement was so that they could spread their 'political ideas around the world'. This was so they could make clear to the rest of the world their anti-communist ideas. Source B is a statement made by the US government and it is the same as

  • Word count: 2896
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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What were the consequences of the Vietnam War for civilians in the years following the U.S withdrawal from Vietnam?

What were the consequences of the Vietnam War for civilians in the years following the U.S withdrawal from Vietnam? There were many impacts of the Vietnam War following it's ending in 1975. Some were political; for example Vietnam became a communist country, some were social; for example the way in which veterans were treated, some were economic; for example taxes were raised and some were military; namely the body count. Some effects of the war were short-term; such as buildings destroyed and some were long-term; such as the psychological conditions people suffered. The impact of the war was far worse for the Vietnamese than the Americans. After the US troops had withdrawn in 1973, hundreds of thousands of South Vietnamese refugees fled from the NLF to surrounding Cambodia and Laos. Saigon fell on March 30th 1975 and was renamed to Ho Chi Minh City; Vietnam was now united under a communist regime. This was to have terrible repercussions. Former South Vietnamese supporters were sent to concentration camps and "re-educated". Mass unemployment and starvation would soon begin. North Vietnamese Prime Minister, Pham Van Dong said "Yes, we defeated the United States. But now we are plagued by problems. We do not have enough to eat. We are a poor, underdeveloped nation. Waging war is simple, but running a country is very difficult" Around four million Vietnamese people

  • Word count: 1042
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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How And Why Did Britain Survive The War From 1940-1943?

How And Why Did Britain Survive The War From 1940-1943? As you can see from this map war was raging in Europe in 1940 and Britain was in big trouble. Germany appeared unstoppable as the defeat of Poland had taken just under a month in September 1939 by using their new Blitzkrieg tactics in which tanks would converge in one big group and punch a massive hole through enemy lines. For the next months a phoney war occurred in which Britain prepared for a German invasion. Although Britain was officially at war with Germany, Britain had decided not to assist the Polish with their war effort but if war broke out closer to home, as in France, Britain would be forced to do become involved. If no action was taken Britain's superiority as the economic super power in Europe would soon end if Germany had its own way. The preparation for war continued throughout the next nine months with France trusting its survival to the Maginot Line which was an elaborate defence wall made up of underground fortifications, tank traps and gun posts. France was naïve in trusting its defence in this as if Blitzkrieg tactics were used on the weaker parts of the fortifications, such as a gap in the middle, France would be overrun by this skilful German army. Meanwhile Britain was suffering from German attacks on its battleships, cargo vessels and aircraft carriers and this

  • Word count: 4052
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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To what extent were Germany to Blame for the Outbreak of WWI.

To what extent were Germany to Blame for the Outbreak of WWI Germany's invasion of France via Belgium was the initial act of war that brought about the commencement of war. However, is it fair to say that it was Germany and Germany alone who acted to bring about this first step? I would argue that a series of events led to the German invasion of Belgium, but to what extent could Germany be blamed for this series of events? Although they always feared the possible revolutionary consequences of an international conflict, German leaders had sometimes considered war as a panacea for foreign and domestic problems; war should split the alliances against Germany and unite the people in a wave of nationalism or even initiate some form of dictatorship based on the military. Germany was a new power in Europe; the unification of Germany under Prussian leadership in January 1871 was the result of the brilliant diplomacy of Otto von Bismarck who by skilful use of war, and his excellent methods of convincing others of his good intentions created the new empire. However, the emergence of the German empire had upset the balance of Central Europe maintained for centuries by the Holy Roman Empire and temporarily sustained by the German Confederation. Many people believe that the invoking of hatred within France by the creation of this new empire and the mistrust of the other surrounding

  • Word count: 1166
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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"The Social Structure of Britain was totally destroyed during the Battle of Britain" Do you agree? Discuss.

- INDIVIDUAL HISTORY ESSAY - "The Social Structure of Britain was totally destroyed during the Battle of Britain" Do you agree? Discuss. During the period between 1939 and 1945, a ferocious and deadly war was being fought between two super powers, Great Britain and Germany. Germany had been on a vengeful rampage, threatening to take total control of Europe; only one hurdle remained, Britain. The high command of Germany, Hitler and Goering were confident of a swift and glorious victory, humiliating Britain. The social structure of Britain was going to be totally destroyed in a merciless attack from the air, paralyzing the nation. Despite German confidence though, this would not be the case and in a great turn of events Britain would turn the tide of war and begin the road to victory. Although Britain were the eventual victors, their social system came perilously close to being crippled. For months Britain, particularly London, had to withstand a sustained bombing raid which killed many and seriously dampened an already low morale. Precautions were taken and people had to endure shortages and rationing. All in all, Britain was able to make do with the circumstances and battle through the darkest period in its history before being ultimately realised as the triumphant country. Germany had conquered Poland, France, Austria and

  • Word count: 2202
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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Explain the Importance of D-Day As a Turning Point In Ww2.

EXPLAIN THE IMPORTANCE OF D-DAY AS A TURNING POINT IN WW2 D-Day was when the Allied troops invaded France. There was very careful planning for D-Day and because of this it was a success. D-Day marked 'The start of the end'; D-Day was a major turning point in the war because it led to many different things. At the start of the war in 1939, Germany and Russia's relations were good. In August, just a week before the outbreak of the war, the two countries had signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact which claimed that Russia and Germany wouldn't fight against each other for the next ten year. This pact was broken in 1941 when Germany launched 'Operation Barbarossa', the invasion of Russia as a three-pronged attack. Hitler has said that 'We only need to kick in the front door for the whole rotten structure to come crumbling down', this was proved wrong when winter struck and cold set in. This played into the Russians hands perfectly as it eventually led to German having to retreat out of Stalingrad due to the conditions. This was Germany's greatest single defeat in the war so far and because of this their morale fell and as the warfare had been so brutal and savage there were massive losses for each side. Ever since this invasion of Russia there had been pressure on the Allies from Russia to attack Germany from the West. In 1944 they did this starting with D-Day. The repercussions

  • Word count: 580
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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To what extent may the Great Leap Forward launched by Mao in 1958 be considered a failure?

To what extent may the Great Leap Forward launched by Mao in 1958 be considered a failure? When the Communist party came to power in 1949 after a brutal war against the Nationalists, China was in a devastated state. War against Japan had resulted in the destruction of many of it's cities including Beijing. China's people were left scared with the horrific memories of the Japanese army's horrendous acts. Rescuing China from the gutter was to prove to be a difficult task for Mao Zedong and his communist comrades. In order to understand the fundamental problems with the Great Leap Forward, previous reforms must be considered in order to fully assess the reasons for the it's failures. One of China's most notorious problems was land ownership. Most of China's land was owned by cruel landlords. Peasants were being exploited and were forced to work long hours for poor pay and terrible living conditions. Mao used this in order to take a fundamental step in assuring that he had total control over the people. He introduced the policy of land reform. Mao re-distributed 40% of China's land and gave it to the peasants. This proved to be a truly brilliant political decision as he swept the hearts of the peasants on his side. He realised that as 90% of China's population were peasants, he needed to appeal to the masses. This policy was considered a success as an estimated 60% of the

  • Word count: 1517
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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Britain 1895-1918 June 2004

HISTORY UNIT 2 BRITAIN 1895-1918 JUNE 2004 a) The hsfhe phrase 'in consequence of any understanding with France' refers to the Entente Cordiale. France and Britain reached a series of agreements in 1904 known as the Entente Cordial. The agreements settled their old disputes. (There were many conflicts between Britain and France in Africa, and in 1898 these conflicts nearly brought then to a war) The most important agreement was that France recognised Egypt and the Sudan as British sphere of influence and that Britain recognised Morocco as French sphere of influence, and in addition would support each other if their spheres of influence were challenged by a third power. This report was published by a well known and established newspaper at that time, 'The Times'. This report in the newspaper was released on 1st August 1914, three days before Britain declared war on Germany. It shows that the report is anti-war and anti - Russian, 'we protest against any step.........to support Russia'. b) Source B is once again taken from 'The Times' however this source may be unreliable because it is 'adapted from a letter from the member of the public' therefore it shows the opinion of one person and doesn't represent the attitudes of the whole country if Britain should go to war. The source portrays an anti-war and an anti-German/Russian feeling. Therefore in this sense it is not useful

  • Word count: 1878
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 is one of the most significant dates in the history of Europe." How far do you agree with this statement?

"The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 is one of the most significant dates in the history of Europe." How far do you agree with this statement? Word count 1896 Europe, in 1917 was in a state of disrepair; the First World War was wreaking havoc on both the western allied front and the eastern Russian front. Although industrially backwards Russia had originally entered the war, in 1914, in high spirits, winning many victories over Germany, but by 1917 disillusionment with the regime had spread: "In two and a half years the Russians had suffered five and a half million casualties; the troops were short of ammunition, the civilian population of food; the transport system was in chaos; and the Government was so divided by petty feuds that in the last twelve months of Tsarism, there were four different Prime Ministers, three different War Ministers, and three different Foreign Ministers."1 These casualties led to dissent from the army and thus provoked the series of revolutions that had been occurring since the beginning of the twentieth century, for protests had erupted causing the Tsar, Nicolas II to establish a constitution and a legislative, (Duma) with a Prime Minister, in order to grant some democracy into the system in 1905, and in February (occurring on the eighth of March by the western calendar) of 1917 strikes and riots broke out, the troops sided with the rioters,

  • Word count: 2341
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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