World War I: Past Questions in the Hsc

WAR ON THE WESTERN FRONT STUDY GUIDE 2015

FORMAT

The World War I section of the exam is worth 25 percent, and consists of two parts:  Part A: This section of the paper is worth 15 marks.  There are six multiple choice questions. Each requires you to make a judgment about one of the sources. They are worth one mark each.  There are normally wo questions requiring you to use your own knowledge and the sources—one worth 4 marks and the other worth 5. Your answers should be between 10 and 15 lines long. You could also be asked to write a longer answer for one question (say, 17 lines) and a shorter one for the other question (say, 8 lines).  Part B: There is one question on the usefulness, reliability and perspective of two of the sources (E and F). It is worth 10 marks, and requires an answer of up to two pages.  You must answer these questions in the exam paper – not in the booklets provided. The booklets are reserved for the essays (on Vietnam and Russia).  There are six documents in the source booklet.

TOPICS

 Either two or three topics from World War I are examined each year, however you must study every topic in the syllabus because you have no choice about which questions to answer. (Please note that only one topic was asked in 2011, but this was the old exam format.)  The following is a list of the topics covered each year since 2002. The more recently these topics were examined, the less likely it is that they will be in the paper this year. Please note, however, that topics can be examined in consecutive years, so you cannot afford to ignore any one of them. Study everything!

2014 The nature of trench warfare; attempts to break the stalemate. 2013 Reasons for Allied victory; impact of total war on civilians in Britain and Germany. 2012 Changing attitudes to the war; recruitment and propaganda. 2011 Attempts to break the stalemate. 2010 Nature of trench warfare; changing attitudes of soldiers on the Western Front; the Paris Peace Conference. 2009 Reasons for stalemate in 1914; women in Britain during the war. 2008 Tactics and weapons used in attempts to break the stalemate; changing attitudes on the home front in Britain and Germany. 2007 The Ludendorff Offensive and Allied Victory; changing attitudes of Allied and German soldiers to the war. 2006 Impact of US entry into the war; Total War on the home front in Britain and Germany. 2005 Trench Warfare: attempts to break the stalemate; nature of trench warfare. 2004 The Paris Peace Conference. 2003 Trench warfare: experiences of soldiers in the trenches; the Christmas Truce. 2002 Changing attitudes and expectations of soldiers and civilians during the war. In the list below, the bolded topics have not been asked in the past four years. You should give them high priority when studying for this year’s exam.

1. War on the Western Front  the reasons for the stalemate on the Western Front (2009)  the nature of trench warfare and life in the trenches dealing with experiences of Allied and German soldiers (2003, 2005, 2010, 2014)  overview of strategies and tactics to break the stalemate including key battles: Verdun, the Somme, Passchendaele (2005, 2008, 2011, 2014)  changing attitudes of Allied and German soldiers to the war over time (2002, 2007, 2010, 2012)

2. The home fronts in Britain and Germany  total war and its social and economic impact on civilians in Britain and Germany (2006, 2013)  recruitment, conscription, censorship and propaganda in Britain and Germany (2012)  the variety of attitudes to the war and how they changed over time in Britain and Germany (2002, 2008, 2012)  the impact of the war on women’s lives and experiences in Britain (2009)

3. Turning points  impact of the entry of the USA (2006)  impact of the Russian withdrawal  Ludendorff’s Spring Offensive and the Allied response (2007)

4. Allied Victory  events leading to the Armistice, 1918  reasons for the Allied victory and German collapse (2007, 2013)  the roles and differing goals of Clemenceau, Lloyd George and Wilson in creating the Treaty of Versailles (2004, 2010)

Clearly, the bolded topics are the ones to emphasise when studying World War I, since they haven’t come up for some time. Here’s what to study, in order of priority:  impact of the entry of the USA. This topic hasn’t been asked since 2006.  impact of the Russian withdrawal. This topic has never been asked.  Ludendorff’s Spring Offensive and the Allied response. Last asked in 2007.  reasons for the stalemate on the Western Front. Last asked in 2009.  the impact of the war on women’s lives and experiences in Britain. Last asked in 2009.  the roles and differing goals of Clemenceau, Lloyd George and Wilson in creating the Treaty of Versailles. Last asked in 2010.  the variety of attitudes to the war and how they changed over time in Britain and Germany.

However, you must study EVERY topic in this section of the course. You can’t afford to leave anything out.