A source based study
Percentage of course time: 25%
Principal focus: Students use different types of sources and acquired knowledge to investigate key features, issues, individuals, groups and events in the study of World War I.
- the time frame of the study commences with the outbreak of war in 1914 and concludes with the Treaty of Versailles in 1919
- the students learn about statements appear as four headings with specific, relevant subject matter appearing under each heading:
– War on the Western Front
– The home fronts in Britain and Germany
– Turning points
– Allied Victory
Students learn to:
- ask relevant questions in relation to World War I
- locate, select and organise information from different types of primary and secondary sources, including ICT, about key features and issues related to World War I
- make deductions and draw conclusions about key features and issues of World War I
- evaluate the usefulness, reliability and perspectives of sources
- account for and assess differing historical interpretations of World War I
- use historical terms and concepts appropriately
- present the findings of investigations on aspects of World War I, analysing and synthesising information from different types of sources
- communicate an understanding of the features and issues of World War I using appropriate and well-structured oral and/or written and/or multimedia forms including ICT.
In investigating for the source-based study, students shall develop knowledge and skills to respond to different types of sources and relevant historiographical issues related to World War I.
Students learn about:
1 War on the Western Front
- the reasons for the stalemate on the Western Front
- the nature of trench warfare and life in the trenches dealing with experiences of Allied and German soldiers
- overview of strategies and tactics to break the stalemate including key battles: Verdun, the Somme, Passchendaele.
- changing attitudes of Allied and German soldiers to the war over time
2 The home fronts in Britain and Germany
- total war and its social and economic impact on civilians in Britain and Germany
- recruitment, conscription, censorship and propaganda in Britain and Germany
- the variety of attitudes to the war and how they changed over time in Britain and Germany
- the impact of the war on women’s lives and experiences in Britain
3 Turning points
- impacts of the entry of the USA and of the Russian withdrawal
- Ludendorff’s Spring Offensive and the Allied response
4 Allied Victory
- events leading to the Armistice, 1918
- reasons for the Allied victory and German collapse
- the roles and differing goals of Clemenceau, Lloyd George and Wilson in creating the Treaty of Versailles
