This free course, Teaching the First World War, is designed for history teachers and their pupils. It provides a wide range of visual, textual and oral sources to enrich the teaching of the First World War. It covers familiar and less familiar aspects of the history of the First World War, ranging from the debate on the origins of the war and propaganda to non-European combatantsโ experiences of fighting in a global war, and the memory and commemoration of the conflict.
It includes skills development for teachers and their pupils, including document analysis, advanced techniques in internet searches for primary and secondary sources, and how to evaluate and identify the most suitable literature on the topic.
Course learning outcomes
After studying this course, you should be able to:
- understand topics relating to the history of the First World War, including its origins, the role of propaganda, the experiences and memories of non-European combatants, and aspects of commemoration and memory
- analyse primary sources, including documents, paintings and objects, and develop ideas for how these sources can by analysed by students in the classroom
- use advanced search techniques for locating primary and secondary sources on different online platforms
- evaluate search results to identify the most suitable literature for your own work and your students
- explain search techniques which will be helpful for students' non-exam assessment (NEA) projects.
First Published: 25/07/2023
Updated: 25/07/2023
The submitted rating needed to be reduced due to the sheer number of broken links and less significant issues that clearly necessitate a full course update. Hopefully the following will be of assistance in this regard.
The British Library's Web Editor, Richard Power, kindly provided the following response:
๐๐ผ๐น๐น๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ-๐ฎ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ, ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ. ๐ช๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ข๐ป๐ฒ [embedded micro-]๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ.
๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐โ๐ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ข๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐น๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐๐ฒ (๐ฒ๐ด ๐ต๐๐๐ฝ๐://๐๐ฒ๐ฏ.๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐๐ฒ.๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด/๐๐ฒ๐ฏ/๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ต๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ญ๐ต๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ด๐ฌ๐ต/๐ต๐๐๐ฝ๐://๐๐๐.๐ฏ๐น.๐๐ธ/๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ-๐๐ฎ๐ฟ-๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ/). ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐๐ฒ, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ.
๐ข๐๐ฟ ๐ผ๐๐ป ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฅ๐ผ๐ผ๐บ๐ (๐ต๐๐๐ฝ๐://๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐๐ฒ.๐ฏ๐น.๐๐ธ/๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ธ/๐ฐ๐ฐ๐๐_๐ ๐๐๐ก/๐ญ๐๐ธ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ต/๐ฎ๐น๐บ๐ฎ๐ต๐ต๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ), ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐๐ฒ, ๐ฒ๐ด ๐ต๐๐๐ฝ๐://๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐๐ฒ.๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด/๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐/๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ/๐บ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ/๐ฎ๐๐ฝ
๐๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐, ๐๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ข๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ต๐๐๐ฝ๐://๐๐๐.๐ฏ๐น.๐๐ธ/๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐/๐ผ๐ป-๐ฑ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ.
The ๐๐ฆ๐ง๐ข๐ฅ web site has been redeveloped since the screen shots were taken. Also, a free account now permits viewing of "100 free articles this month", rather than the 6 that is stated throughout this course.
The document comments are based on the prevailing ๐ ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐.
There are five: "๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฟ! ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ธ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ฑ.." related to session links.
Session 1
1 Why did we fight?
"You can find discussions of this type of propaganda in ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฟ! ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ธ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ฑ.."
4 Summary
"In the ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฟ! ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ธ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ฑ.., we will explore propaganda during the First World War in more detail"
Session 2
6 Summary
"In the ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฟ! ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ธ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ฑ.., you will develop primary source analysis further."
Session 3
2 Summary
"In the ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฟ! ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ธ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ฑ.., you will look at examples of commemoration of the war."
Session 4
Activity 4 Assessing potential secondary sources
"It uses the subject of the causes of the First World War โ which, as ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฟ! ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ธ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ฑ.. of this course makes clear, remains a highly contested debate"
๐ฆ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ญ: ๐ข๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฟ
Activity 1 Finding primary sources online Discussion
http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/sub_document.cfm?document_id=815 ->
https://germanhistorydocs.org/en/wilhelmine-germany-and-the-first-world-war-1890-1918/the-kaiser-speaks-from-the-balcony-of-the-royal-palace-august-1-1914
The following link proved to be unreliable, initially online, the next day offline, now back again...
https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/the-historiography-of-the-origins-of-the-first-world-war/
2.1 Centenary debates
Activity 3 Accessing review articles
Without having access to the full text of these 2 books, my understanding is that:
โข Joll and Martel (2022) tell you why the war broke out by looking at the traditional systemic causes (Alliances, Militarism, Imperialism).
โข Mombauer (2024) takes the next academic step. She explains why historians still cannot agree on those causes, unmasking a century's worth of political bias, hidden archives, and state-sponsored myths.
2.2 Activity 4
"Did you know?"
"independent Social Democratic Party" -> "Independent Social Democratic Party" (an official party), the party that Karl Kautsky founded in 1917. Actually, I would have welcomed a greater understanding as to why someone from outside of the SDP and who was also a leading Marxist was given the task in 1918, only to then have his work vetted (aka censored). The official release might have been in stark contrast to his conclusions, but both would surely have still have been accessible, thus losing any benefit of having such an authoritative figure undertaking the work in the first place? Since the formal information only came to light through the research that was undertaken by Fritz Fischer, it remains unclear why Kautsky did not speak out.
2.2 Activity 5
Audio: "Christopher Clark 2"
"Admiral Mรผllerโs recollection and his diary entry ends the account of the meeting of that day by saying the result of this meeting was exactly zero, so the war council isnโt a war council and it didnโt have the consequences that have been attributed to it"
Whilst Admiral Mรผllerโs 8 December 1912 diary did state: "That was the end of the meeting. There were almost no results" it also included: 'Gen. v. Moltke: "I consider a war inevitableโthe sooner, the better. But we should do a better job of gaining popular support for a war against Russia, in line with the Kaiser's remarks." H.M. confirmed this and asked the secretary of state to use the press to work toward this end.' Surely this confirms that laying the groundwork for war amongst the population through the press predates the assassination?
In addition: "The chief of the general staff says: the sooner war comes, the better; however, he hasn't concluded from this that we should give Russia or France, or even both, an ultimatum that would trigger a war for which they would carry the blame."
Indeed, it strikes me that a combination of increasing popular support, obtaining additional finances, the need to construct the Tirpitz and additional submarines, together with creating additional alliances (e.g., Romania/Bulgaria/Albania/Austria-Hungary and potentially even Turkey) are the actual components of the Admiral's diary.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Imperial_War_Council_of_8_December_1912
3 Activity 6, 3.1 and 3.2
With further investigation into the "blank cheque" there seems to be some debate amongst historians as to whether the telegram of the 5th or 6th deserved the designation.
1a) What the course has characterised as the 'blank cheque' (the 5th July 1914 telegram from the Austrian Ambassador to the Austrian Foreign Minister) does indeed include the translated statement "the Kaiser authorised me to inform your Gracious Majesty that we might in this case, as in all others, rely upon Germany's full support", immediately following it goes on to state "He must, as he said before, first hear what the Imperial Chancellor had to say". Thus, this document is more in expectation of full unequivocal support, rather than providing it.
https://www.open.edu/openlearn/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=142569§ion=9
1b) As stated in 3.1, on the 6th July 1914 a document that edged considerably closer to be an actual 'blank cheque' was issued (indeed, other sources consider this to be the actual 'blank cheque'), namely the telegram sent by the German Chancellor, Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg, to the German Ambassador at Vienna. This concludes with the statement "The Emperor Francis Joseph may, however, rest assured that His Majesty will faithfully stand by Austria-Hungary, as is required by the obligations of his alliance and of his ancient friendship."
However, the body of the telegram provides a reassurance of standing-by, framed as alliance obligations, i.e. a commitment about German posture and fidelity to the alliance, not a detailed operational carte-blanche for every conceivable Austrian move.
The โblankโ here is less about the telegram(s) giving unlimited tactical instructions and more about it giving high confidence that Austria will not be left exposed if it presses the Serbia issue.
Specifically:
i) It aims at concrete political outcomes (โrenunciation of Serbiaโ and โsuppression of the Rumanian agitationsโฆโ), not just vague moral support.
ii) It supplies a strong alliance pledge (โrest assuredโฆ faithfully stand by Austria-Hungaryโ), even while carving out only one narrow limitation: Germany โcannot interfereโ in the current Austro-HungarianโSerbian dispute โnowโ (competence, not will).
https://w.johndclare.net/causes_WWI4_BlankCheque.htm
https://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/The_'Blank_Check'
2) In addition, historians have as stated in the URL below, interpreted the support in contradictory ways: escalation versus localisation.
Was Germany trying to push Austria toward decisive action (accepting escalation risk) or did Germany think it could support coercively in the Balkans without triggering a general European war (as covered in 3.2)?
https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/germanys-blank-cheque-to-austria-hungary/
The 14โ18โNOW website URL (https://www.1418now.org.uk/) could not be reached from my PC, though my mobile is forwarded to the Imperial War Museum's web site, https://www.iwm.org.uk/partnerships/first-world-war-centenary/1418now. This is merely a notification that the project has now completed, without any reference to the original content. The Wayback Machine has cached content, e.g., https://web.archive.org/web/20230410193856/https://www.1418now.org.uk/.
Also:
https://artinpublic.art/programs/14-18-now
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/14%E2%80%9318_NOW
https://artsandculture.google.com/story/cQVBUiY9jPNlIg
The "German History in Documents and Images website" also has broken links https://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/ and https://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/sub_document.cfm?document_id=801.
With the Wayback Machine's assistance, these should now be https://germanhistorydocs.org/ and
https://germanhistorydocs.org/en/wilhelmine-germany-and-the-first-world-war-1890-1918/germany-and-the-ultimatum-heinrich-von-tschirschky-and-boegendorff-vienna-to-gottlieb-von-jagow-july-10-1914
๐ฆ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ: ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ
1 Defining propaganda
Broken links:
"The British Libraryโs First World War website" -> "https://www.bl.uk/world-war-one", [https://web.archive.org/web/20230205105735/https://www.bl.uk/world-war-one]
"This First World War propaganda video" -> "https://www.bl.uk/world-war-one/videos/world-war-one-propaganda"
2.1 British propaganda โ Example 1
Activity 3 Primary source analysis
With regard to "Uses for historians", which states "Like all sources, however, the poster has its limitations. For instance, it does not tell us how men and women viewed enlistment in reality. And, as with all examples of propaganda, it is difficult to gauge how people responded to posters like this. Whether they were successful or not is open to debate."
A few thoughts:
1) Recruitment/enlistment data over time: compare enlistment rates before vs. after major poster campaigns or recruitment drives; look for changes in who was enlisting (age groups, regions), not just totals.
2) Local case studies: many posters were deployed region-by-region and sometimes tied to specific recruitment initiatives. If a locality with heavy poster coverage shows different outcomes than similar nearby areas, that can be suggestive (though still not definitive).
3) Administrative feedback from recruitment bodies: official minutes, reports, and correspondence sometimes note whether propaganda โmovedโ peopleโe.g., anecdotal evidence, complaints, or reports of increased turnout at recruitment offices.
4) Press and public reaction: letters to newspapers, criticism in the press, and debates in Parliament can indicate whether propaganda was landingโor failing.
5) Enemy reactions and intelligence: propaganda works partly by shaping behaviour; militaries sometimes assessed enemy morale and disaffection. This is more common for enemy propaganda than for measuring the posterโs effect on oneโs own enlistment, but intelligence reports can still provide clues.
6) Surveys/social research analogues (though rare in WWI): there were occasional inquiries and records of public sentiment. These are scarce and not always systematic.
2.2 British propaganda โ Example 2
Activity 4 Primary source analysis
Re: "Report of the [Bryce] Committee on Alleged German Outrages By O Bryce, F Pollock, E Clarke, K Digby, A Hopkinson, H Fisher, H Cox"
"More pages of the report can be viewed on the British Library website." broken link -> https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/bryce-report-committee-alleged-german-outrages
...a search within the BL site states that members can use on-site PCs to access the data. Google Books states that it must be purchased. However:
https://archive.org/details/reportofcommitte00grea
https://dn760004.eu.archive.org/0/items/reportofcommitte00grea/reportofcommitte00grea.pdf
Project Gutenberg has a far shorter document, "The Truth About German Atrocities", but this still contains the extracted text...
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50788
...however, it is perhaps interesting to note that the appended "๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ผ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ป๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฝ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น๐, ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐น๐ฒ๐ณ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐บ๐๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด" does not appear in the shorter version; both from the perspective of both its omission and the fact that such a very significant statement had only been appended to a far lesser paragraph?
2.3 Useful resources for studying British propaganda in the First World War
"Horne and Kramerโs 2002 book is freely available online." -> https://archive.org/details/germanatrocities00horn
...this merely provides the cover and index. Google Books provides a far greater "preview":
https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/German_Atrocities_1914.html?id=Navs5TkI9oAC&redir_esc=y
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Navs5TkI9oAC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false.
Also, all references state that the publication date was ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ญ.
3.2 German propaganda โ Example 2
Activity 6 Primary source analysis
"My country is you โ New Prussia (1916)"
Who? โThe exact organisation responsible for the poster is not clearโ Egon Tschirch worked for the Imperial army press office in Berlin from 1916.
๐ฆ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฏ: ๐๐น๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐
1.4.2 Horace Pippinโs wartime notebook
Activity 2 Horace Pippinโs wartime notebook
"See Session 1, Section 3" links to the OpenLearn web site, rather than within the document.
"Anne Monahanโs article" -> "https://www-jstor-org.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/stable/25435156?sid=primo", this should have been "https://www.jstor.org/stable/25435156"
Smithsonian link: https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/horace-pippin-notebooks-and-letters-8586
"In the 1930s, Horance Pippin" -> "Horace"
The course may well have benefited by the inclusion of the YouTube video "Harlem Hellfighters' Daring Offensive in Sรฉchault (Season 1) | History"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvaSE69Cpsk
1.4.3 James Reese Europe
Typos: alterntaively -> alternatively and Music Department.. -> Music Department.
"An excellent monograph on the subject" "Book available to patrons with print disabilities" "A More Unbending Battle" -> preview version only
"Another source which is freely available" "Book available to patrons with print disabilities" "Harlemโs Hell Fighters" -> preview version only
1.5 1 Dominion Forces in the war
Activity 3 Dominion First World War Statistics
The graphic for the table is of the low-resolution version, requiring either the transfer of the maximised image from the Web course unit or (even better) the extraction from the source table...
https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/indigenous-experience-of-war-british-dominions/
1.5.2 Mike Mountain Horse
From the Canadian and IWM archives his name was often hyphenated when included in his official documentation, "Mike Mountain-Horse"?
https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Home/Record?app=pffww&IdNumber=178860&q_type_1=q&q_1=Mike%20Mountain%20Horse&ecopy=510312a
https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/searchlives/field/birthplace/Blood%20Tribe%20First%20Nations%20MB/filter
"At Cambrai he witnessed โthe first massed tank attack in history...'" Cambrai was not the first massed tank attack, though it was considerably the more effective:
Nivelle offensive (16 April โ 9 May 1917) 128 tanks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nivelle_offensive
The first Battle of Cambrai 20 November โ 7 December 1917, 476 tanks (378 combat tanks)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cambrai_(1917)
"Did you know? Mountain Horseโs service records have been digitised and can be found on this Imperial War Museum website."
Even the IWM's links are having issues, the "Evidence" button yields "PDF of service records for C.E.F", however the following URL is broken: https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item//?op=pdf&app=CEF&id=B6448-S013
However, the following URLs provide further information:
a) https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Home/Result?q_1=Mike+Mountain-Horse&SEARCH_TYPE=SEARCH_BASIC&q_type_1=q
b) 895041 https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Home/Record?app=pffww&IdNumber=178860&q_type_1=q&q_1=Mike%20Mountain-Horse&ecopy=510312a
c) 195041 https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Home/Record?app=paslisandborent&IdNumber=4441136&q_type_1=q&q_1=Mike%20Mountain-Horse&ecopy=e003604569
"Did you know? Resources and further reading" "Mountain Horse (1979)" -> preview version only.
๐ฆ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฐ: ๐ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐, ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ
"This session focuses on the representation, commemoration and memory of the First World War" -> I am intrigued as to the absence of photography, given its importance within WW1 and the fact that it was the first conflict to receive full coverage, e.g., the images that were captured by Lt Ernest Brooks. Indeed, 3.1 states "we would need to examine paintings like this alongside other sources, such as photographs and eyewitness accounts". https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/photography/
1 Historiography
Jay Winter, "Sites of Memory, Sites of Mourning: The Great War in European Cultural History" -> the current edition is dated ๐ฎ๐ด ๐๐๐น ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฐ.
Gary Sheffield, "Forgotten Victory: The First World War: Myths and Realities" -> the current edition is dated ๐ญ๐ฐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ด.
2.2 War poetry โ Example 2
"Did you know?"
It is perhaps surprising that the "First World War Poetry Digital Archive" does not actually include the text of "Dulce et Decorum est"?
3.1 War art โ Example 1
"When?" "Battle of Third Ypres" -> "Third Battle of Ypres"
"Limitations" "We also need to be aware that Nevinson may have intentionally intended to shock his audience and may have embellished the painting for this purpose" -> whilst artistic licence must always be considered, there is no question in this case that such imagery was repeated continually throughout the Western Front. Perhaps also confirmation that the inclusion of photography (in addition to poetry and art) would have been useful.
"What does this painting depict?"
Presumably the return of millions of service men who experienced such conditions would also have removed any possibility of producing art that continued to glorify war.
3.2 War art โ Example 2
"What does this painting depict?" "a line of temporarily blinded soldiers" -> ๐๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐ด๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ท๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ โ ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐น๐๐ป๐ด๐ โ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด-๐น๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐.
"Limitations"
"Sargentโs exact views on the war are also hard gauge from this painting alone; in this sense, it has limitations as a source." -> his niece Rose-Marie died while working as a nurse for wounded WW1 soldiers. Henry Tonks (who travelled with him) later recalled going to the corps dressing station at le Bac-du-sud after hearing about โgassed cases,โ and says Sargent was โvery struck by the scene,โ then โimmediately made a lot of notes.โ Although Sargent was commissioned to help create a grand national memorial scheme he โabandoned his assigned themeโ and chose to depict the human consequences of chemical warfare.
"Did you know?"
"Useful historical context is also available on the British Libraryโs website." -> unfortunately, as mentioned previously, this remains offline for the foreseeable future and there seems no sign on the Internet Archive either.
https://www.bl.uk/world-war-one/articles/why-paint-war-british-and-belgian-artists
4 Primary source analysis โ war memorials and commemorative rituals
"The idea came from Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, who had served as high commissioner in South Africa during the war. He modelled the silence on a practice he had observed there known as โthe three minutesโ pauseโ, which had been used to honour those, living and dead, who had served their country. Though three minutes was considered too long for the armistice day anniversary" -> strictly it was the Cape Town Mayor, Sir Harry Hands, who reduced the public observance from 3 minutes to 2.
๐ฆ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฑ: ๐ฆ๐ธ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฟ
3 Using Google Scholar
Activity 1 Finding literature using Google Scholar, perhaps the various wording of the search terms might need further consideration:
1) (psychology OR psychiatry) and (โfirst world warโ) and "shell shock" = 7,580 records.
2) (psychology OR psychiatry) and (โfirst world warโ OR "world war 1" OR WW1) and "shell shock" = 8,000 records.
Depending on whether psychology or psychiatry alone are to be covered, one might wish to consider other options such as electrotherapy or cognitive therapy...
3) (*therapy OR psychology OR psychiatry) and (โfirst world warโ OR "world war 1" OR WW1) and "shell shock" = 8,630 records.
5 Using JSTOR
The JSTOR web site has been redeveloped since the screen shots were taken. A free account permits viewing of "100 free articles this month", rather than the 6 that is stated throughout this course.
6 Evaluating academic literature
Activity 3 Using PROMPT to evaluate a source
"PDF version" -> the Amazon AWS URl yields an "๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฑ" XML.
7 Using PROMPT in practice
Activity 4 Assessing potential secondary sources
[The search currently produces 84 results.]
Although the "Comment" refers to investigating the author, perhaps consideration should also be given to the "Cited by (N)" information that JSTOR provides; in terms of both the number and their academic standing. Given the 1990 publication date, the presence of only 4 citations would seem low, especially for a document that is likely to appear at the top of even related searches? Indeed, the text goes on to state that only 1/4 of the document is potentially relevant, which the citations may well have already indicated?
8 Finding and assessing online primary sources
Activity 5 Evaluating an online primary source collection
"German History in Documents and Images" -> https://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/home.cfm, as previously, this should now be https://germanhistorydocs.org/. In particular, https://germanhistorydocs.org/en/wilhelmine-germany-and-the-first-world-war-1890-1918.