History@StanleyTech

Here is an amazing pile of data to download, in .xls format to open with Microsoft Excel:

RECORDED CRIME STATISTICS 1898-2005
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs/100years.xls

Best to save target as and download to your folders.

Which crimes have risen? Stayed the same? Fallen?

New crimes? Extinct crimes?

In an exam, knowledge of this will be worth LOTS OF MARKS!

Use it!

You can also see how crime statistics are reported.

The Met. Police have an interactive Crime Figures Website

The Guardian newspaper has a section about crime, HERE

The BBC reports on the annual crime survey figures, and you can
see how they have changed over recent years, HERE

Y7 Coats of Arms

2006-03-29T14:16:00.000+01:00

If you want to download the Medieval heraldic symbols to make your coat of arms at home, click on this link below:

http://www.heraldicclipart.com/catalog/index1.html

Or, you can download the whole lot together, HERE

Over 300 pieces of heraldic clipart, b&w, in GIF format, including blank achievements to use to design your own arms. It is a self extracting file so create a directory to place it in before you run it. Please view the "readme" file after extracting.

Crime during Industrial Times

2006-03-24T09:23:00.000Z

Go HERE

Download this WORKSHEET (Word Doc)

Use it to investigate the 3 case studies to answer -

Key question - did crime increase during the Industrial Age (1750-1900)?

Y9 Spring Project

2006-03-22T20:52:00.000Z

What was the turning point in WW2?

In this project you need to look at some key events in the Second World War and make a judgment on what was the one event that tipped the balance in favour of the Allies and against the Axis.

There is no right or wrong answer!

In order to get a Level 5 or above you will need to describe and analyse the importance of all the major events of the war and decide, and explain, your choice of the major turning point. You will need to explain why your choice had more of an impact on the outcome of the war than the others. Remember to show links between events and the reasons why things happened.

Some links to get you started:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/wwtwo/

http://history.acusd.edu/gen/WW2timeline/start.html

http://www.euronet.nl/users/wilfried/ww2/ww2.htm

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/WW2.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WW2

http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WW.htm

Y8 Spring Project

2006-03-22T20:21:00.000Z

Crimewatch UK!

A project about Crime and Punishment in 18th and 19th Century Britain!

Begin here, at this page of compiled links:

http://del.icio.us/learnhistory/y8springproject

Prison Life - Modern Era

2006-02-24T07:59:00.000Z

In your exam you will be required to compare and contrast prison life and conditions through the past 500 years. This page will help you make notes on what modern prison life is like.

Begin by visiting the Criminal Justice System's website, and take the interactive walk-through around a moder-day prison:

LINK
If the school has not installed Macromedia Flash 6 on your PC you may have to do the TEXT version - sorry!

Visit this website, which is the official HM Prison Service website:

LINK

Follow the links on the left hand side, beginning with 'On arrival', and make notes in your book. The website will describe what an average prisoner will expect on their arrival.

Things to consider:

Will the official prison service tell the whole truth?
Why might the whole truth not be told by the HM Prison Service?
Where would you find out more information?

Now visit this government-sponsored educational site which is aimed at discouraging children from a life of crime. It's called 'Prison, me? No Way!' There's a nice gallery of b/w photographs of prisons on the inside.

LIN K

In class you watched the DVD - 'Prisons Undercover', a BBC documentary which exposed the poor management of one of the modern, privately-owned prisons - HMP Kilmarnock. What issues were problematic?
Visit this BBC web-page to remind yourself of the programme's contents:

LINK

Finally, visit the BBC's excellent Crimefighters website to read about the history of the Prison Service:

LINK

Also featuring 'A Day in the Life of a Prison Officer':

LINK

Year Nine Spring Term Homework Project

2006-02-10T14:34:00.000Z

Topic:

World War Two

Project due in after Easter Holidays

What was the turning-point of the war?

When did the enemy’s luck run out?

Dunkirk
Battle of Britain
Capture of Enigma machine
Invasion of Russia
Pearl Harbor
Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of El Alamein
Battle of Kursk
D-Day

All of these events played a huge part in making sure the Axis powers (Germany, Japan etc) could not win the war.

Describe the importance of each one, and use maps and pictures to enhance your answers.

To get a Level 5 and above you must make a judgment on which was the biggest turning-point in the war, in your own opinion.

There is no right or wrong answer!

However you must back up your answer!

Present in a folder.

Start here for some guidance:
http://stanhist.blogspot.com/2006/03/y9-spring-project.html

Year Eight Spring Term Homework Project

2006-02-10T14:32:00.000Z

Topic: Crimewatch UK!

Project due in after Easter Holidays

Pickpockets and cutpurses
Footpads and highwaymen
Pirates and buccaneers
Smugglers and poachers
Murderers and rebels
Hangmen and executioners

Make a presentation about crimes and punishments

in the 1700s and 1800s.

You can do this in the form of a magazine, poster or powerpoint.

Loads of pictures would make your project better – but remember –

Better to write a paragraph of your own, than to cut and paste/copy loads of someone else’s. Copied/pasted writing will not be marked.

To get a Level 4 describe the people in paragraphs.

To get a Level 5 you can link reasons why crimes were common at certain times…

Begin here!

http://del.icio.us/learnhistory/y8springproject

Year Seven Spring Term Homework Project

2006-02-10T14:27:00.000Z

Topic:

Medieval Kings and Queens

Achievement Assembly

Your task is to choose which king or queen you would award these awards, and some more that you can think up!

Each award certificate you make must include a paragraph (four/five sentences) explaining your choice.

Most powerful king/queen
Most popular king/queen
Most fearsome king/queen
Unluckiest king/queen
Most evil king/queen
Stupidest king/queen
Greediest king/queen
Overall worst king/queen
Overall best king/queen
And so on!

Design your certificates to show pictures of each king/queen, some of the buildings/events/fashions of the day, some important dates and any other information you can think of.

Level 3 - You write a few sentences about each choice

Level 4 – you must write paragraphs to describe people and events in the past.

Jack the Ripper Question One

2006-02-07T12:03:00.000Z

1. Describe law and order in London in the late nineteenth century. (15 marks - approx 400 words)

Aim to write a paragraph for each of the following issues:

social, economic and living conditions in London in the Victorian age
criminal activity - types of crimes, violence etc. (INFO)
policing - the roles (INFO) , responsibilities and development (INFO) of the Metropolitan Police
the judiciary system - how the courts operated and how sentencing worked - INFO
the penal system - how offenders were punished INFO - prisons, prison conditions etc. INFO

INFO = Links to information sheets which you can download and print off. These are hosted by www.schoolhistory.co.uk , and produced by Miss Boughey of www.weatherheadhistory.ik.org . These are .pdf documents, which means that you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. Get it HERE.

Miss Boughey has also put together a brilliant guidance sheet for you, HERE

Useful Weblinks:

Transportation

2006-01-26T20:40:00.000Z

Between 1787 and 1867, over 160,000 people from Britain, Ireland and other parts of the Empire were transported to the distant continent of Australia. Prior to that, in the 1600s rebels and crooks had been transported into slavery in the West Indies, and in the 1700s to the North American colonies. As African slaves replaced British ones and the American colonies won their independence, a new place for Britain to send her unwanted people was required.

The First Fleet set sail for Australia on 13 May, 1787. 11 ships (including five warships and supply ships) carrying 717 convicts arrived in January 1788 minus 48 poor souls who died on the way. Conditions on the ships were brutal - cramped, violent and unhygienic.

The story of the transported convicts is an example of a punishment intended to remove the 'problem' of crime. In this age, it was believed that a criminal class of people were born, and the best thing was to remove them from society. This is before large numbers of prisons were built in the mid to late 1800s, and it coincides with the massive social changes that came with the industrial revolution.

In your exam you may be presented with many examples of source material, so the more you familiarise with the better. There is a wealth of resources out there - I have gathered some of the best website links here: http://del.icio.us/learnhistory/transportation. Keep checking back to it, as I will add more when I come across them.

An interesting exercise is to rummage through the various databases of convict lists, to see their names, ages and reasons for conviction. These are after all real people, and its what makes history part of us.

The task

This is designed by the man who will write your exam paper. You are advised to do it with care.
Transportation GCSE Work

Year Ten

2006-01-17T18:40:00.000Z

Contents page for Year Ten History students.

Exam Topics

Coursework

Jack the Ripper - Question One

Ashton

2006-01-17T10:04:00.001Z

Mock Exam December 2005 - G - 13% - You did very little revision, very little work all term, and were rewarded with a very little mark. Absolute lowest mark.

Coursework - BOTH PIECES NEED HANDING IN NOW

Vietnam -

Holocaust -

Current Effort - 0/5 - Give me a reason why I should enter you for the exam. When you are in school you make very little effort, despite actually showing an understanding of things during that 5% of the time in which you focus. You have a huge task ahead. It will not be easy.

Things to do -

Hand in both pieces of coursework. - 25% of your final marks.
Begin revising Germany by using this website. - 20% of your final marks.
Use the Crime Revision Checklist and the textbook to cover all of the topics in detail. You have hours and hours of revision to do, if you do not want to be bottom of the class again, so you may as well start it straight away. Crime is about 55% of your final mark.

Tyrone

2006-01-17T10:04:00.000Z

Mock Exam December 2005 - Absent.

Coursework - BOTH PIECES NEED HANDING IN NOW

Vietnam -

Holocaust -

Current Effort - 1/5 - I expected you to have brought in both pieces of coursework after your mother went to the trouble of emailing us for the questions and guidance during your unfortunate absence from school. As you can imagine we have covered a lot of material which you need to catch up on. See below for details.

Things to do -

Coursework?

Start revising Germany now, using this website. Make sure ALL aspects of Germany 1918-45 are covered.

Use your Crime Revision Checklist to keep up with and make notes upon all the necessary exam topics in this subject.

Kumar

2006-01-17T10:03:00.003Z

Mock Exam December 2005 - G - 18% - Copying the sources, inaccurate information (gas chambers at Dachau in 1933?) which should have been straightforward had you revised. Start revising now.

Coursework - BOTH PIECES HANDED IN, WELL DONE!

Vietnam -

Holocaust -

Current Effort - 2/5 - You are starting to sort things out. If getting a G (the lowest mark available) in your mock exam was still not enough of a shock to the system, what else do you need? Look at some of the others and try to work as hard as them, not 'entertain' them with your humour. You've spent quite a lot of time learning information using the Penalty Shootout game, but remember to do the exam preparation task on Transportation.

Things to do -

Improve your Germany knowledge by using this site every night.
Use the Crime Revision Checklist and make sure you are doing extra notes and research on all the topics covered.
Use the LRC instead of hanging around doing nothing at breaktimes.

Phean

2006-01-17T10:03:00.002Z

Mock Exam December 2005 - G - 19% - You wrote an awful lot without actually saying anything meaningful. You may chatter yourself out of situations but you can't do it in an exam. Revise now.

Coursework - BOTH PIECES NEED HANDING IN NOW

Vietnam -

Holocaust -

Current Effort - 1/5 - If I was in your position I would be very worried. You got the bare minimum in the mock exam, neither of your courseworks are handed in, yet you still think you can joke around in lessons and do no work at home. Where is this self-confidence coming from? Do you think the Revision Fairy will wave her magic wand over your head while you sleep? Unless you start now, you will be in pieces by Easter, waking up in a cold sweat every night thinking about how much you need to do. You spent none of today's lesson on task either. (Jan 20)

Things to do -

Coursework. Now. 25% of your final mark.
Start your Germany revision programme now. Use this site, print off pages at school, work offline or use the LRC. That's that big room with all the computers and books in it by the way.
Have you looked at your Crime Revision Checklist at all? Bought a copy of the crime textbook? Everything on that list is examined in June.

Liam

2006-01-17T10:03:00.001Z

Mock Exam December 2005 - G - 17% - Don't write 250 words for a 5-mark question! Serious lack of revision about Germany - you said the Wall Street Crash was in 1923 and the gas chambers in 1933! An amzing talent at writing meaningless prose, you also missed out a question about changing attitudes to crime.

Coursework -

Vietnam -

Holocaust - THIS NEEDS HANDING IN NOW

Current Effort - 2/5 - You are playing catch-up, in other words your lack of coursework is getting in the way of the exam preparation, just as I warned you it would last year. As you can see by your exam grade, it was a bit of a shock to the system. However there is still 50% of the Crime content to go, still! You are spending too much time on your various overdue courseworks for different subjects, and not enough keeping up with the topics.

Things to do -

Take stock. Look at what notes you have prepared already, and identify gaps in your knowledge now. Use this Germany revision website to do this.
Want to improve your exam grade, but don't know how? Read these exam tips very carefully.
Make sure your Crime Revision Checklist is being rigidly adhered to. Every single topic on that lst could come up in the exam. Did you realise that understanding of a single topic such as the Suffragettes is as valuable marks-wise as your Vietnam coursework is?

Scott

2006-01-17T10:03:00.000Z

Mock Exam December 2005 - G - 15% - You chose to ignore the set-up of the questions as they were presented and wrote what you wanted to instead. Lots of source-copying which gains no marks, and very little useful information.

Coursework - BOTH PIECES NEED HANDING IN NOW

Vietnam -

Holocaust -

Current Effort - 1/5 - I have seen a glimmer of hope in your attitude to the exam. You're going to need a huge increase in effort, both in school and at home, to climb up the grades. Don't make it harder for yourself by leaving it until Easter to revise. Start now.

Things to do -

Coursework
Build up your Germany knowledge for the exam by using this website. Don't try and do too much at once, better to get detailed understanding of a few topics than trying to overload with them all. If you start now, you will have enough time.
Your Crime Revision Checklist should be referred to at all times. Every topic on there could be in your exam, so make sure you are reading and making notes about it all.

Michael

2006-01-17T10:02:00.003Z

Mock Exam December 2005 - F - 20% - Serious lack of knowledge because you failed to do any revision. Get your revision materials together now! (See below)

Coursework

Vietnam -

Holocaust - THIS NEEDS HANDING IN TO ME NOW!

Current Effort - 1/5 - I don't know when you intend to start this course properly. If you begin your revision this month, you may surprise yourself with what you can achieve! But you must start now.

Things to do -

Germany revision. Your mock grade showed up your lack of knowledge. Improve it by using this revision site.
Use the Crime Revision Checklist to make sure that any topics you may have missed through absence/not concentrating are covered in detail. You should have bought a copy of the textbook by now.

Chris

2006-01-17T10:02:00.002Z

Mock Exam December 2005 - F - 23% - A very good essay about the support for the Nazis, but you lost a lot of points by waffling in the other Germany questions, and you didn't attempt the massive discrimination question!

Coursework

Vietnam -

Holocaust - YOU NEED TO HAND THIS IN TO ME!

Current Effort - 3/5 - Don't be put off by your mock grade - there is definitely potential to do well. Your main problem is planning your answers and sticking to the question. Use the advice below to make sure you are prepared for this.

Things to do -

Start your Germany revision now by visiting here. Print off the notes, attempt the activities, do some of the games and quizzes. You can't do enough.
Read this page carefully to see what examiners want in your answers.
Make sure you have notes on every topic in the Crime Revision Checklist.

Pearl

2006-01-17T10:02:00.001Z

Mock Exam December 2005 - F - 22% - You ignored the first 3 Germany questions (25 marks) and proceeded to waffle a page's worth of guff about the Nazis in power. Your other answers lacked any kind of structure or planning.

Coursework - BOTH PIECES NEED HANDING IN NOW!

Vietnam -

Holocaust -

Current Effort - 1/5 - I am amazed that you aren't trying harder, with a mock grade like that. You've shown me that you are, at a push, capable of answering some C-grade questions, but I doubt that you are willing to put in the effort to do it any more. This is a great shame. Too much talk and frivolity (look it up) in class, and obviously no work done at home.

Things to do -

Coursework needs typing up and giving in. (25% of your grade)
Start your Germany revision NOW. Use this website, print off notes at school, take them home, use the LRC instead of mucking around at lunchtime. Test yourself each week on what you have learned.
The Crime content makes up around 50% of the total grade. Have you bought a copy of the textbook to use at home? You must, I repeat, must use it in conjunction with your Crime Revision Checklist - at least 30 minutes EVERY NIGHT.

Nana

2006-01-17T10:02:00.000Z

Mock Exam December 2005 - F - 22% - No wonder you didn't put your name on the answer sheet - you missed out on the second and third questions on Germany (20 marks worth), waffled a very poor essay on discrimination, missed out the last crime essay (ran out of time - 15 marks worth), but your essay about the Nazis in power was at least a C-grade effort.

Coursework

Vietnam - THIS NEEDS HANDING IN TO ME

Holocaust -

Current Effort - 2/5 A step up from last year but still a lot more needed. Your biggest enemy is yourself, you are trying to run before you can walk. I mean you are spending too long doing the basic things like making notes. Start with the essentials - what, where, when, why, how. Make some key bullet-points about a topic, then flesh it out with more details which you will then try to understand and memorise.

Things to do -

Use this website to revise your Germany knowledge. Do the 'Interactive Revision Diagrams' for each of the topics, so you get used to planning longer answers in an exam.
Go to this page to learn what you need to do to get a higher exam grade.
Use the Crime Revision Checklist and treat it like your passport to success. Make sure you are reading ahead and covering EVERY topic on that list.

Lloyd

2006-01-17T10:01:00.003Z

Mock Exam December 2005 - F - 24% - More waffle than Birdseye as you wrote a random stream of thought which went off on a tangent. In other words you didn't revise and tried to bluff it.

Coursework - BOTH PIECES NEED HANDING IN NOW!!!

Vietnam -

Holocaust -

Current Effort - 1/5 - You are an intelligent student who is capable of digesting the information and retaining it. But you're not taking yourself seriously, and time is running out. Before you even think about tackling some exam questions, you need to do some intensive revision before half-term, otherwise you will have too much to do.

Things to do -

Coursework - typed and handed in.
Buy copies of both textbooks - Crime and Germany.
Use the Crime Revision Checklist to keep up with the content - we are flying through the course and you need detailed notes about everything.
Spend some time on this website to revise the Germany topics.

Stefan

2006-01-17T10:01:00.002Z

Mock Exam December 2005 - F - 23% - For a C-grade student this is unacceptable, and you must begin your revision programme immediately!

Coursework - BOTH PIECES HANDED IN, WELL DONE!

Vietnam -

Holocaust -

Current Effort - You seem to have taken your foot of the gas since Year Ten, which is quite worrying, as we still have a lot of exam content to cover. Make sure you are doing additional work at home, even though the exams may seem 'ages' away. They aren't.

Things to do -

Type up your coursework, and email me a copy ...dhumphreysATstanleytech.co.uk

Use this website to begin your Germany revision programme. This is a priority.

Use your Crime Revision Checklist to read ahead through the exam topics in your personal textbook. This is also essential before the main revision regime begins.

Richard

2006-01-17T10:01:00.001Z

Mock Exam December 2005 - E - 28% - Serious lack of revision, as well as not thinking about the questions you were answering.

Coursework - BOTH PIECES HANDED IN, WELL DONE!

Vietnam -

Holocaust -

Current Effort - You are missing quite a lot of school lately, so all the exam topics we are covering in class are not being covered by you. Use the revision checklist and make sure you use a personal copy of the textbook to cover them in your own time.

Things to do - Go back and revise the Germany topic by using this site.

Rajibur

2006-01-17T10:01:00.000Z

Mock Exam December 2005 - E - 35% - Some very good long answers, but you missed out an 8-mark question about Versailles, and the big question about approaches to discrimination! If you had answered these to the standard you did the others you'd have got a C!!

Coursework - BOTH PIECES HANDED IN, WELL DONE!

Vietnam -

Holocaust -

Current Effort - 4/5 - A good effort in class, you focus on the work and always do your best.

Things to do - Use both textbooks at home, read ahead using the revision checklist as a guide. Keep up with your Germany revision by regularly using this site.

Lennox

2006-01-17T10:00:00.003Z

Mock Exam December 2005 - D - 38% - Too much time spent waffling and copying the sources (no marks for that) meant you ran out of time to plan the final essays properly. Confused answer about the 1923 hyperinflation too - why mention the 1929 Wall Street Crash?

Coursework - BOTH PIECES HANDED IN, WELL DONE!

Vietnam -

Holocaust -

Current Effort - 3/5 You concentrate well in class, but I don't think you follow up your class work with enough study at home.

Things to do - Go over the Germany topic by visiting this revision site.

Luke

2006-01-17T10:00:00.002Z

Mock Exam December 2005 - D - 42% - Better on Germany than the Crime sections where you tended to waffle too much without gaining enough marks.

Coursework - BOTH PIECES NEED HANDING IN TO ME

Vietnam -

Holocaust -

Current Effort - 3/5 - Fairly good concentration and effort in class, but not enough being done at home. Don't leave it too late.

Things to do - To cut down on the 'waffle', you need to plan your exam answers better. Go to this page and try the 'Interactive Revision Diagrams'. They will make you an expert in planning out answers to get at least a C grade.

Sonny

2006-01-17T10:00:00.001Z

Mock Exam December 2005 - D - 40% - Good broad knowledge but lacking in the depth needed to get a C grade at the moment. Revise more, simple as that.

Coursework

Vietnam -

Holocaust - THIS NEEDS TO BE HANDED IN TO ME

Current Effort - 3/5 - Good effort in class, and you seem to have knuckled down, but remember, to get the 'depth of knowledge' required for grades above D, you need to do more work at home.

Things to do - Make a revision timetable, and do the activities on this page to build up your Germany knowledge. Read ahead in the Crime book as well, using the Revision Checklist as a guide.

TK

2006-01-17T10:00:00.000Z

Mock Exam December 2005 - C - 50% - A good section on Germany, but you ran out of time so need to work on your time-management.

Coursework - Both pieces handed in, well done!

Vietnam -

Holocaust -

Current Effort - 4/5 - Good effort in class but do you do much at home? You should be reading at least 15 minutes of History each evening, and making notes.

Things to do - Try the Interactive Revision Diagrams on this page at home. Time yourself on each one, as they are great for planning essay questions and extended writing answers.

Stas

2006-01-17T09:59:00.000Z

Mock Exam December 2005 - C - 54% - A good result for a mock exam, but you lost marks in the Germany section and need to revise this. Start at this website.

Coursework

Vietnam -

Holocaust - YOU NEED TO HAND THIS IN TO ME

Current Effort - 4/5 - Good effort in class, but I am not sure that you do enough at home.

Things to do - Read ahead in the textbook which you should have bought by now.

Osman

2006-01-17T09:56:00.000Z

Mock Exam December 2005 - A - 65% - Fantastic result and a reward for excellent note-taking, further reading and study.

Coursework - BOTH PIECES HANDED IN, WELL DONE!

Vietnam -

Holocaust -

Current Effort - 4/5 - Very studious, good concentration and all-round good effort.

Things to do - Make sure you read ahead in the Crime textbook which you should have purchased by now. Refer to the Exam Checklist and cover all the topics on the list.

General Strike, 1926

2006-01-13T08:23:00.000Z

This another favourite with examiners. In 1926 the British government sent tanks and troops onto British streets to stop British people from getting any fancy ideas about fair pay and human rights!

Winston Churchill, the then Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer, said:

"It is a conflict which, if it is fought out to a conclusion can only end in the overthrow of parliamentary government or its decisive victory."

The ruling class of Britain (the landowners, business owners, the press, the church etc) feared a communist revolution like the Russian one in 1917. The 1920s was a period of economic depression. In 1926 the wages for coal miners was lowered and their working hours lengthened. They were going to have to work longer, for less pay! They went on strike and refused to dig coal out of the ground. Other workers went on strike in support of the miners. Over two million people went on strike and Britain was paralysed.

The government called upon the army and special constables to guard middle-class volunteers who helped to break the strike by driving public transport and supplies. These rich people were not skilled workers and four people were killed and 35 injured in train crashes. Over 5,000 people were arrested and over a thousand people were imprisoned. On the whole however relations between strikers and normal police (as opposed to the middle-class volunteer special constables) was generally good-natured.

The government siezed the supplies of newsprint because printworkers refused to print their propaganda. Two rival newspapers gave opposing views - the British Gazette written by the bosses and the British Worker by the workers. The BBC refused to give the points of view of the strikers and even called them 'traitors'. As the transport system was stopped, food prices rose within the week by 50 per cent. The organisation of trades unions, the TUC, did not want an open insurrection and revolution. They sought a compromise with the government which would end the strike. The miners were furious and remained on strike for another seven months until they were forced through poverty and hunger to return to work having lost all their demands.

Typical exam questions are:

Why was the General Strike unsuccessful?
Was the government's response to the strike different to similar protests a hundred years earlier?
Compare the responses to the General Strike of 1926 and the Kett Rebellion of 1549.

For further reading, visit this links page:

http://del.icio.us/learnhistory/general-strike

Read as many primary documents from the time as you can, especially issues of the British Worker and the British Gazette if you can find them online.

Task

1. Complete a table showing the tactics used by the two sides in the General Strike. (6)

Tactics used by the strikers
Tactics used by the government

2. Which tactics were the same as those used in or against protests in the nineteenth century? (6)

3. Which tactics were new? (6)

4. How important do you think the new tactics were in winning support? (6)

5. Explain how far the police response to the strikers was familiar to the police response to the 1889 Dock Strike or to the Suffragettes. (6)

Suffragettes

2006-01-12T10:45:00.000Z

The story of the suffragettes could come up in Exam Paper 1 as part of the Extension Topic about Protest and the Government Response. You may be asked to compare the methods and results of the movement with another major protest, such as the Kett Rebellion of 1549 or the General Strike of 1926.

You will need to know the following:

What the situation was? Why did they campaign?
Who were their leaders? How were they organised?
What were their methods - peaceful and/or violent?
What was the government's response?
What were the results in the short and long-term?
Did any other factors play a part in the story?

Useful Links can be found here:

http://del.icio.us/learnhistory/suffragettes

Today's ICT Lesson about the Suffragettes can be found here:

http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/politics/g9/

This is an interactive gallery highlighting some important primary documents about the topic. It has been compiled and published by the man who writes your exam paper - Chris Culpin.

Download this Worksheet to help you understand the Gallery. Print it off and complete with pen, or complete it on the computer and print it off.

Revise the Topic

When you are happy with your notes, and need to revise the topic, visit the site below and complete the revision diagram:

http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/lessons/crimepunishment/suffragettes.shtml

What was the best tactic?

Y7 ICT: Castles Powerpoint

2006-01-11T10:45:00.000Z

The icon for PowerPoint

Microsoft Powerpoint is a great piece of software for making presentations of your work.

It can include moving pictures (animation), sound and even video content!

We are going to begin by making a simple presentation about castles.

Your presentation will have:

a title page
some pages showing the different types of castle through history
pictures of these castles
moving words, letters and animation
your original writing
an end page

You will research the internet and use books to find out how and why castles changed. You will describe the main features of each type of castle, and show real-life examples of them. You will also explain how castles were defended and attacked, and why castles fell out of use.

This will take a while to complete, so do not rush it!

You may begin by reading this introduction about castles:

LINK

The first type of castle to find out about is called the 'Motte and Bailey' castle. In your presentation I want to see a picture of a motte and bailey castle, which you have labelled using arrows and labels.

Use my links page to find out more about castles:

LINK

Mock Exam Results

2006-01-08T21:21:00.000Z

The recent mock examination really sorted the men from the boys. They showed that in history, good results go to those who are prepared to work very hard and revise thoroughly. Some students who in the past had achieved good grades may have got complacent or even over-confident.

Here are the results, along with a brief note of advice:

Osman - A - 65% - Fantastic result and a reward for excellent note-taking, further reading and study.
Stanislav - C - 54% - A good result for a mock exam, but you lost marks in the Germany section and need to revise this.
Takudzwa - C - 50% - A good section on Germany, but you ran out of time so need to work on your time-management.
Luke - D - 42% - Better on Germany than the Crime sections where you tended to waffle too much without gaining enough marks. Buy the textbook.
Sonny - D - 40% - Good broad knowledge but lacking in the depth needed to get a C grade at the moment. Revise more, simple as that.
Lennox - D - 38% - Too much time spent waffling and copying the sources (no marks for that) meant you ran out of time to plan the final essays properly. Confused answer about the 1923 hyperinflation too - why mention the 1929 Wall Street Crash?
Rajibur - E - 35% - Some very good long answers, but you missed out an 8-mark question about Versailles, and the big question about approaches to discrimination! If you had answered these to the standard you did the others you'd have got a C!!
Richard - E - 28% - Serious lack of revision, as well as not thinking about the questions you were answering.
Lloyd - F - 24% - More waffle than Birdseye as you wrote a random stream of thought which went off on a tangent. In other words you didn't revise and tried to bluff it.
Stefan - F - 23% - For a C-grade student this is unacceptable, and you must begin your revision programme immediately!
Chris - F - 23% - A very good essay about the support for the Nazis, but you lost a lot of points by waffling in the other Germany questions, and you didn't attempt the massive discrimination question!
Pearl - F - 22% - You ignored the first 3 Germany questions (25 marks) and proceeded to waffle a page's worth of guff about the Nazis in power. Your other answers lacked any kind of structure or planning.
Nana - F - 22% - No wonder you didn't put your name on the answer sheet - you missed out on the second and third questions on Germany (20 marks worth), waffled a very poor essay on discrimination, missed out the last crime essay (ran out of time - 15 marks worth), but your essay about the Nazis in power was at least a C-grade effort.
Michael - F - 20% - Serious lack of knowledge because you failed to do any revision. Get your revision materials together now!
Phean - G - 19% - You wrote an awful lot without actually saying anything meaningful. You may chatter yourself out of situations but you can't do it in an exam. Revise now.
Kumar - G - 18% - Copying the sources, inaccurate information (gas chambers at Dachau in 1933?) showed you had done no preparation. Start revising now.
Liam - G - 17% - Don't write 250 words for a 5-mark question! Serious lack of revision about Germany - you said the Wall Street Crash was in 1923 and the gas chambers in 1933! An amzing talent at writing meaningless prose, you also missed out a question about changing attitudes to crime.
Scott - G - 15% - You chose to ignore the set-up of the questions as they were presented and wrote what you wanted to instead. Lots of source-copying which gains no marks, and very little useful information.
Ashton - G - 13% - You did very little revision, very little work all term, and were rewarded with a very little mark.

Y7 - Life without the Romans

2006-01-04T13:24:00.000Z

In this part of the course we will look at what happened when the Romans stopped ruling Britain. In 410 A.D. the Romans decided to look after the defence of Rome and the legions were gradually removed from our island.

Spend some time here to remind yourself about the Romans:

Roman Britain

Then, spend some time here:

Iron Age Britain - The Celts

What were the Britons like?

When the Romans were leaving, another set of people from abroad invaded - the English! They were from what is now called Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands, and were known as Anglo-Saxons. They were fierce warriors and showed little mercy to the British, who fled westwards.

Spend 10 minutes at this site:

The Anglo-Saxons

What were the main differences between the three peoples - the Romans, The Britons and the Anglo-Saxons?

Year Eight

2005-12-19T14:37:00.000Z

Contents Page for Year Eight History Students

Spring Term Homework Project -
Crimewatch UK

Diseases, medicine and the Bill of Mortality

Xmas Homework - Cromwell, Charles and the Civil War

Year Seven

2005-12-19T14:36:00.000Z

Contents Page for Year Seven History Students

Year Seven Coats of Arms

Spring Term Homework Project -
Medieval King/Queen Achievement Assembly Certificates

ICT - Powerpoint Task - Castles

History Web Research - Life without the Romans

Xmas Homework Project - What the Romans did for us...

Year Nine

2005-12-19T14:32:00.000Z

Contents Page for Year Nine History Students

Spring Term Homework Project -
World War Two - What was the turning-point?

D-Day: Band of Brothers
FREE! Band of Brothers Magazine!

Political Views - Take the Test

World War 1 - The Somme - 'Lions led by Donkeys?' Assignment

Xmas Project - Family History in the Twentieth Century

Y9 - Family History Project

2005-12-19T14:26:00.000Z

“Twentieth Century Family History”

The Xmas holidays are a time when many families get in contact. Your task is to use this time to ask them about their time during the last century. Do they remember the war? Rationing? Emigration to Britain? The Swinging Sixties? Flares and Sideburns in the 1970s? What about the Thatcher Years?

Ask your relatives what they remember about the local area and their lives during the Twentieth Century. Are there any interesting stories?

Presentation: either on paper, or be creative and record interviews for a multimedia presentation. The choice is yours.

Y8 - Cromwell, Charles and Civil War

2005-12-19T14:02:00.000Z

“Cromwell, Charles and the Civil War”

Describe what happened when Britain had a Civil War in the 1640s. Who were the Roundheads, Cavaliers and Clubmen? What was the New Model Army? What weapons and tactics were used? Include pictures, maps, drawings and writing (in your own words).

For research, you could download some of these worksheets from
SchoolHistory.co.uk which will help you understand more:
LINK
You will need to use Adobe Acrobat Reader to see them and print them off.

Check out the links on the right-hand side of this website for more help.

You can present this work as a booklet, poster or Powerpoint.

Prizes awarded in the New Year.

Y7 - What the Romans did for us.....

2005-12-19T13:31:00.000Z

Xmas Holiday History Project

Year Seven

“What the Romans did for us…”

Describe in words and pictures the things in Britain which are a result of the Romans being here – from food and drink, to roads and places, to words and names and things we say and do.

Start by visiting doing this online lesson at Schoolhistory.co.uk.

Produce your work in the form of a booklet, poster or even a Powerpoint presentation!
Prizes awarded in the New Year.

Look out for more links to useful websites on the right hand side of this website.

GCSE Mock Exams

2005-11-25T08:07:00.000Z

Pre-mock test on Weimar...download the revision sheet by clicking the link below...

WEIMAR GERMANY Thanks to Redruth School in Cornwall!

Results here

Lennox 29 (26)
TK 28 (25)
Rajibur 23 (25)
Stas 21
Luke 21 (18)
Richard 18
Nana 27 (17)
Stefan 28 (16)
Liam 20 (15)
Sonny 25 (14)
Lloyd 20 (12)
Phean 11
Kumar 11
Michael 13 (10)
Scott 12 (8)
Chris 17 (7)
Pearl 24 (3)

Results in brackets are for the first test - see how an extra week of revision helps? See how you need to start revision early? Who made the biggest improvement?

Y9 - WWI - Somme - Lions led by Donkeys?

2005-11-22T13:11:00.000Z

To download a copy of the 'Lions led by Donkeys' worksheet, hosted at www.schoolshistory.org.uk, click below and 'Open' using Word, or 'Save' to your disk.

LINK

Useful research links:

Spartacus Encyclopaedia: The Somme
This is useful for school students.

FirstWorldWar.com: The Somme
This is for adults and has lots of information.

BBC History: The Battle of the Somme
A straightforward history of the battle.

Lions led by Donkeys? An exhibition at the Learning Curve.
Just the ticket to help you with this.

GCSE Coursework Holocaust Q3

2005-11-11T15:05:00.000Z

"3. In what ways did the Nazis attempt to eliminate all Jews in Europe from 1941 onwards?" (20)

Here is the final essay - you must describe and explain key features of the mass-killings which took place from 1941 onwards in eastern Europe. You must show an understanding of these key words and terms:

Einsatzgruppen
Concentration Camps
Extermination Camps
Deportation
Ghetto
Zyklon B
Auschwitz-Birkenau

Remember to research these terms and read at least three different websites which describe them to get an accurate idea. The Holocaust Encyclopaedia at Spartacus is, again, a good place to start reading.

When using the Internet however, beware, as there are groups of people who will either exaggerate or try to play down, or even deny the events. That's why good historians will look at a lot of sources of evidence. If using a website or a book, refer to it in your answer as you would a source of evidence.

To get a Level 4 in this answer (which means an A or an A*) - the mark scheme says you must produce a "sustained argument supported by precisely selected knowledge showing understanding of the changing policies, from deportation to the use of Zyklon B etc." Only by doing this will you get 16-20 marks for this question.

More sources were included by the examination board for your use here:

SOURCE F: A description of the actions of an Einsatzgruppe in 1941. This was written by a German builder.

The people who had got off the lorries had to undress on the orders of an SS man, who was carrying a dog whip in his hand. Without weeping or crying these people undressed and stood together in family groups embracing each other and saying goodbye. I watched a family of eight. An old woman with snow white hair held a one year old baby. The father held a ten year old boy.
I walked to the huge grave. There were about 1,000 bodies, so tightly packed that only their heads were visible. The people, completely naked, climbed down steps and stopped at the spot indicated by the SS man. They lay down. They I heard a series of rifle shots. I looked into the grave and saw bodies contorting.

SOURCE G: From the minutes of a meeting of leading Nazis at Wannsee on 20 January 1942
In the course of the final solution, the Jews will be brought to the East for labour. Large labour gangs will be formed, with the sexes separated, which will work on road construction. No doubt a lot of them will drop out through natural wastage. The remainder will have to be dealt with accordingly.

SOURCE H: From the memoirs of Rudolf Hoess, who was Commandant of Auschwitz camp

The railway carriages were unloaded one after another. After leaving their luggage the Jews had to pass in front of an SS doctor, who decided if they were fit to work. Those fit enough were taken off in small groups.

The remainder were taken to the crematoria. The men were separated from the women. In the undressing room Jewish prisoners told them that they were going to be bathed and deloused. After undressing they went into the gas chamber, which was furnished with showers and water pipes and looked like a real bath house.

I had visited the Treblinka camp where the Commandant used carbon monoxide gas and I did not think his methods very efficient. So at Auschwitz I used Zyklon B. Another improvement we made was to build gas chambers that could hold 2,000 people.

The doors were screwed up and the gas released through vents in the ceiling. It took from three to fifteen minutes to kill everyone. We usually waited about half an hour before we opened the doors. Work then started on removing the gold from the teeth and cutting the hair from the women.

GCSE Coursework Holocaust Q2

2005-11-11T14:40:00.000Z

"2. Why did the Nazis' treatment of the Jews change from 1939-45?" (15)

This question wants you to write an essay using the elements of causation - why things happened, which led to other things, which led to...and so on. Let's remember the key dates here.

1939-45

What happened during those years? If you don't know, jump out of the nearest window! As we do not study the ins and outs of WW2 in this course, you'll need to get clued up on what happened. Yes, Germany invaded Poland on 1 September, 1939, but what happened next?

Study the timeline at the HistoryPlace and record Germany's war offensive.

In 1933 around 500,000 people were classed as Jews in Germany according to the census. Over half of them fled the country between 1933 and 1939. The German government charged Jews high taxes to leave, so it was mainly the poorer Jews who stayed behind.

Most of the European Jews lived in Poland and the USSR however, so when Germany invaded these countries in 1939 and 1941, taking huge areas of land, millions more Jews came under their control. Many leading Nazis regarded this large Jewish population as the 'Jewish Problem'. A 'Final Solution' to this problem would be needed.

Research the Wannsee Conference and use what you have found in your answer. Also write about the huge demand for slave labour by German businesses like Krupps, Siemens and BMW. Include information about the building of more work camps, and how they came under the control of Heinrich Himmler's SS movement.

Don't mention the death camps yet, save that for Q3.

You can of course refer to this source as evidence, as well as any other quotations you come across elsewhere:

SOURCE E: From a letter written by a German Jew in February 1939. This was smuggled out of Germany and published by the German Freedom Party.

Two SS men came to my house to fetch me. When about twenty people had been collected we were put into a lorry and taken to police headquarters. One the way I saw Jewish shops which had been destroyed. The big synagogue was in flames.

At the police station we lined up in the yard. There were already hundreds there. Some had been there since early morning. About six o’clock we were formed into a procession of about 2,000 and began to march to the railway station. Crowds lined the streets, some shouted abuse, but the majority remained silent.

GCSE Coursework Holocaust Q1

2005-11-11T09:26:00.000Z

"1. Describe how Jews were discriminated against in Germany from 1933 to 1939." (15)

This is a stratghtforward describing task. Write an essay showing how the Nazi Party (NSDAP or National Socialists) passed laws which were aimed at discriminating against the Jewish minority in Germany. Don't mention the gas chambers or the Final Solution or Auschwitz or anything like that - that's later on.

Key things to include:

Rise in discriminatory laws regarding employment and property
Boycotts of Jewish-owned businesses and shops
SA (Brownshirts/Stormtroopers) and local NSDAP members organising anti-Jewish campaigns
The Nuremburg Laws of 1935
Segregated education and public facilities
Coming to a head in the Kristallnacht events of 9 November, 1938

Aim to write around 425-450 words on this.

The following sources may or may not be used, as well as any others you find elsewhere, but don't forget to reference them!

These websites are very useful. Take some time reading them:

Holocaust Encyclopaedia at Spartacus

SOURCE A: From the Nuremberg Laws, September 1935

Only a National of Germany or similar blood, who proves by his behaviour that he is willing and able loyally to serve the German people and Reich is a citizen of the Reich.
A Jew may not be a citizen of the Reich.
Jews have no vote; they may not fill any public office.
Marriages between Jews and citizens of German blood are forbidden.
Sexual relations between Jews and citizens of German blood are forbidden.

SOURCE B: From a report on the events of Kristallnacht, 9 November 1938. This was written by the US Consul in Leipzig on 21 November 1938

In one of the Jewish sections an 18 year old boy was hurled from a three storey window to land with both legs broken on a street of broken glass. The main streets of the city were a positive litter of shattered glass. All of the synagogues were completed gutted by fire. One of the largest clothing stores was destroyed. The fire brigade made no attempts to put out the fire. It is very difficult to believe, but the owners of the clothing store were actually charged with setting fire to their own store and were dragged from their beds at 6.00 am and thrown into prison. Many male Jews have been sent to concentration camps.

SOURCE C: From a secret report of the Nazi Supreme Court on the events of Kristallnacht
On the evening of 9 November 1938, Dr Goebbels told the Party Leaders that there had been anti-Jewish riots during which shops and synagogues had been set on fire. The Fuhrer had decided that such actions were not to be prepared or organised by the Party, but neither were they to be discouraged. The Reich Propaganda Director said that the Party should not appear in public to have started the disturbances, but that in reality it should organise them and carry them out in secret.

SOURCE D: Decrees issued by Hermann Goering 12 November 1938

All damage of Jewish businesses or dwellings on 8, 9 and 10 November 1938, because of the indignation of the German people over the actions of the international Jews against National Socialist Germany, must be repaired by the Jewish occupant or Jewish businessman.

The cost of repairs will be borne by the owners of the businesses or buildings concerned.

Insurance claims by Jews of German nationality will be confiscated in favour of the Reich. A fine of 1,000,000,000 Reich marks has been imposed on the Jews of German nationality.

From 1 January, 1939, a Jew cannot be a businessman any longer. If any Jews are leading employees in businesses, they will be dismissed after six months notice. Jews are not permitted to employ female citizens of German blood under 45 years of age as domestic help.

GCSE Coursework Holocaust Introduction

2005-11-11T07:58:00.000Z

This is the second piece of coursework, and the final one! It makes up 12.5% of your final exam grade, and is marked out of 50. The word limit is 1,500 words. This tests Assessment Objective 1 which is your essay-writing skills. Treat it like 3 essays.

Before you start the work you will need to have studied:

The Nazi State: policies towards the Press; civil liberties; political parties and opponents.
The belief in the Aryan Master Race.
The treatment of minority and religious groups.
The increasing persecution of the Jews and the Final Solution.

You should have purchased a Germany 1918-45 textbook for your revision purposes, which you can also use for this coursework. If you still haven't, here are some suggestions:

Discovering the Past: Germany, 1918-45 (Discovering the Past for GCSE S.)
Greg Lacey , Keith Shephard , Schools History Project

Click here to purchase from Amazon. From £8.50

Essential Germany 1918-45: Students Book (Essential... S.)
Dale Banham, Christopher Culpin

Click here to purchase from Amazon. From £7.99. This is less detailed than the above book and easier to get to grips with.

Germany 1919-45 (Hodder 20th Century History S.)
Richard Radway

Click here to purchase from Amazon. From £6.67

Germany 1918-45 (Longman History Project)
Josh Brooman

Click here to purchase from Amazon. From £6.00

GCSE Coursework Vietnam Q5

2005-11-10T20:32:00.000Z

The final question, and it's like an essay, where you have to argue a point, for 14 marks. What is it that you have to argue about? Someone's statement or opinion. This is the question:

"Question 5. Study all of the sources. The writer of Source I believed that television played an important part in changing people's attitudes to the Vietnam war. Use the sources, and your own knowledge, to explain whether you agree with this view." (14)

Of course, by answering Question 4 you examined how public opinion to the war had changed. You looked at some of the events which cause this change in opinion. But how did the American public get to hear of these things? Television must have played a big part. Let's see what Source I is all about.

SOURCE I: From an article about the war in Vietnam published in The Spectator, a British magazine, July 1972
What television really wanted was action in which men died cleanly and not too bloodily. When the viewers get a film which shows what a mortar does to a man, really shows the flesh torn and the blood flowing, they get squeamish. They want it to be like the cinema.

Have a good think about this statement. You might be used to lots of blood and gore in modern DVDs and video games like Vice City. But thirty years ago films were quite different. Soldiers gave out a moan and died bravely like heroes. The blood, guts and mangled skin and bones was not shown. Suddenly the news was showing it though, and what's more, this time it was real! TV crews were allowed access to the military goings-on and the aftermaths of battles for the first time in history.
In fact, the impact of TV journalism in the Vietnam war meant that governments would go a long way in preventing such access from happening again. Pictures of wounded Americans and the coffins carrying the dead are BANNED in the US media now, by orders of the Whitehouse!
Remember to consider the provenance of the source. If you don't know what this 'provenance' word means still, look it up!
The Spectator magazine is a famous English magazine which comments on news and current affairs, from the point-of-view of the Conservative, right-wing, pro-business, ruling-class and pro-American section of society. One might expect them to back the Americans to the hilt and defend the war. However - look at when this was printed - 1972.
The Americans were losing the war and trying to find any way possible of getting out without losing face to their flag-waving public. The pro-war set will be looking at all the excuses possible about why they didn't manage to beat a small, poor, Third World country with their rag-bag pyjama-wearing army who used recycled weapons and bamboo-punji-traps!
That's not to discount the impact of television on the American people. Even their mainstream broadcasters were beginning to question their masters. Walter Cronkite in particular (their version of Trevor MacDonald) was very critical of the war and the tactics employed. Pictures of injured and dead soldiers and marines flashed across the TV sets of the USA every evening. Have a Google and see if you can find any articles which give you more understanding. Make sure that you reference any websites or articles you use.

For maximum marks you will need to use all the sources and your own knowledge and research. Good luck! Remember - introduction, arguments for and against, and a conclusion....

GCSE Coursework Vietnam Q4

2005-11-10T19:30:00.000Z

Here come the biggie questions! Four sources and your own knowledge! We're entering into mini-essay territory, and the hardest thing here will be not writing too much - remember the word-limit for the whole piece is 1,500 words.

The question asks why the American people changed their minds about the Vietnam war between 1967 and 1970. Presumably they did support it, and within a few years, they changed tack and opposed it. Why?

Here are the four sources:

SOURCE E. You've just seen that, it's the table you used in Question 3.

SOURCE F: From a letter written by a US soldier fighting in Vietnam in 1969
Christmas came and went, marked only by tragedy. I’m tired of going to sleep and listening to rockets and mortars and artillery. I’m sick of facing every day a new bunch of kids ripped to pieces. They’re just kids – 18, 19, their whole lives ahead of them, cut off. I’m sick to death of it.

SOURCE G: From an article published in Time Magazine in January 1970. This described a massacre of Vietnamese civilians in My Lai in March 1968. It was written by a US army reporter who was present at the time
Troops accosted a group of women, including a teenage girl. A GI grabbed the girl and started
stripping her. A photographer jumped in to take a picture of the group. The picture shows the
thirteen year old girl trying to hide behind her mother.
Then a soldier asked, “Well what’ll we do with them?” “Kill them,” said another soldier.
I heard a light machine-gun go off and when we turned around, all of them and the kids were dead.

SOURCE H: A photograph taken in My Lai in March 1968. This was taken by a US army photographer.

Time to look at how the question is worded.

"Question 4. Study Sources E, F, G and H. Use the evidence of these sources, and your own knowledge, to explain why public opinion about the war in the USA changed between 1967 and 1970." (12)

None of the sources give us evidence about what changes in public opinion there were. That's where you bring in 'your own knowledge'. Do a Google and try and find out. I'm not doing it for you! Suggested search terms could be 'public opinion', 'vietnam war', 'american', 'opinion polls', 'pro-war', 'support' and so on. Use your brains. You won't get over half-marks unless you present evidence of your own knowledge/research.

Now read up about the My Lai massacre. Again, this is easy to find on the web, and I'm not going to explain it all heer for you. However, I want you to find out when it was revealed to the American public, by whom and how they reacted. Once you've done this you'll be in a better position to answer this question.

To get high marks here, you'll need to show you've done all the above and used all the sources in a balanced and well-argued way. You'll need to mention the impact of other events such as the Tet Offensive of 1968, the mass-bombing campaigns by the American air force and the rise in the anti-war protests and the impact of the draft (conscription). Good luck!

GCSE Coursework Vietnam Q3

2005-11-10T18:58:00.000Z

Again, more than one source, and more marks - ten in fact! This question is known in the trade as the 'utility' question - you'll get one or two like this in your exam. 'Utility' means usefulness. How useful are the sources as evidence in finding out something? Here's the exact question...

"Study Sources D and E. How useful are these sources as evidence of the public reaction in the USA to the Vietnam war in the mid 1960s?" (10)

Now - before we look at the sources, let's look at why we are looking at them! We need to suss how handy they will be in helping us learn what the American people thought about the war during the mid 1960s. Did they support it? Did they oppose it? Can these sources help us find out? That is all the question wants you to answer, nothing else.

Time to look at these two new sources.

SOURCE D: From an article in Newsweek, a US magazine; this was published in 1967
Television seems to have encouraged a majority of viewers to support the war. 64% said television had made them feel like backing up the boys in Vietnam. 26% felt moved to oppose the war.

SOURCE E: Results of opinion polls in the USA in the 1960s

Mark Twain, the nineteenth-century American author (who wrote Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn) famously said, "...there are lies, damn lies and statistics". He cleverly said that statistics are used by all sorts of people to back up their arguments. The same set of statistics are sometimes used by two opposing sides in a debate! How statistics are gathered and for what purpose can really affect how useful they are for us as historians. How statistics are presented is also important. Look for adjectives and opinionated words. A bunch of figures saying that a load of people like something will have what effect? Make more people like it or less?

Source D is from the magazine Newsweek. (It is still going, and quite an influential magazine in the USA. Here is their website.) Magazines and newspapers NEVER present news even-handedly or in an unbiased way. They are always presenting a point-of-view. They could be really pro-government, or really anti-government. They could be pro-war, or anti-war. A quick Google using the terms 'newseek' and 'vietnam' reveals this web page: "Washington Post and Newsweek Defend Vietnam War" which makes us understand Source D a little better. Of course, the web page itself is biased, but remember, NOTHING is UNBIASED.
Let's look at how Newsweek presented the stats...do the words 'backing up the boys' give us a clue?

Source E is a table presenting the results of opinion polls in the USA. We'd like to know about the sample of the survey - large/small, rich/poor, urban/rural, black/white, young/old, male/female and so on. We don't have this information, so all we can do is assume that it's a fair sample. To show you really know your onions, you'd explain (briefly) what events had caused the public to focus on the issues given between 1961 and 1964. As you can see, from 1965 onwards, the public seem to regard Vietnam as being the most important problem facing the US. Was this by a huge amount? We don't know. Were any other polls contradicting this? We don't know. Furthermore - what makes the public think of certain things? The media of course, so is this poll merely reporting what they themselves have been banging on about all year?

To get over half-marks on this, make sure you analyse both sources!

GCSE Coursework Vietnam Q2

2005-11-10T14:42:00.000Z

Now, this question is asking you to use more than one source. Obviously, you will get more marks - eight in fact! This is the question:

"Study Sources A, B and C. Do sources B and C support the evidence of Source A about the reasons for US involvement in South Vietnam?" (8)

You're going to need to do what you did with Source A in Question 1, with two more sources (B and C). You are ALSO going to have to explain whether these two sources agree (support) or disagree (contradict) with Source A.

Let's look at these next two sources.

SOURCE B: From a statement made by the US State Department in 1956
The war in Vietnam is not a spontaneous and local rebellion against the established government.
In Vietnam a Communist government has set out to conquer a sovereign people in a neighbouring state.
North Vietnam’s commitment to seize control of the south is no less total than was the commitment of North Korea to take the South in 1950

SOURCE C: From A Rumor of War, written by Philip Caputo in 1977. Caputo volunteered to fight in Vietnam
War is always attractive to young men who know nothing about it.
We were persuaded to go into uniform by Kennedy’s challenge to “ask what you can do for your country.”
The USA had never lost a war and it seemed that we were ordained to play cop to the communist robber and spread our political ideas around the world.
The rare occasion when the VC chose to fight a set-piece battle provided the only excitement, but beyond adding a few more corpses to the body count, these encounters achieved nothing.
Our mission was not to win terrain, but simply to kill.
The pressure on unit commanders to produce enemy corpses was intense. It is not surprising that some men acquired a contempt for human life.

Okay. Let's look at who wrote each source. Source B comes from the State Department. This is the section of the American government which deals with foreign affairs. They are explaining how they see the growing civil war in South Vietnam. Rather than seeing the crisis as an internal affair between the South Vietnamese government (who the US was supporting) and local communist rebels, the USA wanted to present this to the world as a foreign communist invasion, under the influence of the Chinese or the Soviets. They choose to ignore the fact that Vietnam was only divided up into North and South two years earlier, in 1954.
You will need to see this in the context of the Cold War - the struggle between the capitalist USA and the communist USSR (Soviet Union). Between 1950 and 1953 a brutal war was fought in Korea, with the USA supporting the South and the USSR and China supporting the North. For more information, read the BBC History site.

Does Source B support or contradict Source A? How and why?

Now for Source C! This is written by a Vietnam Veteran - a former marine who chose to go and fight in Vietnam. He went there as a volunteer, so must have had good reason to do so. Whether he really understood what the war was about is a different matter, as he says in the first sentence. Look at the reasons he gives as to why he and other young men joined up. He mentions Kennedy, who gave us Source A. It suggests that many Americans put their whole trust in their presidents and don't really question what is happening - 'My country right or wrong', 'Love it or leave it' are common phrases used by patriotic Americans even today.
Caputo adds a further dimension - the reality of war on the ground, far away from the halls of the US government. He states that their orders are simply 'to kill', and increase the 'body count'. He didn't think that they were actually helping the Vietnamese people, as Kennedy implied they were there to do, but massacring them. This of course contradicts Source A.

To do really well, read this interview with Philip Caputo at the CNN website.

To get over half marks in this question, you must analyse both B and C and compare them to A.

GCSE Coursework Vietnam Q1

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This is an easy four mark question to get you started. You must answer this question:

"What can you learn from Source A about the reasons for US involvement in South Vietnam?" (6)

SOURCE A: From a book written by John F Kennedy, a US Senator, in 1956

Vietnam is the cornerstone of the Free World in Southeast Asia.
If the red tide of communism overflowed into Vietnam, then Burma, Thailand, India,
Japan, the Philippines and obviously Laos and Cambodia would be threatened.
The independence of Vietnam is crucial to the Free World.
Vietnam’s economy is essential to the economy of all Southeast Asia.
Vietnam’s political liberty is an inspiration in all parts of Asia.

Only four marks, but quite easy to get all four here. The question wants you to read between the lines in the quote, that is, to see if there is any hidden meaning in what John F Kennedy is saying. To do this, you've got to have some background knowledge first! We'll go over the basics!

Who wrote it?
John F Kennedy - who four years later became president of the USA in 1960. He was the youngest ever president and a very popular person with the young. In 1956 he was a senator, which is like an MP in the USA.
Why did he write it?
He is writing a book for the American people to read, and hopefully support him. He wants to show them that he will be tough on Communism, which is a way of life the Americans want to stop. He is trying to persuade the American public that getting involved in Vietnam, a country on the other side of the world, is a good thing, even if it means going to war. Think about how the current president, George W Bush, and his friend Tony Blair are always trying to persuade us that going to war in Iraq is a good idea!
How is he trying to persuade us that war is necessary?
Look at his use of language...he calls America's friends the 'free world'. 'Cornerstone' means the most important place in the world. In other words, the future of the world depends on Vietnam staying friendly with the USA!
He describes a 'red tide' (red is the colour of communism) 'overflowing' into countries in South East Asia. This implies that communism is coming from other countries and swamping new ones. Who can stop this? America of course, like a Marvel super-hero!
He talks about Vietnam's 'economy', i.e. the way they run things. If Vietnam was communist, they wouldn't be helping out American business interests the way that they would like. It's crucial for them that they can influence Vietnam.
He talks of 'independence' and 'liberty' like the only way Vietnam can have these things is if the USA sorts it out for them. A contradiction, but for Americans, words like these keep them believing that they are the World's Policeman. (Like in the film - Team America!)
How do I go about answering this?
Begin your answer like this...
"Source A suggest that..... . It was written by ....., who was ..... . He states that .... . This implies that.... . Furthermore, ..... . I know this because it says ..... ."
Remember to use a thesaurus and a dictionary. A thesaurus is handy because it gives you alternative words so you don't keep repeating yourself.
Here is an online thesaurus.

GCSE Coursework Vietnam Introduction

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What is it?
This coursework allows you to show how well you can use sources of evidence in history. There are five questions, starting with easy ones for a few marks and ending with a meaty one, giving 50 marks in total.
How does it count to my final grade?
This, and the other piece of coursework, makes up 25% of your final GSCE grade. Because you need about 50% to get a C grade and above, doing well in your coursework is very important to give you a good leg-up for the exam.
Who will mark it?
Your history teacher will mark it according to the mark scheme (which can be found at the end of your handouts). A few of these will be chosen at random by the exam board (Edexcel) to be forwarded to an examiner to check that they are okay.
What if I don't do the coursework?
You don't get the grades.

How will this website help me?
I will go through each question one by one, and go over the sources with you, just like we would in a lesson. What I cannot and will not do is answer the questions for you - it's coursework, remember!
The key thing is that you begin thinking before you attempt the question. I can't stress this enough.
You have to think about what the question wants. You have to think about the context (time and place in history) in which the source comes from. You have to think about how the mind of the examiner or teacher works.
The information here will not be enough - you need to have studied the topic, as we did, already. If your knowledge is patchy, get a book from the LRC, or look on the web for history sites about Vietnam. My site will give you the basics, so start there.

How can I give in my work?
The old-fashioned way of handing in a piece of paper is fine, but as you're on the internet right now, you could always email it to me. Send your work as a WORD document to:
dhumphreysATstanleytech.co.uk
(Replace the AT with @)

Welcome to the Stanley Tech History Blog

2005-11-09T20:34:00.000Z

First time here?

You an expect homework help, lesson notes, coursework guidance, revision help and useful links here at www.stanhist.blogspot.com

Mr. Humphreys