HISTORY 482: The First World War
Preliminary Final Examination
December, 2013
Instructions: You will answer two (2) questions – one (1) from section A
and the one question in section B. Both questions are of equal value. In
the final exam only one (1) of the following questions will appear.
The final examination for History 482 is an open book examination.
The objective of the examination is to demonstrate that you understand
individual materials from the term and the interconnections between the
materials. Rather than testing you for what you do not know the
examination permits you to demonstrate what you do know.
For each essay question you must base your answers on specific
readings from the course. Source titles and authors names are to be
included in brackets in the answers to clearly tie your answer to the
specific materials. While formal references are not required in your
answers, some informal notation MUST be used ( article title, editorial date,
letter date, etc) to make it clear on what your answer is based.
The better answers will utilize more of the course materials and will also
demonstrate an appreciation of the detail and nuances of the problem.
What is important is not so much the final conclusions, as questions do not
necessarily have a single right or wrong answer, but the evidence (ie
readings) that are used to substantiate the answer. In that sense you must
treat these answers as you would a research essay; that is, you must use a
wide variety of sources to substantiate arguments or conclusions made.
This examination is meant to demonstrate that you understand the course
material and how it fits together, and that you can draw that material
together into a coherent and well organized argument. The minimal usage
of course materials in your answer will undoubtedly result in a minimal
mark.
Part A (15 marks)
One (1) of the following questions will appear on the final exam. In all
answers specific examples are required.
1. “The national experience of war is often paradoxical. On one hand
war is perhaps the single greatest unifying force in the nation’s
history, uniting citizens to sacrifice whatever is required behind the
common cause of victory. At the same time though the strains of war
can clearly separate a nation along many lines.” Based on the full
range of materials this term examine the myth of national unity during
wartime, arguing both that war was a unifying experience and that
war was a divisive force.
2. “♫ War. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing. Say it again.♫”
Discuss with specifics.
3. War has historically been defined a part of the male sphere of activity,
but as we are aware women were an integral part of the war effort.
The various ways in which women contributed to, or participated in,
the war effort are important not merely for what those efforts tell the
modern historian about their contributions to the war effort, but
perhaps more importantly they tell the modern historian about the
place of women in WWI society. Based on the range of materials used
this term discuss the contemporary perceptions of women (both of
women and by women) and what those perceptions can tell us about
the values, gender relations, behavioural attitudes, etc. of the society
that produced them.
4. In studying the First World War, historians have a wide range of
sources, both traditional and non-traditional, to utilize in their study.
Discuss with specific examples the sources available to the historian,
and in doing so assess their assets and/or limitations as a source for
studying this topic.
5. Given the range of readings this term, what kind of pressures and
responsibilities do you think the home front civilian would feel?
How would those pressures or responsibilities alter due to factors such
as gender, class, ethnicity, location, date, etc. Specifics examples are
required from the readings to support your contentions.
6. Based on range of readings this term what are the values, national
images, and views of the war that are evident in the materials that
civilians on the home front would have “absorbed”? How would
those viewpoints differ due to factors such as gender, class, location,
date, media type, etc. Specifics examples are required from the
readings to support your contentions.
7. ”Modern total war is as much psychological as it is physical, and the
psychological battle is as important in the achievement of final victory
as what soldiers achieve on the field of battle.” Based on the range of
materials viewed this term, examine the above contention that the
First World War was a psychological battleground, both for soldiers
and for civilians.
8. Myth was an integral part of the WWI experience. Wilfred Owen for
example attempted to expose one of the myths of war in Dulce et
Decorum Est. Looking at the war period as a whole, what were the
myths of WWI? How were they created and what were their
function(s)? How did the reality of war contribute to the destruction
of old myths and the creation of new myths of war?
9. “Propaganda is one of the key elements which separates the First
World War from any previous conflicts.” In a thoughtful manner with
specifics, discuss the general nature of the WWI propaganda
experience, examining such factors as its construction and purpose,
types, commonality of themes, impact, etc. After having done that
choose three (3) propaganda examples of different types from the
course (one written, one visual, and one of your choosing) and closely
analyze each of them in terms of intent, imagery, theme(s), etc.
end