Modern history marathon... (2 Viewers)

[Amaranth_]

I hope this works... if not, I'll just answer my own questions sigh

rules:
if you decide to play and answer the question, you must then post a question of your own



I'll start with


Identify 3 main reasons as to why a stalemate developed on the Western front. (3 marks)

 

[Balls2u]

because swag

 

[Amaranth_]

-.-

getseriousbrah

 

[JT145]

I'm up for it

Mainly due to failure of the Schlieffen Plan.

Von Moltke diverted soldiers from the western (right) flank to defend against Plan 17 and the Russians

Russians mobilised quicker than expected

Belgian resistance (Liege held out for 12 days)

Supply issues for Germans (128km between front and supply bases) because of quick advance

off the top of my head!

Battle of the Marne, soldiers dug in. = Trench warfare.

This correct?

 

[Amaranth_]

I'm up for it

Mainly due to failure of the Schlieffen Plan.

Von Moltke diverted soldiers from the western (right) flank to defend against Plan 17 and the Russians

Russians mobilised quicker than expected

Belgian resistance (Liege held out for 12 days)

Supply issues for Germans (128km between front and supply bases) because of quick advance

off the top of my head!

Battle of the Marne, soldiers dug in. = Trench warfare.

This correct?

Yeah that's good, also remember to refer to the sources on the day

EDIT: you could also mention the nature of weaponry at the time - machine gun = defensive weapon rather than offensive and plan 17

 

[JT145]

Military tactics were suited to a war of movement, not a war of attrition as well?

Amaranth which national study, personality and conflict study are you doing? I'm doing Germany, Leni Riefenstahl and Conflict in Europe (WWII).

 

[Amaranth_]

Military tactics were suited to a war of movement, not a war of attrition as well?

Amaranth which national study, personality and conflict study are you doing? I'm doing Germany, Leni Riefenstahl and Conflict in Europe (WWII).

You could also mention that but remember, a 3 marker will ask for you refer to a source

Dude wth.. I do almost the same topics...

germany, leni and cold war

post a new question up

 

[bedpotato]

Um...

What strategies/tactics were implemented in order to break the stalemate?

 

[JT145]

Give me your thesis and topic sentences for this question (and a few historians)

Evaluate the impact of the policy of appeasement on international relations between the years 1935 and 1939

 

[JT145]

Um...

What strategies/tactics were implemented in order to break the stalemate?

Okay. Off the top of my head

1916: British introduction of the Mark I tank (in the Somme I think?). Haig began the offensive in order to break German resolve and to provide a distraction to the German attack on Verdun.
Actually Haig's overall belief in the offensive (Passchendaele) despite large losses.

German use of mustard gas

The establishment of new fronts (Gallipoli, Salonika, Italian Front)

EDIT: after reading back through my notes I see that also Britain's naval blockade and Germany's U-boat campaign that turned unrestrictive in 1917.

 

[Amaranth_]

Um...

What strategies/tactics were implemented in order to break the stalemate?

not sure how many marks this question is worth but...

you could mention:

'over the top' tactics which failed to have a significant affect as it left troops in 'no man land', armed with heavy equipment thus, ultimately resulting in increased numbers of casualties

The creeping barrage which was mainly utilised by Haig

the battle of Verdun - German commander Faklenhayn's prior knowledge that the due to the historic nature of the sight the French troops would be forced to defend it, resulting in French being occupied in two different areas

most significantly though, the battle of Somme which was regarded as the bloodiest battle by AJP Taylor, resulting in more than 60 thousand British casualties in the first day. Even though the attack was a failure, Haig claimed " a war of attrition", which further highlights the commander's lack of knowledge in modern warfare tactics.

also mention the technological advancements made in weaponry, IE the tank and flamethrower

Give me your thesis and topic sentences for this question (and a few historians)

Evaluate the impact of the policy of appeasement on international relations between the years 1935 and 1939

lets stick to ww1 for now


new question:

To what extent was the Russian withdrawal in 1918 the most significant turning point? 10 marker

 

[JT145]

Marks? I'm assuming 5?

Okay. I would say it was the most significant turning point for the following reasons

1. It provided Germany 400k troops to be moved to the Western Front after annihilating Russia.
1(a). Britain loses an ally but in turn does not need to supply aid through Archangel (which was literally an Allied dumping ground, poor rail system in Russia meant that food would rot while waiting to be loaded)
2. These 400k troops moved to the Western Front and started Ludendorff's Spring Offensive. (main point) Ludendoff saw that a longer war would have the higher possibility of the Allies winning due to the US input (9 million men?) and the Naval Blockade of Germany which sparked mass starvation on the Homefront.
3. The beginning of the Spring Offensive on March 21, pushed Allies until August 8, with the Allied counter-offensive.

 

[Amaranth_]

Marks? I'm assuming 5?

Okay. I would say it was the most significant turning point for the following reasons

1. It provided Germany 400k troops to be moved to the Western Front after annihilating Russia.
1(a). Britain loses an ally but in turn does not need to supply aid through Archangel (which was literally an Allied dumping ground, poor rail system in Russia meant that food would rot while waiting to be loaded)
2. These 400k troops moved to the Western Front and started Ludendorff's Spring Offensive. (main point) Ludendoff saw that a longer war would have the higher possibility of the Allies winning due to the US input (9 million men?) and the Naval Blockade of Germany which sparked mass starvation on the Homefront.
3. The beginning of the Spring Offensive on March 21, pushed Allies until August 8, with the Allied counter-offensive.

Forgot to put the worth but that's about right lol

question?

 

[JT145]

Assess the impact of tactics using new weapons in attempts to break the stalemate on the Western Front (2008, 10 marks)

Sorry...

 

[Amaranth_]

Assess the impact of tactics using new weapons in attempts to break the stalemate on the Western Front (2008, 10 marks)

Sorry...

Thesis: New technological advancements had a significant impact on tactics in attempts to break the stalemate on the western front.

once the war of movement had seized, the defensive nature of the weaponry in early war meant that stalemate would eventually concur.
-both sides launched offensives to attempt and overcome the stalemate
battles:

Battle of Verdun - Falkenhayn launched a strategic offensive on the historical town of Verdun knowing that the French would be forced to defend it - in attempts to "bleed the French white"
whole French army served at Verdun.
following initial success, German casualties numbered 330 thousand, compared to the French 350 thousand.

Technological advancements saw the use of the Tanks in the battle of Somme.
Impact was significant, however, initially, they were labelled by English general Haig as "toys".

Whilst the battle of Somme relieved the pressure at Verdun, it holds the record for being the bloodiest battle, with 60 thousand British casualites on the first day of combat.
the attack was deemed as a huge failure, and Haig claimed "a war of attrition"

Battle of Passchendaele:
aimed to capture Belgian ports of Ostende and Zeebrugge which were being used by german submarines
poor weather ultiamtely ruined any hope of a successfull attack as constant rain left battlefields muddy which resulted in tanks, men and supplies becoming bogged.
- British gained 10km

Gas: had a detrimental impact on the mental state of soldiers as it was mainly feared rather than fatal.
however, production of gas masks made gas useless. - the three different types of gas: phospehene, mustard and chlorine.

Heavy artillery: with the ability to fire shells upto 20km, the impact was significant in attempts to weaken enemy trench lines before an infantry attack.





Account for the changes in attitudes on the home front through out 1914 to 1918. (10 marks)

 

[JT145]

Account for the changes in attitudes on the home front through out 1914 to 1918. (10 marks)

Okay. Doing the following off the top of my head, gonna look at my notes later

Changes in attitudes on the homefront occurred in both Britain and Germany throughout the course of the war.

Britain

Originally homefront support was extensive and highly positive, with recruitment numbers very high. This was down to the excitement of war, a fear of 'missing out', pressure to conform, a desire to protect Belgian neutrality as well as government propaganda encouraging enlistment.

However homefront support dropped significantly after the destruction of the BEF by Germany and the Battle of the Somme which incurred many Allied casualties (idk exact number but Amaranth said 60k in the first day). This forced the government to introduce conscription and total war in the same year with the aim of uniting the British homefront behind the troops. However attitudes changed further with the Uboat campaign and the introduction of rationing; at one point Britain were down to 10 days supply of bread.

Germany:

Support was also very high with conscription automatically enforced due to Germany's authoritarian government. This enabled an army of (10 mil?) and little dissent towards the government. However the naval blockade increased hardship and mass starvation with the 1917 winter. The German ersatz campaign was also introduced to battle the naval blockade but new innovations could not hide the severe lack of resources that Germany had. The army mutinied in 1918 and forced the abdication of the Kaiser who handed power to Max von Baden (or something).

That's all I can grab off the top of my head

After looking at notes others include

Britain: David Lloyd George and his positive attitudes towards the working class

Germany: polarised politics, some favoured war, some did not

Explain the impact the war had on women's lives and experiences in Britain

 

[koreafantasy]

Omg screw you, I get a hard question. ok.

Prior to the war, women in Britain were seen as the traditional housewife in the kitchen, staying in the kitchen, and living in the kitchen never to see the light of day.
During the war, all the men were conscripted into the army (1916 onwards) or volunteered to go shoot some germans. This meant that the empty spots in the workforce left by these men which were vital to the war effort had to be filled. child labour is really slack, so women had to step in and take over the munitions, the noncombat military roles, and office jobs.
After the war, contrary to most opinions, women actually went back to the kitchen, stayed in the kitchen and lived in the kitchen.

The impact the war had on women was actually not at all significant, as their work frenzy only lasted as long as the war lasted.

Assess the notion that the failure of the Spring Offensive of 1918 was the driving factor in the German Defeat!

 

[enoilgam]

Thesis: New technological advancements had a significant impact on tactics in attempts to break the stalemate on the western front.

once the war of movement had seized, the defensive nature of the weaponry in early war meant that stalemate would eventually concur.
-both sides launched offensives to attempt and overcome the stalemate
battles:

Battle of Verdun - Falkenhayn launched a strategic offensive on the historical town of Verdun knowing that the French would be forced to defend it - in attempts to "bleed the French white"
whole French army served at Verdun.
following initial success, German casualties numbered 330 thousand, compared to the French 350 thousand.

Technological advancements saw the use of the Tanks in the battle of Somme.
Impact was significant, however, initially, they were labelled by English general Haig as "toys".

Whilst the battle of Somme relieved the pressure at Verdun, it holds the record for being the bloodiest battle, with 60 thousand British casualites on the first day of combat.
the attack was deemed as a huge failure, and Haig claimed "a war of attrition"

Battle of Passchendaele:
aimed to capture Belgian ports of Ostende and Zeebrugge which were being used by german submarines
poor weather ultiamtely ruined any hope of a successfull attack as constant rain left battlefields muddy which resulted in tanks, men and supplies becoming bogged.
- British gained 10km

Gas: had a detrimental impact on the mental state of soldiers as it was mainly feared rather than fatal.
however, production of gas masks made gas useless. - the three different types of gas: phospehene, mustard and chlorine.

Heavy artillery: with the ability to fire shells upto 20km, the impact was significant in attempts to weaken enemy trench lines before an infantry attack.

I think with an answer like this, you are focusing more on tactics as opposed to weapons. You needed to look more at weapons like gas, tanks, artillery and even the machine gun. Even though you did that, it needed to be the focal point.

 

[Amaranth_]

I think with an answer like this, you are focusing more on tactics as opposed to weapons. You needed to look more at weapons like gas, tanks, artillery and even the machine gun. Even though you did that, it needed to be the focal point.

Yeah, in an exam situation, I would have embedded the new weapons and related them to the battles as tactics and strategies to overcome the stalemate, while also using sources A and B

 

[enoilgam]

Yeah, in an exam situation, I would have embedded the new weapons and related them to the battles as tactics and strategies to overcome the stalemate, while also using sources A and B

Fair enough. On that previous question, if you have a really solid bank of knowledge and have read widely, you could really bring a unique analysis to the table.