Paper 2 – What are we going to cover in intervention lessons?

CONTENT

- The Liberal Reforms- Votes for Women- The Home Front during WW1

SOURCES

- Comparing sources.- Message of sources.- Purpose of sources.- Analysing sources for usefulness.- Analysing sources for reliability.- Analysing sources for typicality.- Writing answers to judgement

questions.

There is nowhere near as much content to remember as for Paper 1. However, the content you do need to know is absolutely essential. Use the small Paper 2 revision guide and the three quizzes at the back to make sure you’re up to speed with all the key content for the three topics above.

The five questions on this exam are testing your HISTORICAL SKILLS in ANALYSING SOURCES. You need to use your contextual knowledge, but the main point is to show off how well you can analyse historical sources.

What are the questions I need to be asking about sources?

CONTENTWhat does it actually SAY at face value?What does it IMPLY (things it hints at but doesn’t directly say)?What is the overall TONE of the source (positive? Negative? Critical? etc)What does the source NOT SAY – what is MISSING?Is what the source says TYPICAL or is it expressing an unusual point of view about something?

PROVENANCEWho wrote the source – does this affect its value as a piece of evidence? Is the person likely to give a biased point of view?When was the source written – will the person have the full picture of what happened? Are they writing a long time after the event?Why was the source written – what was the author or artist trying to achieve? Have they exaggerated or missed out some information just to get their point of view across?What is the intended audience – did the author write this privately in a diary, or in a private letter to someone, or was it a speech for the whole country to hear? How does this affect the value of the source?

ASK ALL THESE QUESTIONS ABOUT EACH SOURCE YOU USE AND TRY TO GET AS MANY OF THESE INTO YOUR ANSWER AS POSSIBLE. COMMENTING ON THE CONTENT AND PROVENANCE OF SOURCES WHILE USING YOUR OWN CONTEXTUAL KNOWLEDGE IS THE KEY TO THIS EXAM.

Key Topic 1: Liberal Reforms

Key Q1: What were living and working conditions like for the poor in the 1890s?• Poverty and

misery• Unregulated work

= no job security or rights

• Jewish immigration = low wages

• Most couldn’t vote.

• No old age pensions or unemployment benefit.

• Terrible working conditions.

Key Q2: What was being done about the poor in the 1890s?A FEW PEOPLE TRIED TO HELP THE POOR:• Anglican Christian Social Union – made ‘whitelist’ of ‘good’ employers.• Gustave Dore – painted pictures of London poverty• Andrew Mearns – wrote pamphlet about conditions for th epoor.• Charities such as Dr Barnardo’s tried to help the most unfortunate people.LITTLE HELP FOR THE POOR BECAUSE:• Most believed the poor were poor through their own fault.• MPs were unpaid, so only the very rich could be MPs.• Laissez-faire attitude – government should not intervene to help people – they should

help themselves.THE POOR LAW & THE WORKHOUSES• Workhouses – for homeless/jobless people to earn their keep doing jobs in the

workhouse. Also for abandoned or orphaned children and physically and mentally ill.• Workhouses were as grim as possible so people wanted to avoid them.• No reading and writing allowed; women and children kept separate; uniform worn.• Stripped and bathed on arrival; made to eat bad food and do unpleasant jobs.

Key Topic 1: Liberal ReformsKey Q3: How did social reformers raise awareness of poverty in the 1890s?• BOOTH – Wealthy businessman; collected information about the poor in London; published 17 books;

proved that virtually all the poor were deserving poor (deserved help as it was not their fault).• ROWNTREE – Similar but in York; collected huge amount of evidence to show that 27% of York’s

population lived below the poverty line; found that poverty was not the poor’s fault and was down to national economic downturns.

• Both were taken seriously because they were rich, successful, respected businessmen.

Key Q4: What were the Liberal Reforms?• 1906 School Meals Act – free school meals for children from poorer backgrounds• 1907 School Medical Inspectors – forced schools to provide medical services for children.• 1908 Children & Young Persons Act – made children ‘protected people’; said parents could be

prosecuted for neglect; made child life-insurance illegal.• 1908 Old Age Pensions Act – automatic (but small) pensions for over 70s (most didn’t live to 70

anyway).• 1909 Labour Exchanges – ‘job centres’ to find short-term work for the unemployed.• 1911 National Insurance Act – a fund into which worker, employer and government would pay each

month, and this would pay out SOME money if the worker lost his job or become unwell.

Key Topic 1: Liberal ReformsKey Q5: WHY did the liberals introduce all of these reforms?• SOCIAL REFORMERS – Booth and Rowntree’s work convinced people that something needed to be done about

poverty and that the government had a DUTY to help.• DAVID LLOYD-GEORGE & WINSTON CHURCHILL – Both were leading politicians who strongly believed that the poor

should be helped by the government (DLG was from a very poor background).• POLITICAL RIVALRY – The Labour Party had created and promised to help the poor, so the Liberals and Conservatives

needed to help the poor or risk becoming unpopular.• INCREASED AWARENESS – More and more charities publishing research showing the conditions for the poor, for

example revealing that the poor were smaller and thinner than the rich, and their life expectancy was only 45.• THE BOER WAR – Half the British soldiers were found to be unfit for service because they were too unhealthy or thin

or weak, which convinced the government to do something to help or risk losing wars.• THE WORKFORCE – Britain needed a strong, healthy workforce to keep up with countries like Germany and USA

where workers were treated better and were producing more.

Key Q6: Why did people criticise the Liberal Reforms?• TOO FAR – Some people thought the reforms were way over-the-top• NOT FAR ENOUGH – Others thought that the reforms had not done enough to help the poor.• TAXES – Rich people didn’t want to pay taxes to help others.• LAZINESS – People thought the poor would now get lazy and get ‘something for nothing’.• LAISSEZ-FAIRE – Many still believed it wasn’t the government’s business to interfere in people’s lives.• EMPLOYERS – Many bosses were not happy about contributing to life insurance.

Key Topic 2: Women

Key Q1: What was the position of women in the late 1800s?• Earned less; fewer legal rights; lost their rights

when they got married; barred from high-paid professions; couldn’t vote

Key Q2: What were the arguments for and against votes for women?• FOR: Most men could vote; women could now

own property; women could now go to university; women could vote in local elections; women paid tax; parliament’s decisions affected women; women were more likely to be church-goers

• AGAINST: Beliefs that women were too inferior, unintelligent and emotional; women didn’t fight in wars; the ‘purity’ of women should not be soiled by politics; woman’s place is at home; more important issues such as Ireland or WW1.

Key Q3: How did women campaign for the vote?Suffragists• NUWSS (National Union of Women’s Suffrage)• Leader: Millicent Fawcett• Law-abiding and peaceful.• Calm persuasion and gradual change.• Aimed to convince men that women were worthy of the

vote.• Had many male supporters.• Often criticised for being too slow and polite.Suffragettes• Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU)• Led by Emmeline Pankhurst.• Ex-Suffragists frustrated by lack of progress.• Tactics: Vandalism; disruption of political meetings;

physical attacks on politicians• Aim was to get publicity for ‘votes for women’ campaign.

Key Topic 2: Women

Key Q4: How did people react to the Suffragettes?• 1911: Prime Minister Herbert Asquith promised a

‘Conciliation Bill’ to satisfy everyone.• The Suffragettes agreed to stop their campaigns,

but then Asquith changed the Bill at the last minute, removing the bit about votes for women.

• Suffragists responded with marches.• Suffragettes resumed and increased their violence,

smashing windows, setting fire to post-boxes, damaging cricket pitches and golf courses, etc.

• Emily Wilding Davison at the derby.• Hunger-strikes in prison brought much publicity

for Suffragettes.• Cat & Mouse Act was brought in by the

government saying starving Suffragettes would be released from prison until they were fit enough to return to prison. This way, it ensured that no Suffragettes died in prison and publicity of hunger-strikers was reduced.

Key Q5: How effective were the ‘votes for women’ campaigns?Suffragettes• Achieved publicity.• 40,000 people read the Suffragette monthly magazine

‘Votes for Women’.• Admired by many for their bravery and extremism.• Sympathy for hunger-strikers• Most Suffragettes were posh, middle-class women and

most working-class women had no interest in them.• Never had more than 2,000 members.• Violent tactics meant a lot of people turned against the

‘votes for women’ campaign.Suffragists• Used the media well.• Dignified and organised – won many supporters.• Campaigned on other issues as well such as education.• Often ignored in the news because Suffragettes were

more dramatic.

Key Topic 2: Women

Key Q6: How did women contribute to the war effort during World War One?• When WW1 broke out, the ‘votes for women’ campaigns stopped.WOMEN’S ORGANISATIONS DURING THE WAR• Order of the White Feather• Mothers’ Union published posters urging sons to join up.• Active Service League encouraged all men to join up.WOMEN’S WORK IN THE UK DURING THE WAR:• Shortage of workers because of men going to war.• OFFICE WORK: Women easily replaced men in half a million office jobs.• MANUFACTURING JOBS: At first, employers were reluctant to take on

women, but by 1916 there were millions of women workers in factories.• MUNITIONS JOBS: Women’s main contribution was working in tiring,

dangerous jobs in munitions factories, with frequent accidents as well as longer-term health problems.

• WOMEN’S LAND ARMY: Recruited female workers to work on farms and help make Britain self-sufficient.

WOMEN’S WORK IN THE ACTUAL WAR:• Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) did jobs such as driving and office

work in the armed forces.• Voluntary Aid Detachments (VADs) provided nurses for the army.

Key Q7: Why did women get the right to vote in 1918?WARTIME WORK• Women had shown themselves to

be responsible, capable people. • However, it was working-class

women who did the work, and rich women who got the vote.

• 1915: Law to allow British soldiers living abroad to vote – this showed the laws could easily be changed.

REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE ACT 1917• Passed by parliament with massive

majority.• Gave vote to all males over 21 and

all females over 30.• Meanwhile, other countries were

giving vote to ALL women.

Key Topic 3: The Home Front

Key Q1: How did the government get men to fight in WW1?RECRUITMENT• At start of war, Britain had a small professional army (the

British Expeditionary Force – BEF).• Government needed far more soldiers so used posters,

speeches, leaflets and recruitment offices to get more.• Created strong anti-German feeling.• Highly successful at getting soldiers to join early on in the

war.CONSCRIPTION• Number of recruits dropping by 1916.• Military Service Act January 1916 made it compulsory for

unmarried men aged 18-41 to join up. Extended to married men in May 1916.

• Most thought this was harsh but fair.• Men from essential industries stayed at home.CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS• ‘Conchies’ – refused to fight – against principles.• Some opposed all violence; some just this war.• 16,500 conchies were detained in prison camps.

Key Q2: Why was DORA introduced and what was its impact?THE MUNITIONS CRISIS• Became clear Britain not ready for a long war.• Shortage of shells and armaments.• Coalition government formed, and brought in the

Defence of the Realm Act (DORA)DORA• Government could now take over any land, building

or industry.• Government controlled food production and

consumption (rationing).• Government could control the newspapers and the

radio.• No one allowed to discuss the war in public.• British Summer Time (BST) introduced to give more

daylight for extra work.• Shorter opening hours for pubs.• Various other rules – no fireworks; no fires; no

binoculars; no rounds of drinks, etc.

Key Topic 3: The Home FrontKey Q3: How did the government ensure British people were fed during the war.THE PROBLEM• Running out of food as war dragged on.• German u-boats sinking ships bringing food to

UK.• Britain 6 weeks away from running out of food.• Rich people bought food and hoarded it.RATIONING• 1917: Government brought in voluntary

rationing.• November 1917: New laws to control prices of

bread. Posters created to encourage people to be careful with food.

• 1918: Compulsory rationing for sugar, butter, meat and beer – using coupon books.

• Harsh penalties for rule-breaking.• Most saw it as fair.• Actually led to an improved diet for the poor

and a fairer distribution of food.

Key Q4: How was propaganda and censorship used in WW1?• Only good news was allowed – all bad news was ignored or

disguised (example: sinking of British ships such as HMS Audacious in 1914 were not reported).

• Newspaper editors supported the war effort, so were happy to give a positive impression of the war.

• Newspapers which reported the truth about the war were closed down.

• The Press Bureau examined thousands of stories each day to check they were ok for the public to see.

• Books, toys, films were created to support the war effort.

Key Q5: Did British people support the war effort?• YES: millions read and believed the propaganda; many went to

watch the films; many civilians joined patriotic organisations (e.g. ‘Fight for Right’ Movement); victories were celebrated across the country.

• NO: people were terrified of air raids from Zeppelins and bombers; all opposition to the war was silenced, but it did exist; at the end of the war, people were relieved rather than triumphant.

Question Type 1: COMPARISON of two sourcesSource A – From a petition to Parliament by women workers in Lancashire cotton mills in 1901

Some 29,000 of us have signed this petition for you, our MPs. Women do not have the vote and in our opinion this is unjust and bad for the country. In the home, our standing is lowered. In the factory, we are not represented. Rates of pay, laws and regulations are in the hands of men alone. Sometimes these men are our fellow workers, but sometimes they are rivals for the same jobs we want to do. We want the vote so we can improve our wages and conditions of work for ourselves.

Source B – From the Suffragette journal ‘Votes for Women’ 1913

‘What is our campaign about?’

Firstly, women need the vote for protection under the law. They are excluded from the better-paid jobs in the Civil Service. The laws on divorce, children and many other issues are all unfair to women. These examples show that a section of the population which does not have the vote is not treated fairly by Parliament.

In the second place, the women’s point of view is not given enough importance in laws which Parliament passes. Better housing, protection of children, the purification of food and many other questions do not get the attention they deserve because it is women who care most about these things and they do not have the power to force them to the front.

Question Type 1: COMPARISON of sourcesHow similar are these two sources? Use the sources and your own knowledge to explain your answer. (9)HOW TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION TYPE:Make a little plan like this:

First Paragraph: Explain all the ways in which the CONTENT and PROVENANCE of the sources are similar (e.g. they both say… they both suggest… they are both written by… )Second Paragraph: Explain all the ways in which the CONTENT and PROVENANCE of the sources are different (e.g. Source A implies…. whereas Source B implies…. Or Source A was written in 1931 whereas Source B was written in 1917)Third Paragraph: Briefly conclude, saying HOW SIMILAR they are – e.g. they are similar to a large extent. They will never be COMPLETELY similar or COMPLETELY different. There will be some similarities and some differences.

THE RIGHT WAY: A ‘SIMILARITIES’ PARAGRAPH AND A ‘DIFFERENCES’ PARAGRAPHTHE WRONG WAY: A ‘SOURCE A’ PARAGRAPH AND A ‘SOURCE B’ PARAGRAPH

SIMILARITIES DIFFERENCESTIP: THIS QUESTION MIGHT SAY ‘HOW FAR DOES SOURCE A SUPPORT SOURCE B ABOUT…’. If it does, follow the same pattern below.

Question Type 2: PURPOSE of a source question

Why was this source published in 1908? Use details of the source and your own knowledge to explain your answer. (8)

Question Type 2: PURPOSE of a source questionWhy was this source published in 1908? Use details of the source and your own knowledge to explain your answer. (8)

HOW TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION TYPE:

This is the same as the Paper 1 ‘PURPOSE of the source’ questions:

Answer the question like this:

FIRST PARAGRAPH: - Describe what the source shows or says- Explain the message of the source and say what aspects of the source told you this.- Explain what the author of the source is hoping to achieve by producing/publishingthis source. This will be ‘to convince people of…’ or ‘to persuade people that…’ or ‘toreassure people that…’ or ‘to change people’s minds about…’ or something similar.

SECOND PARAGRAPH: - In your second paragraph, use your own contextual knowledge to explain the issuebehind the source – in this example, that is to explain the debate over whether or notwomen should have the right to vote.

Question Type 3: MESSAGE of a source question

What is the message of this source? Use details of the cartoon and your knowledge to explain your answer. (8)

Question Type 3: MESSAGE of a source questionWhat is the message of this source? Use details of the cartoon and your knowledge to explain your answer. (8)

HOW TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION TYPE:

This is the same as the Paper 1 ‘MESSAGE of the source’ questions:

Answer the question like this:

FIRST PARAGRAPH: - Describe what the source shows or says- Explain the message of the source and say what aspects of the source told you this(mention specific aspects of the source/cartoon) – you could mention the tone of thesource, who wrote it, when it was written etc.

SECOND PARAGRAPH: - In your second paragraph, use your own contextual knowledge to explain the issuebehind the source – in this example, that is to explain the role played by women during WW1 and the fact that the Suffragists and Suffragettes suspended their ‘votes forwomen’ campaigns during the war.

Question Type 4: TYPICALITY of a source questionIs Source E more typical of women’s experience of work during the First World War than Source F? Use details of the sources and your knowledge of the period to explain your answer.

Source E – Sylvia Pankhurst describing the war work of women in 1932The women at a London aircraft works painted aeroplane wings with poisonous varnish. They worked from 8am to 6:30pm, but often until 8pm. Meals were taken in the horrid atmosphere of the workshop. So terrible were the varnish fumes that it was common for 6 or more of the 30 women to be lying ill on the stone floor outside the workshop for half an hour, unconscious for part of the time.

Source F – In 1915, I decided to make a contribution to the war effort and volunteered to make shells in a London munitions factory. I don’t think any worker can have enjoyed their work more than I did. Other women developed much more skill than me and they did far more important work, but they would never have known the enjoyment I experienced. When I was on an interesting job it was nothing to leap out of bed at 5.15 on a frosty morning and I almost danced down Queen’s Road under the stars, thinking of the day’s work before me.

Question Type 4: TYPICALITY of a source questionIs Source E more typical of women’s experience of work during the First World War than Source F? Use details of the sources and your own knowledge of the period to explain your answer.

Answer the question like this:FIRST PARAGRAPH: - Describe what Source E says or shows. Then use your contextual knowledge to explain

whether or not this is typical.SECOND PARAGRAPH: - Describe what Source F says or shows. Then use your contextual knowledge to explain

whether or not this is typical.THIRD PARAGRAPH: - Brief conclusion with a judgement on WHICH source is more typical and the main

reason why.

You could make a quick plan like this:

TYPICAL BITS SURPRISING BITS

Source E

Source F

Question Type 5: JUDGEMENT OF AN INTERPRETATION question

‘Women were respected during the period 1890-1918’. How far do you agree with this interpretation? Use your knowledge of British society 1890-1918 and the sources to explain your answer. (16 marks)

How to answer this question:First Paragraph: Give all the ways in which YOUR OWN KNOWLEDGE supports the

statement.Second Paragraph: Give all the ways in which THE SOURCES support the statement.Third Paragraph: Give all the ways in which YOUR OWN KNOWLEDGE contradicts the

statement.Fourth Paragraph: Give all the ways in which THE SOURCES contradict the statement.Fifth Paragraph: Write a conclusion saying HOW FAR you agree with the statement.

USEFULNESS of the source questionIs Source E or Source F more useful for a historian studying <topic>?

First paragraph: How TYPICAL is Source E? How RELIABLE is Source E? What is MISSING from Source E? You need to talk about CONTENT and PROVENANCE. How USEFUL is the source to a historian?

Second paragraph: Do the same with Source F

Conclusion: Say which source is more useful and why.

TIP: ALL sources are useful. Never say a source is of no use. You can say ‘its usefulness is limited because…’ or ‘it would be more useful if…’.

RELIABILITY of the source questionIs Source E or Source F more reliable for a historian studying <topic>?

First paragraph: Focus mainly on the provenance of the Source E.- Who wrote the source and how might this affect its reliability?- When was it written and how might this affect its reliability?- Who was the intended audience and how might this affect its reliability?- What was the author trying to achieve and how might this affect its

reliability?

Second paragraph: Do the same with Source F

Conclusion: Say which source is more reliable and why.