The Changing Nature of Warfare, 1859-1991: Perception and Reality | Edexcel A-Level History (9HI0)

The Changing Nature of Warfare, 1859-1991: Perception and Reality

186 questions
19 subtopics
Paper 3: themes in breadth with aspects in depth, one option of sixteen
Paper 3

A Paper 3 option combining aspects in breadth on how war has been reported, remembered and presented to the public with aspects in depth on the changing technology of war, from railways and breechloaders through the deadlock of 1914 and armoured warfare to submarines, air power and the bomb..

It covers changes in the reporting of war, 1859-1991, the remembrance and portrayal of war, official attempts to shape public perception, the impact of propaganda and news control, railways and steam boats in moving armies, increased firepower, von Moltke and the Prussian general staff, smokeless propellants and machine guns before 1914, artillery and the Schlieffen and XVII plans, technology and the failure of a war of movement, the internal combustion engine, 1917-18, new technology and French planning in the 1930s, new technology and German planning in the 1930s, the impact of submarines, 1917-18, the impact of submarines, 1939-45, air power at Pearl Harbour and Midway, developments in aerial warfare, the destructive impact of terror bombing, 1943–45 and varying impacts of air power.

Sample questions from The Changing Nature of Warfare, 1859-1991: Perception and Reality

Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

Changes in the reporting of war, 1859-1991

What was distinctive about reporting the First Gulf War in 1991?

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Satellite television (notably CNN) gave near-instantaneous live coverage, but the military tightly controlled access through press pools.
Official attempts to shape public perception

What was the impact of Roosevelt's broadcast after Pearl Harbor in 1941?

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His 'date which will live in infamy' speech rallied the American public firmly behind war with Japan.
Railways and steam boats in moving armies

How did railways change strategy?

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They allowed larger armies to be concentrated faster, made mobilisation timetables the core of war planning, and tied strategy to fixed lines.
Von Moltke and the Prussian general staff

How did Prussia use new technology in 1870?

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In the Franco-Prussian War, Krupp artillery and general-staff planning defeated France, culminating at Sedan.
Artillery and the Schlieffen and XVII plans

How were the forts of Liège reduced in August 1914?

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German 42cm and Austro-Hungarian 30.5cm siege howitzers shattered the concrete forts, and the last of them surrendered on 16 August, clearing the way for the German right wing.
The internal combustion engine, 1917-18

What was significant about Cambrai?

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The first mass tank attack, with over 400 tanks and a surprise predicted bombardment, which broke the Hindenburg Line on the first day in November 1917.
New technology and German planning in the 1930s

What was Blitzkrieg?

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Concentrated armour breaking through on a narrow front with air support, then driving deep to disrupt command and supply rather than destroy forces in place.
The impact of submarines, 1939-45

What was Dönitz's wolf pack strategy?

Show the answer
Concentrating U-boats to attack a convoy at night on the surface, directed by radio from headquarters once a shadowing boat had found the target.

The 19 subtopics

One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.

Subtopic	What it covers	Questions
Changes in the reporting of war, 1859-1991	Recall questions on the telegraph, Brady's photographs, newsreel and radio, why Vietnam was the first television war, and the effect of satellite transmission.	10
The remembrance and portrayal of war	Recall questions on the Cenotaph and the Unknown Warrior, the war books of the late 1920s, comics, Oh! What a Lovely War, and television's role in shaping memory.	10
Official attempts to shape public perception	Recall questions on the Gettysburg Address, Bismarck and the Ems Telegram, the Ministry of Information, Churchill's broadcasts, and the Five O'Clock Follies.	10
The impact of propaganda and news control	Recall questions on the New York draft riot, anti-German feeling in America, the Committee on Public Information, Nazi news control, and the contrast between Vietnam and the Gulf.	10
Railways and steam boats in moving armies	Recall questions on the French mobilisation of 1859 and its supply failure, how railways changed strategy, the Prussian railway section, and the limits of horse transport.	10
Increased firepower	Recall questions on Colt's revolver, the breechloader's advantage and the resistance to it, Krupp's steel artillery, rifling, and why doctrine lagged behind technology.	9
Von Moltke and the Prussian general staff	Recall questions on what the general staff was, marching divided and fighting united, Auftragstaktik, Koniggratz, and Grant's use of the same technologies.	10
Smokeless propellants and machine guns before 1914	Recall questions on what smokeless powder changed, the magazine rifle, the Maxim gun and its colonial use, and the pre-war cult of the offensive.	10
Artillery and the Schlieffen and XVII plans	Recall questions on German heavy howitzers, the French 75 and its limitation, Plan XVII, the Schlieffen Plan, and why the German plan failed.	8
Technology and the failure of a war of movement	Recall questions on Joffre and the younger Moltke, the Race to the Sea, why technology favoured the defence, and Falkenhayn and Petain at Verdun.	10
The internal combustion engine, 1917-18	Recall questions on Cambrai and why the breakthrough was not held, Amiens as the black day, all-arms battle, motor transport, and the use of radio.	10
New technology and French planning in the 1930s	Recall questions on the lessons France drew from 1918, the Maginot Line, methodical battle, the dispersal of French tanks, Gamelin in 1940, and De Gaulle's arguments.	10
New technology and German planning in the 1930s	Recall questions on Guderian's ideas, what Blitzkrieg meant, where the ideas came from, the importance of radio, the Manstein Plan, and Rommel in 1940.	9
The impact of submarines, 1917-18	Recall questions on unrestricted submarine warfare, how close it came to success, why Germany accepted American entry, convoy and why the Admiralty resisted it.	10
The impact of submarines, 1939-45	Recall questions on Donitz and the wolf packs, the scale of shipping losses, the technologies that defeated the U-boats, why May 1943 was decisive, and Ultra.	10
Air power at Pearl Harbour and Midway	Recall questions on Yamamoto's reasoning, what Pearl Harbor achieved and missed, the plan at Midway, why Japan lost, and what carrier warfare meant for the battleship.	10
Developments in aerial warfare	Recall questions on counter-measures and radar, the jet engine, the V-1 and V-2, how nuclear weapons changed strategy, and precision guided munitions.	10
The destructive impact of terror bombing, 1943–45	Recall questions on Hamburg and the firestorm, Harris's area bombing strategy, Dresden, LeMay over Tokyo, the effectiveness of bombing, and the moral debate.	10
Varying impacts of air power	Recall questions on Rolling Thunder and Linebacker, why air power failed over North Vietnam, the 1991 campaign, and why it was so much more effective then.	10

The Changing Nature of Warfare, 1859-1991: Perception and Reality is 186 of the 6,832 questions in the guide.Get the guide, £9

How the guide is worked

Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.

Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.

Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.