SOURCES & KNOWLEDGE in partnership

PAPER 2 This paper is a test of your ability to use your knowledge of the subject content to help interpret and evaluate the sources.

KNOWLEDGE

SYLLABUS OUTLINE The focus is on Britain and how it was changing during this period. Three areas impacted on life – social changes, votes for women and the war. The degree of impact depended upon who you were and your role in society. You are expected to be able to see a ‘BIG picture’ of time you are studying.

SYLLABUS OUTLINE British Depth Study Why did the Liberal Government decide to fight poverty? How important were the social reforms? Arguments for and against women gaining the vote. Were suffragettes justified in using violence? Women’s war work: What did it achieve for women? Did the First World War help or hinder women getting the vote? How were civilians affected by the war? How was Britain organised for war? How effective was government propaganda during the First World War?

Liberal Reforms Attitudes towards the poor were changing for a variety of reasons – largely due to the social reformers and the studies they had carried out which challenged the traditional views of the time. Britain realised that the population was not strong and healthy and there were worries it could not compete. The onset of the Labour Party in 1900 so a new challenge to the power of the government as they pledged to improve conditions The Liberal Party were in fear of losing votes

Votes for Women  Along with changing views towards the poor traditional attitudes towards women were changing too.  The indutrial revolution had brought with it a whole range of jobs and many that were available to women e.g. telephonists and secretaries  Other countries were ‘moving with the times’ this did not look good for Britain on the world stage  Suffragette vs Suffragist  Violent vs Non – violent methods  Women eventually gained the vote for a number of reasons including the ir role in the First World War

Britain During the First World War The impact of the war on Britain was vast. Every person in the country was effected in some way. Recruitment Conscription Conscientious Objectors Threats of invasion – shelling, zeppelins and Gothas Organisation for war – DORA Industry Food Production Women at War Food problems Rent strikes Separation allowances Propaganda covered all of the above ares

SOURCES

WHAT SOURCES? HISTORIANS

HISTORIANS  personally involved - or physically detached?  from an opposing - or supporting - viewpoint?  writing from direct experience - or later?

WHAT SOURCES? INVOLVED INDIVIDUALS

 negative or positive experience?  writing at the time or later?  different motives?  position/role?  value of a primary source differs...

INVOLVED INDIVIDUALS   Since the Liberals came to power in 1906, every social evil in this wealthy country of ours has got worse. The cost of living has increased 12%, but the wages of the working class have increased only 1%. National Insurance is a confidence trick because working men and women are forced to make a contribution as well as paying tax. Socialism is the only solution to these problems – use the wealth of the nation for the benefit of the people.   Keir Hardie, a Labour MP, speaking in the House of Commons in 1912

WHAT SOURCES? CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNTS

NEWSPAPERS are the most used example of a contemporary - supposedly objective - account. The key questions still apply: country of origin and the possibility of national bias motivation of the writer/publisher…. Accurate report or designed for a response very contemporary/eye-witness…or more secondary/commentary style accounts is the report subject to censorship?

WHAT SOURCES? CARTOONS

CARTOONS People in the cartoon should be named Items in the cartoon should be identified Captions must be explained Things in the background are also important Underlying attitude of the author should be made clear Remember what you have learnt about this topic and try to use it in order to explain the meaning of the cartoon Exactly what the actors are doing is important in understanding the cartoon.

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CARTOON

WHAT SOURCES? PHOTOGRAPHS

PHOTOGRAPHS The key question has to be which category does the photo fit into: accurate spontaneous record staged record of an event (after the fact) staged record of an event that did not happen that way staged record of an event that never happened All the key origin and motivation questions are still relevant...

WHAT SOURCES? STATISTICS

 HISTORIANS  INVOLVED INDIVIDUALS  CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNTS  CARTOONS  PHOTOGRAPHS  STATISTICS

COMPREHENSION OF SOURCES  TIP: –go beyond what you can actually see or read; squeeze the source for what you can INFER from it. –The mark scheme level descriptions suggest that the Higher marks necessary for A*-C grades are not available if you stay with what you can see or read.

RELIABILITY OF SOURCES  TIP: –If the sources contradict each other, you should be able to make a judgment about their relative reliability –FIRST: check the attribution: Who wrote this? Why? When? So what? –SECOND: the source itself might give you clues, eg. facts you know are wrong presented to support a case, extreme language which suggests a dodgy motive

USEFULNESS OF SOURCES  TIP: –Treat every source individually, remember that not every photograph is staged, every historian subjective etc.. –Reliability affects Usefulness. –So make the reliability decision first. –If a source is biased, it isn’t necessarily useless to the historian….it just becomes evidence of something else…

INTERPRETATIONS  TIP: –The ‘Do you agree…’ type of question… You have the Sources and your Knowledge...Try and write an answer that is balanced: look for things you can agree & disagree with/both sides of the story …. Deploy the evidence from the sources - on both sides - to back up your opinion. Usually you will find that the interpretation you are invited to comment on is only partly correct… don’t be tempted into 100% agreement or disagreement