Homework 4; term 2

Worksheet 1 "From Lightning to Phoney War"

A:
1. Using sources A to D, describe how Polish civilians were affected by the invasion of their country.
-In source A, the people are affected because they are hearing that on the first day of were, 112 people were killed; they learn that of these people killed, 80 were women or children. In source B, this person is finding out that the town where their family had lived had been burnt down, and once again- people are fearing the Germans. In source C, the person makes references to piles of corpses of people and animals that are just laying in the streets. All of these sources are illustrating fear, and the loss of many humans.

2a. Why do you think source A to C are anonymous? Does this affect their value as evidence?
-These sources are anonymous because the people were obviously terrified of being killed, like everyone else who they were mentioning in their journals. I don't think it really effects their value, because even if we knew a name, it wouldn't change the message that was being conveyed.

2b. How does source D help you to use sources A to C?
-Source D is sort of a picture of everything that is going on, which people are talking about in all of the sources. It creates a mental image, at least for me, of how bad things really were, and what was actually happening.

2c. Suggest why the Polish Black Book, sources A to C, was published in Britain in 1940.
- I think it was to warn people more of what the Germans were doing, and give them a bit of awareness of how bad things could actually get.

2d. How valuable do you consider the Polish Black Book as evidence of the effects of Germany's invasion of Poland? Explain your answer.
- This is definitely an extremely valuable source as evidence, because it gives first hand accounts of what was actually going on. It is real people saying what they were witnessing- they weren't changing stories to make it seem more intense than it was, because the accounts were taken when things were actually happening.


B:
1. In sources A to D, what methods of warfare might be called humane?
-I don't really see any of these methods as humane. The first two sources are a bit less cruel than source C, but I don't think burning people's houses is very humane. I guess that as a method of warfare, the bombing and burning of houses would be the most humane in this situation though.

2. How do sources A to D suggest that the Germans did not use humane methods of warfare.
-Well, it is a bit unjust to just go around burning down people's houses. Also, there were masses of people and animals lying in the streets, which shows that maybe they killed an excessive amount of people that wasn't necessarily called for. By killing children, this was a bit inhumane as well, because the children were completely innocent.

3. Do source A to D prove that the Germans acted inhumanely? Explain your answer.
- I guess that these sources can't necessarily prove that they acted inhumanely, although it definitely suggests that they did. It's hard to say, because these are just personal encounters of people. It is also hard to say what is inhumane, it is almost like calling someone a monster.


C:
1. In Source E, how did the lives of people in the big house seem to have been affected by the start of war with Germany? How did their lives seem unchanged?
-Well, it just says that they were "air raid arrangements" which shows how it was affected by the war. However, everything was so custom to them- the different ways the floors were layed out, so their lives were basically the same as always. (I really don't know how to answer this question...)

2. Judging by Source F, how did the start of the war affect daily life in London?
-Well, the two business men, who previously would talk normally, now had to converse using gas masks.

3. Using E and F, suggest why British people in 1939 called the war the "phoney war."
-Well, it appears to these people as though nothing really changed in their lives. They lived in air-raid shelters, which were the exact same as what they were previously accustomed to.

4. For what other purposes could a historian use sources E and F as evidence?
-Well, it expresses what happened in the war according to the British people, and their views of the war, which is pretty significant and could be important.


Worksheet 2: "The Fall of Western Europe"

A:
1. What was Churchill offering the British in source A? What would have been the alternative?
-He is offering blood, toil, tears, and sweat. The alternative of this would be that they loose, because along with the blood, toil, tears, and sweat would come victory.

2.This speech was very popular among the British. Suggest why this is so.
-Well, I guess it is sort of motivational, and it shows that their leader, Churchill, is actually showing concern, and that he is trying his best to create a victory.


B:
1. What is an "armada" (lines 2 and 15)? Suggest why the Daily Express used this word to describe boats which rescued soldiers from Dunkirk.
-I'm not really sure what an armada is, maybe it means like, a large amount. They use this word to make is seem more intense and amazing I guess.

2. Which parts of this newspaper story might a French reporter, and a German reporter have written differently? Explain your answer.
-Well, they would have written it different so that it would appeal more to their own country. It reminds me of TOK class in a sense, because in the book Grendel, there is a shaper, who goes from village to village, telling stories about the war, but the story always appeals more to the person whom he is telling it to.