A Level History Course Overview

A LEVEL HISTORY COURSE OVERVIEW

Course overview and expectations

Everyone can benefit from the study of history. It is a special subject because through studying the past it provides a frame of reference to interpret experience and understand the present. By considering social, economic, cultural and political questions history underpins key contemporary issues. It helps to develop a sense of critical review – it shows us that our values and ways do not have to be the way they are and that we can change things if we choose. We hope you will enjoy and feel fulfilled by the course, that you find it challenging and exciting – and that you are successful in your studies.

The A level course

The A level course is a two year course at the end of which you will sit two examinations and submit one piece of coursework.

Unit 1: Breadth Study: The Tudors: England, 1485–1603

Unit 2: Depth Study: Democracy and Nazism: Germany, 1918–1945

Unit 3: Coursework: There is some flexibility in terms of choice of topic. The work on this unit will begin in the summer term of Year 12.

The A level course will help you:

Gain an interest in the subject and its study
Develop an understanding of people in past societies, their problems, values and attitudes
Develop historical skills in order to promote independence of mind and tolerance of the opinions of others
Learn to present a clear, concise, logical and relevant argument, revealing sound judgement and powers of selection
Improve your written communication skills
Work independently and carry out your own research
Participate in discussion and offer articulate, well-reasoned comments
Make effective use of sources of information
Reach your academic potential

Examination Board: AQA

A LEVEL HISTORY: SUMMER WORK 1

Democracy and Nazism: Germany, 1918–1945

Task 1: Make a timeline – add pictures

1871 / Germany is created and soon becomes a powerful economic and military state.
1914 - 1918 / World War 1: Germany and Austria are at war with Britain, France and Russia
Autumn 1918 / The German Republic is declared and Kaiser Wilhelm abdicates. The new government signs the armistice ending the war
February 1919 / The Weimar Republic is set up with Ebert as the first President.
June 1919 / The Treaty of Versailles is signed and imposed on Germany
April 1921 / The Allies fix the amount of reparations Germany has to pay at £6600 million
January 1923 / French troops occupy the Ruhr. Hyperinflation sweeps across Germany
August 1923 / Stresemann becomes Chancellor.
November 1923 / Hitler leads the Munich Putsch but fails to overthrow the government
April 1925 / General Hindenburg is elected President
1925 – 1929 / The Golden Years
October 1929 / The Wall Street Crash in the USA leads to economic collapse in Germany.
July 1932 / The Nazi Party becomes the biggest party in the Reichstag winning 37% of the vote
January 1932 / Hindenburg is persuaded to appoint Hitler as Chancellor.
August 1934 / Hindenburg dies, Hitler combines the posts of Chancellor and President.
1933 - 1939 / Nazi philosophy and policies are implemented
November 1938 / Krystallnacht
September 1939 / Hitler invades Poland – WW2 begins.
1940 - 41 / Norway, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg and France fall to the Nazis.
Jan 1942 / Wannsee conference – agreed the final solution to the Jewish question
1945 / Hitler commits suicide and Germany surrenders

Task 2: Explain the following

What is … / All of these words were used in the timeline – but what do they mean?
Reich
Abdicate
Kaiser
Armistice
Krystallnacht
Constitution
Chancellor
Republic
Reparations
Allies
Wannsee Conference
Philosophy
Reichstag
Economy
Hyperinflation
Coalition

Germany 1914 – 1918: the impact of WW1

Task 3: Sort the statements into these categories: Political Economic Social Military Unsure

Initially the war seemed to have united Germans but the strain of fighting for four years heightened tensions and disagreements resurfaced. The war had a significant impact on Germany.

Shortages of fuel and raw materials were made worse by the harsh winter of 1916-1917 / Workers earnings and living standards fell by 20 – 30% / In the winter of 1916- 1917 Germany’s rivers and railways froze adding to transportation problems
Events in Russia (the revolutions) provided inspiration for the discontented and those who were opposed to the war / The reduction in the bread ration in April 1917 led to strikes and demonstrations – people called for an end to the war / A Spanish flu epidemic swept across Europe in 1918 killing hundreds of thousands
Meat consumption fell to 12% of pre war levels / Coal production in 1917 was 90% of what it had been in 1913, despite the increasing demand / There was growing opposition to the war, partly because of the huge loss of life and partly because of the shortages
Clothing and soap were in short supply / Deaths from starvation and hypothermia rose from 121000 in 1916 to 293000 in 1918 / Between 1913 and 1918 the value of the mark fell by 75%
The British blockade of German ports led to severe shortages of food and raw materials / 2 million soldiers were killed and 6.3 million were wounded in the fighting / The German army was exhausted and retreating by the summer of 1918. Morale was low
With the USA in the war, a German defeat was inevitable although many Germans were unaware of how badly the war was going / Political unity and support for the war broke down by 1917 / The cost of the war for Germany was estimated at £8.4 billion
The appalling conditions led to the rise of communist groups who were calling for revolution / Germany’s allies were on the verge of collapse and seeking peace / Agricultural production fell – the potato harvest was hit by bad weather, the wheat harvest by shortage of labour
Soup kitchens provided meals for the starving. In Hamburg 6 million meals were handed out in April alone / By 1918 there was widespread anger and discontent inside Germany. Strikes in major cities like Berlin involved a million workers / The government became increasingly authoritarian and militaristic. Generals Hindenburg and Ludendorff effectively ran Germany

Task 4: Initially the war seemed to have united Germans but the strain of fighting for four years heightened tensions and disagreements resurfaced. The war had a significant impact on Germany.

Write a summary in no more than 50 words: What was the impact of WW1 on Germany

A LEVEL SUMMER WORK 2: THE TUDORS

HENRY TUDOR

BORN: 28 JANUARY 1457

SUCCEEDED: 22 AUGUST 1485

DIED: 21 APRIL 1509

‘The battle was over. On a stretch of high ground in the midland heart of the kingdom twenty thousand men had met in fierce, clumsy combat, and the day had ended in the decisive defeat of the stronger army. Its leader, the King, had been killed fighting heroically, and men had seen his naked corpse slung across his horse's back and borne away to an obscure grave. His captains were dead, captured, or in flight, his troops broken and demoralized. But in the victor's army all was rejoicing. In following the claimant to the throne his supporters had chosen the winning side, and when they saw the golden circlet which had fallen from the King's head placed upon their leader's, their lingering doubts fled before the conviction that God had blessed his cause, and they hailed him joyously as their sovereign.

The day was 22 August 1485; the battlefield was to be named after the small neighboring town of Market Bosworth; the fallen King was the third and ablest of English monarchs who bore the name Richard; and the man whom the battle made a king was to be the seventh and perhaps the greatest of those who bore the name Henry.’

S.T. Bindoff Tudor England PROLOGUE: 1485

The very fact that Henry Tudor became King of England at all is somewhat of a miracle. His claim to the English throne was tenuous at best. His father was Edmund Tudor, a Welshman of Welsh royal lineage, but that was not too important as far as his claim to the English throne went. What was important though was his heritage through his mother, Margaret Beaufort, a descendant of Edward III. This descent from King Edward was through his third son, John of Gaunt. John's third wife, Katherine Swynford had borne him several children as his mistress before he married her. The children born before the marriage were later legitimised, but barred from the succession. Margaret Beaufort was descended from one of the children born before the marriage of John and Katherine.

By 1485 the Wars of the Roses had been raging in England for many years between the Houses of York and Lancaster.

The real matter was decided on the battlefield, at the Battle of Bosworth Field. It was here that Henry and his forces met with Richard III and Henry won the crown. It was truly through the defeat of Richard and the 'right of conquest' that Henry claimed the throne. It was solidified however, by his marriage to Elizabeth of

York, the eldest child of the late King Edward IV

The Wars of the Roses

/
The Wars of the Roses were a series of battles that were fought between the supporters of the House of Lancaster (Lancastrians – red rose) and the supporters of the House of York (Yorkists – white rose).
/ Although there were no battles fought until 1455, the cause of the wars dates back to the reign of Edward III and the power struggle between his sons after his death.
The four eldest sons of Edward III (1312 – 1377) were Edward the Black Prince (heir to the throne), Lionel of Antwerp (Duke of Clarence) John of Gaunt (Duke of Lancaster) and Edmund of Langley (Duke of York)
Edward III died in 1377. His eldest son, Edward, the Black Prince had died of the plague in 1376 and so his grandson, Richard, aged ten and son of the Black Prince, became king. Because Richard II was only ten years old, his uncle, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, ruled the country. As Richard grew older he rebelled against his uncle and made decisions that were not popular with the most powerful men in the country. /
In 1399 John of Gaunt died and Richard II confiscated the land he had owned. John of Gaunt’s son, Henry, raised an army and when Richard surrendered, took the throne as Henry IV. Richard was imprisoned in Pontefract castle and mysteriously died in February 1400.
/ Henry IV faced a number of challenges to his place on the throne because he was not the natural successor to Richard II. With the death of Richard II, the crown should have passed to Edmund Earl of March, great grandson of Lionel Duke of Clarence. However, Henry managed to keep his place on the throne and when he died in 1413, the country was at peace and his son, Henry V, succeeded without problem.
Henry V was a strong leader and after ordering the execution of Richard, Earl of Cambridge for plotting to put the Yorkists on the throne, invaded France. He won many battles, including the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 and conquered Normandy and Rouen for England. In 1420, Henry married the daughter of the king of France and it was agreed that their children would be the heirs of both England and France. When Henry V died in 1422 from dysentery, his son, Henry VI became the only king to be crowned king of England and France. /
/ Henry VI was four months old when he became king and his father’s brothers ruled England and France in his place. France was soon lost when Joan of Arc raised an army against the English and restored the French monarchy. As Henry grew older it became apparent that he was a weak king, totally dominated by his French wife Margaret of Anjou. He was also prone to bouts of insanity and the Yorkists began plotting to take his place on the throne.
The first battle of the Wars of the Roses took place at St Albans on 22nd May 1455. The Yorkists led by Richard Duke of York easily defeated the King’s army. Henry VI was injured and taken prisoner. In 1455, Henry suffered another bout of insanity and Richard Duke of York was made protector of England. In 1456, Henry recovered and retook the throne. There were further battles and in 1459 Richard was killed at the Battle of Wakefield.
In 1461, Richard’s son Edward, Earl of March, defeated the King’s army, took the King prisoner and made himself King Edward IV. Queen Margaret took her son and fled to Wales where they were taken in by the king’s half-brother Jaspar Tudor. In 1470, Henry regained the throne but in 1471 was defeated by Edward’s army at the Battle of Tewkesbury and taken prisoner. Henry’s son, Edward, Prince of Wales was killed during the battle. With no other Lancastrian heir to challenge him, Edward IV remained king until his sudden death in 1483. /
/ Edward IV had two sons, Edward and Richard, both of whom were too young to rule and so their uncle Richard Duke of Gloucester ruled England. The two princes were taken to the Tower of London and in the summer of 1483 mysteriously disappeared. It is believed that their uncle murdered them. Richard was crowned Richard III. He was not a popular king and faced many challenges to his place on the throne, notably from Henry Tudor, grandson of Owen Tudor who had been second husband to Henry V’s wife Katherine of Valois
Henry Tudor raised a Lancastrian army against Richard Iii and at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, Richard was killed and the Yorkists defeated. It is told that Henry found Richard’s crown on the battlefield and placed it on his head. Henry VII was crowned king and married Edward IV’s daughter, Elizabeth of York a move that was to end the Wars of the Roses. /

Henry Tudor’s family tree:

What was Henry VII like?

His body was slender but well-built and strong; his height above the average. His appearance was remarkably attractive and his face was cheerful, especially when speaking; his eyes were small and blue, his teeth few, poor and blackish; his hair was thin and white; his complexion sallow. His spirit was distinguished, wise and prudent; his mind was brave and resolute and never, even at moments of the greatest danger, deserted him. He had a most pertinacious memory. Withal he was not devoid of scholarship. In government he was shrewd and prudent, so that no one dared to get the better of him through deceit or guile. He was gracious and kind and was as attentive to his visitors as he was easy of access. His hospitality was splendidly generous; he was fond of having foreigners at his court and he freely conferred favours of them. But those of his subjects who were indebted to him and who did not pay him due honour or who were generous only with promises, he treated with harsh severity. He well knew how to maintain his royal majesty and all which appertains to kingship at every time and in every place. He was most fortunate in war, although he was constitutionally more inclined to peace than to war. He cherished justice above all things; as a result he vigorously punished violence, manslaughter and every other kind of wickedness. He was the most ardent supporter of our faith, and daily participated with great piety in religious services. To those whom he considered to be worthy priests, he often secretly gave alms so that they should pray for his salvation, but all these virtues were obscured latterly only by avarice, from which...he suffered. This avarice is surely a bad enough vice in a private individual, whom it forever torments; in a monarch indeed it may be considered the worst vice, since it is harmful to everyone, and distorts those qualities of trustfulness, justice and integrity by which the state must be governed.

From Polydore Vergil, The Anglia Historia, 1485 – 1537

TASKS

Explain why Henry’s claim to the throne was ‘tenuous at best’?
How had he become King of England?
Use the information to make a timeline showing the main events of the Wars of the Roses
Read the description of Henry; identify his good and bad points as a ruler
A number of words in the description have been highlighted in bold – look up the meaning of these words choose an alternative that makes sense
What problems did Henry VII face when he became king?

In many European countries at this time, the power of kings and queens was growing. In England the power of the king been weakened by the War of the Roses. When Henry VII became king he needed to make himself a strong and powerful ruler but he faced problems:

Henry had become king by being victorious in battle and killing his rival Richard III. Richard‘s Yorkist supporters were still at large and could band together to fight Henry and attempt to replace him.
The treasury (the king‘s money supply) was virtually empty following expensive wars with France and then the War of the Roses.
The court was split into factions (groups) and this had led to war between the Houses of York and Lancaster.
Some nobles had become too powerful could not be trusted.
Large private armies of retainer which had been recruited by the nobles during the war were now pillaging the countryside.
France and Scotland were potential enemies and the power of Spain was growing rapidly.
There had been a complete breakdown of law and order throughout the kingdom.
There were Yorkist rebellions against his rule in 1486, led by Viscount Lovell, in 1487 by Lambert Simnel and again in 1497, led by Perkin Warbeck.

These bullet points have not been set down in any particular order. Re-write the bullet points but set them out in an order of priority. Which problems do you think he would he need to deal with first?
Which problems would you expect to cause Henry the greatest headache and why?