Trench Conditions In World War One
Trench Conditions During World War One Throughout World War One, soldiers lived in trenches that were originally dug by the British, French, and Germans. They stretched across Europe from the English Channel to Switzerland. The trenches were huge ditches dug in the dirt, and were used to protect each side from enemy machine guns, as well as functioning as a storage place to keep weapons and supplies, eg. guns, shells, food, etc. According to statistics taken after the war, more soldiers died in the trenches than in battle. During the first two years of war, over 3 000 000 men enlisted to join the British Army. Government propaganda showed posters that made life in the trenches seem exciting. Soldiers were made to look happy and the conditions displayed were clean. This made many people believe that life as a soldier would be fun and exhilarating, and would possibly even be better than staying at home. As the war carried on, though, most people began to realize that being a soldier wasn't all fame and glory. Less and less people began to join up; eventually, there weren't enough soldiers enrolling to replace the ones lost on the battlefield. This forced the government to introduce the system of conscription, which meant that all men of a certain age were required to serve a period of time in the army. After joining the army, soldiers began to realize that life in the
World War One History Sources Question
World War One History Sources Question . When answering this question we must first consider many things. First of all I will analyse source A. It is a secondary source which means that lots of sources have been available to the writer before he wrote it, so he could of taken them all into account. The passage is also not likely to be biased because there was no need for it to be because the war was at stalemate anyway and British troops suffered heavy losses and the country knew that. Another reason for it not to be biased was that it was for educational use. Source A could also been a one off meaning that it could of been the only time that Britain's offences failed. We however know that it was not. This photo has limitations because it just depicts the battle of the Somme and. not the whole war. Source b is a primary source. The first question we must ask is, Is it staged? To answer this we must then think what is the purpose of this photo. If it was staged then the purpose probably would have been to make the English people think that they were doing well, so that morale stayed high and so that people kept joining the army. Also this photo is just one example so this too could of been a one off because not all artillery bombardments were successful, like the one where England tried to cut the Germans barb wire by using ball bearings. This in fact tangled the wire
What is "Total War"? Discuss with reference to World War One and World War Two.
What is "Total War"? Discuss with reference to World War One and World War Two. First of all, what is "Total War"? What do we mean by it and what answer do we expect from this question? Total War is the war that affects all of society- not just armed forces, and that uses all the resources available to be able to win it. It's "the mobilization of the whole society and its resources for the war effort." In most of the countries the first Total War was the First World War. World War One started a completely new generation of wars. Before 1914 wars only affected the army and had no change on the lives of ordinary people. At earlier times small professional armies fought the wars, which means that all the men were especially trained for fighting. Well, those two wars- World War One and World War Two were different. Everyone fought them and everyone provided as much help as possible, it didn't matter whether the person was skilled or unskilled, old or young, male or female. In this essay I will also investigate why were World War One and World War Two called Total Wars. The first thing that comes to mind is the scale of war. It was tremendous. I am going to start from speaking about World War One and then later on about World War Two. World War One was a completely new style of wars, the changes were unbelievable, in fact the historians even see the World War One as "the
world war one propaganda, sources question
Question 2: Which source is more useful to an historian studying the use of propaganda in the First World War? Explain your answer using sources A and B and knowledge from your studies. Through prior knowledge, we understood that the British government had used manipulation through propaganda to form and change the attitudes and views of the general public, so that it was according to the government way of thinking. Historians suggest that three categories where designed to create this. Patriotism, moral superiority and hatred of the enemy. We learnt that, at times of difficulty, certain pressure points were used generate recruitment, at the early stages of the war, we find that patriotism was quite strong. Therefore, we understood that at different stages whether in loss or victory, different propaganda tools were used to influence the way the population, which was the real army, to act. Now that we have established this point, we have a better understanding, thus, bringing a clearer answer. Source A, is an extract from a novel: 'covenant with death', by John Harris, published in 1961. The author, a well known respected author has researched 40 years worth of sources and information. Therefore I feel that, here we have a powerful, useful source for historians studying propaganda, just from this very point. It captures a feeling of what an average person, would
Women's suffrage during World War One
History Coursework Assignment One: Objective 3 World War 1 in 1914 brought all the campaigning for women's suffrage to a standstill. The campaigners believed that serving their country was of mroe importance than coercively trying to win the vote for women, and pursuading the Government. Mrs Fawcett, the representative of the N.U.W.S.S, said this,'Women, your country needs you. Let's show ourselves worthy of citizenship, whether our claim is to be recognised or not'. In the 1917 the W.S.P.U changed it's name to the Women's Party, and the newspaper retitled Britannia. However Sylvia Pankhurst did not agree with her fellow campaigners, she persisted in her campaigning throughout the war, she spoke on socialism and pacifism. Some members of the N.U.W.S.S were also against the war, some women were totally against it, whereas some women were for the war, and launched themselves into the crusade aginst the Germans. Out of love for the country the women were willing to supprt the country and put themselves at the disposal of the Government. The fashion that the women went about aiding the Government were mainly in the fields of jobs, e.g, Maternity centres and munitions. For the extensive number of working class women, it was nothing new- these women had unceasingly gone to their jobs. Women in all different standings in society helped the country's case for the war. They
World War One Sources Questions
Sources D, E and F differ greatly in their description of the battle of the Somme, as they are three different sources, which were written at varying times by people who all had different motives for writing. Source D is a cartoon, depicting the battle of the Somme. It portrays one big fist, about to punch a hole in the German line. The view it is giving is the official British propaganda view, which under DORA, the censoring act, had to be depicted by all newspapers. The motive of this is to try and keep public moral high, and ensure a steady stream of volunteers to the army. The source was written in 1916, just before the battle when it was vital that a steady stream of recruits volunteered. The source depicts the official British army view of the battle, and it is one of staggering over-confidence. It implies the battle will be quick and easy. Source E is a diary entry from a soldier who went to the war, and fought in the battle of the Somme. This source represents the average soldiers view. It is reliable as it is a diary entry. This means it is reliable as it was written for personal reasons. It plays down what had happened, probably because the author himself was having such trouble coming to terms with it. It was written as if the soldier knew what was happening, but was not willing to write it in its full horrific details. It is possible that he was too shocked by
World War One - Source based research.
2.a) Chamberlain believed that Germany had been badly treated by the Allies after it was defeated in the First World War. He therefore thought that the German government had genuine grievances and that these needed to be addressed. He also thought that by agreeing to some of the demands being made by Adolf Hitler of Germany and Mussolini of Italy, he could avoid a European war. British people were afraid of war because some years earlier they saw the German bombing of Spain in Spanish Civil War. Some also remembered WWI and there was widespread fear of the devastating effects of war. But that was not the only reason. There was no other way to prevent the war as the League of Nations had failed in 1933. Many beleived that Hitler's demaneds were reasonable and that Germany was treated unfairly in the Treaty of Versailles. Also many politicians beleived that the real threat was communism in USSR so a strenghtened Germany would act as a barrier for USSR expansion. Another important reason was that British army needed time to prepare for war as noone was expecting another war. British people had no interest whatsoever in the problems of Chechoslovakia. Britaint was also fighting another war in the East with Japan. She was not strong enough to fight both Germany and Japan at once. B) The source is a viewpoint of the Munich Agreement of September 1938 that was printed in a British
History world war one poetry
Wilfred Owen 'Dulce Et Decorum Est Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs And towards our distant rest began to trudge. Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind; Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind. Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! - An ecstasy of fumbling, Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time; But someone still was yelling out and stumbling, And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . . Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light, As under a green sea, I saw him drowning. In all my dreams, before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. If in some smothering dreams you too could pace Behind the wagon that we flung him in, And watch the white eyes writhing in his face, His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin; If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory, The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori. Wilfred Owen The poem
To What Extent Were Germany To Blame For The Outbreak Of World War One?
To What Extent Were Germany To Blame For The Outbreak Of World War One? August 4th 1914 marks the date on which Europe fell into what has become known as "the Great War". What started as a minor squabble between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, in the space of six weeks, escalated into total war between Europe's biggest powers. Almost one hundred years later we are no closer to answering the question of who or what was to blame for it's outbreak. It is easy to assume that Germany were solely to blame, however this assumption would be incorrect. Germany did, at times have an overbearing influence, and with many factors, the underlying fault lies with Germany. However, influence of other nations, states and individuals were also significant in pulling Europe into World War One. In 1871, following a series of Prussian wars, a new nation of Germany was created which significantly altered the politics of Europe. The new Kaiser, Wilhelm II, determined the direction that this nation took, and it was his attitude that created so much fear of the new state. At times, understandably, they felt threatened and vulnerable. Already, she had found enemies in neighbours France after their crushing defeat of them in 1870, and this was to prove crucial in the next few years. On other fronts, Germany had large powers Russia and Austria-Hungary as neighbours. It is understandable, therefore, that
World war one short story coursework.
World war one short story coursework In my room, in the left corner, there is a creaky floorboard. I always could slip my finger under it and life the board up every so slightly like an envelope. Ever since I was 15 and discovered it, it has been a great advantage for me, as I could hear everything that happens downstairs, from my room. When the overall conversation downstairs changed, I found my self permanently routed to the spot. I was captured by the conversation. They were talking about my older brother, Alfred. He is always permanently in trouble, he does something different every day. However recently his attitude changed. He seems much more timid and afraid recently, but I suspect it his an act put on for mother to make him seem innocent. I don't have a close relationship at all with my brother unlike my friends. Mum is always saying that he is a man now and should be given "the chance", when this first came up in conversation I didn't fully understand. But now I do. Dad shudders at the thought. I can tell that he avoids the conversation. I was oblivious to the situation, until one night. The family gathered of a Tuesday night and we sat around the table. There was a newspaper situated in the middle. It was the centre of our focus. It was then, then I understood. I looked at Alfred, he was sitting in the shadow, like a shield from the news. But it couldn't work. We
