Download HSC Study Day Lecture Notes - Year 12 Modern History

HSC Study Day, Sydney University
World War I Lecture – Core Skills, Paul Kiem
12th June 2014
a)
b)
c)
d)
Western Front
Homefront
Turning Points
Allied Victory
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Limit the amount of detail you include
Don’t get bogged down in battles
Know key dates and turning points
For example,
Allied victory dates:
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April 1917 US entry to war
Dec 1917 Russian withdrawal
March-July 1918 German Spring Offensive
November 1918 Allied Counter Offensive
29 October 1918 German navy mutinied
11 November 1918 Armistice
June 1919 Treaty of Versailles
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Know the main developments of the war
Stalemate
War Weariness
Total War
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Reading Time: 5 minutes
Find and read essay questions
Start reading sources
Brainstorm ideas around sources and then read them again
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Multiple Choice Questions:
Answer the questions asked, there might be a correct fact but it is not the answer to
the question
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Written responses:
Be specific
Primary sources are not necessarily the best, most useful or reliable
Don’t be obsessed with bias
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Source Brainstorming:
What is the PURPOSE of the source?
For example, propaganda posters are unreliable for information but reliable for how
propaganda was used
Analysing Photographs:
What can be seen?
They are useful for illustrating conditions/the viewer can appreciate challenges,
problems being faced
Analysing Graphs:
Assume statistics are reliable
Gives you insight into the big picture
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Long response:
Make a judgement regarding both sources about usefulness, perspective and
reliability
Refer to the source – who, what, when, where, tone
Perspective
Source...
... +
Reliability
... =
Source...
Reference: AJP Taylor, The First World War, An Illustrated History
Usefulness
...
HSC Study Day, Sydney University
World War I Home Front
12th June 2014
Iconography in Propaganda:
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Bulldog represents Britain
Sausages represent Germany
British Propaganda:
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Use of the atrocity story: German barbarity and the beastiality of ‘the hun’
The case of Nurse Cavell added to this atrocity story, she was accused of helping
allied soldiers escape to Holland, she was court martialled 7th October 1915 and shot
12th October 1915
The sinking of the Lusitania, 7th May 1915, sailed from New York to Liverpool, 1000
dead (128 US citizens). This was used for propaganda purposes, posters read “Take
Up The Sword of Justice”.
Patriotism and Duty: This was used to shame and cause peer pressure, it was aimed
at women
The propaganda changed as the war changed
Promotion of the total war and war of attrition occurred
Attacks on the opponents of the war occurred
When analysing propaganda sources look at the date and work out the context and
purpose.
German Propaganda:
Aim:
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Justifying actions of German government
Vilification of Britain
Use of allied wartime atrocities
Use of stereotypes/racism
Effectiveness:
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It was less effective than allied propaganda because it was elitist and racist. This had
less of an impact of international opinion and did not impact the German working
class.
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Entry of the US in 1917 meant that Germany could not push the theme of freedom
which the allied forces could.
Changing Attitudes to War (Britain and Germany):
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Began with patriotism/duty; excitement/travel; romance/glory
Pressure from peers, women and the church occurred
Propaganda impacted the people
Economics and the ignorance of modern warfare changed attitudes, for example
after the Battle of the Somme there was desperation and hopelessness
Britain had not fought a major battle in 100 years, there was growing disillusionment
in Britain, war weariness and a sense of futility (casualty lists were published in the
newspaper)
These things led to strikes, pacifism and opposition groups
In Germany there was great suffering on the home front and inequality in the
suffering. This led to strikes, political opposition, mutiny and desertions and dissent.
Exam Tip –
When discussing the reliability of sources, use words like “suggest” – This suggests that...
or “question” – This puts into question the...
HSC Study Day, Sydney University
World War I, War on the Western Front: Events, Tactics and People
12th June 2014
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The line of trenches stretched from the North Sea to the Swiss Borders (the same
distance as Sydney to Melbourne)
There was no single front experience, they all varied
Britain did not have a large army, compared with Germany’s 4 million army
France had an army of 4 million
Russia had an army of 6 million, but not enough weapons
(1) Reasons for the Stalemate:
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1914-1918: weapons and technology of the defensive were more powerful than
offensive
Hew Stratchen says, “artillery was the key weapon of trench warfare”
Weapons used were artillery, machine guns, magazine fed bolt action rifles/barbed
wire
Tanks/gas and aircrafts were not as effective – trench depth was 2-3 metres, width 2
metres – tanks got stuck, tanks could crush barbed wire –this was the excuse used
for surrender NOT the reason for surrender
The reason that the stalemate continued was that modern industrial societies were
utilising science and technology that was able to sustain armies for months – tinned
food!
(2)
Trench Warfare:
- Tactics evolved over time
- The trenches were relatively safe, war of movement was dangerous –The Somme,
The Battle of Amiens, The Battle of Passchendale
- Tim Travers “The Killing Ground” argues that war was about 2 paradigms – morale
and weapons
(3)
Allied Strategy:
- Strict naval blockade on Germany
- The German army had to be driven out of France
- After 1916 there was a recognition that the war of attrition favoured the allies
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British, French and Russian leaders spoke of a coordinated effort but did not actually
deliver
(4)
German Strategy:
- Needed a short war
- Commitment to the Schlieffen Plan and the importance of the Western Front
- The plan failed because it was unrealistic and not executed well.
(5)
Overview of strategies and tactics:
- After the failure of the Schlieffen Plan, Germany demanded a defensive position
- Artillery failed at the Somme, tanks and gas used after that
- The American army was a potential and not an actual. It was a boost in morale for
the allied forces and forced Ludendorf to gamble with the Ludendorf Offensive. The
morale of the German soldiers was low.
(6)
Changing Attitudes Of Soldiers:
- By 1916, attitudes on both sides became dominated by a stoic and fatalistic
acceptance of the need to see it through.
HSC Study Day, Sydney University
Allied Victory
12th June 2014
(1) US entry into the war
Background:
- US neutrality favoured the allies
- The US reaction to the sinking of the Lusitania (1915) limited Germany’s ability to use
submarines.
US entered the war after attacks on US ships and the discovery of the Zimmerman
telegraph – Germany requested that Mexico attack America
Consequences of US entry was that it boosted allied morale and impacted the
German home front.
The American troops made a difference but not immediately.
(2) Russian withdrawal
- Russia withdrew on the Eastern front due to the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917
- German troops on the Eastern front could come to the western front
(3) The German Spring Offensive
21st March – July 1918
- Mobile stormtroops, rapid advance and the stalemate was broken. However, the
allies recovered
The Germans were stopped, became exhausted, ran out of reserves and were
exposed to counter attack
(4)
July-November 1918
Combined command
Effective artillery (high concentration, creeping barrage)
Combined army (infantry, tanks and air)
Use of American troops
Mobile warfare (not in trenches)
All of this demoralised the German army. 8th August “Black day for German Army” as
soldiers were surrendering.
(5)
Events leading to armistice
1917 – no side wanted “peace without victory”
January 1918, Woodrow Wilson creates his 18 points
Ludendorff Offensive fails
Allied Offensive succeeds
2nd October 1918 - Ludendorff says “We cannot win the war”
(6)
Reasons for Allied Victory
a) German was at a strategic disadvantage: war on 2 fronts; U Boat campaign
brought US into war, battles cost Germany, German allies were weak
b) German home front collapsed: The British blockade, led to starvation in 1918,
1916 Hindenburg Program took a lot of men out of agriculture (no food being
produced), 1917 the Reichstag called for peace but there were a lot of strikes
and mutinies after this time
c) US entry: Added 1,000,000 troops
d) German army defeated on western front
(7)
The Treaty of Versailles
Clemenceau: wanted to punish Germany and protect France
Wilson: wanted lasting international peace
Loyd George: wanted to protect Britian, was a realist
Result – the treaty was NOT based on the 14 points that Germany surrendered to,
Germany was blamed and had to pay huge reparations, both sides viewed it as a
harsh treaty