Does anyone have sources on the stalemate? (1 Viewer)

[violentdelights]

I can barely find any! It's been six weeks, and I've found a few, but I can't find any sources like govt documents in regards to the stalemate on the Western Front. Do you have any, know of any? Thanks.

 

[violentdelights]

Bump

 

[Kittikhun]

You won't need any and you should have already completed your assessment task for WW1. Stop worrying. Just read a lot of stuff pertinent to what is required of the syllabus and you'll be fine. Geez.

 

[violentdelights]

Shut up. Seriously.

 

[nutcracker]

We were given books from school full of sources. Don't know if you'll be able to get your hands on them but here are the names and authors:

(i) Experiences of the Great War - Susan Johnston
(ii) Evidence of War (Studying th First World War through Sources) - Anne McCallum

 

[violentdelights]

Thanks nutcracker <3 I have book 2, it's just that it's really difficult for me to get my hands on an official govt document that acknowledges the coming of the stalemate or reasons for it. There are heaps of photos, expert opinions etc, but that's about it for the stalemate. If I was doing propaganda or breaking the stalemate this would have been so much easier. I've searched so many books lol

 

[nutcracker]

Ah I see. In that case, can't say I can help =/
What is this for? Do you have an assignment on the stalemate or something?

 

[Kittikhun]

Thanks nutcracker <3 I have book 2, it's just that it's really difficult for me to get my hands on an official govt document that acknowledges the coming of the stalemate or reasons for it. There are heaps of photos, expert opinions etc, but that's about it for the stalemate. If I was doing propaganda or breaking the stalemate this would have been so much easier. I've searched so many books lol

Why on earth would they have written a document like this when the Allies were already planning their new offensives to break the stalemate in the spring of 1915? Just because the Germans failed to outflank the Allies in the First Battle of Ypres doesn't mean that both sides would realise 'oh dear, there is a stalemate, I think our further offensives will fail and we won't be able to gain any ground'. Both the generals on both sides planned to resume or try to resume mobile warfare right after the winter of 1914 passed! I'm serious, stop flapping and just read stuff; you're wasting your time on something that probably won't get you anywhere and if your teacher sent you a task like this, s/he is not very knowledgeable. You won't find any 'government documents', trust me. Read and jot down the points that revered historians have made. They're sources too.

 

[violentdelights]

Why on earth would they have written a document like this when the Allies were already planning their new offensives to break the stalemate in the spring of 1915? Just because the Germans failed to outflank the Allies in the First Battle of Ypres doesn't mean that both sides would realise 'oh dear, there is a stalemate, I think our further offensives will fail and we won't be able to gain any ground'. Both the generals on both sides planned to resume or try to resume mobile warfare right after the winter of 1914 passed! I'm serious, stop flapping and just read stuff; you're wasting your time on something that probably won't get you anywhere and if your teacher sent you a task like this, s/he is not very knowledgeable. You won't find any 'government documents', trust me. Read and jot down the points that revered historians have made. They're sources too.

My teacher is one of the heads of the History Teachers Association. It's for an assessment.

I found one, by the way.

Thanks for being an idiot
xoxo

 

[Kittikhun]

Well , if you did mention that in the first place that this was an assessment task (which your class seriously should have completed already. You were meant to do it in Term 4, if I recall correctly) this could all have been avoided.

I recant my previous views of your teacher though your class should have already completed your assessment task for WW1 in Term Four of last year. One thing to note also, if you do find a kick ass primary source, it means nothing if you can't analyse it and put it into context.

You did? Good, give me the website or the publishing details of the book that the document is in. The reason why? I really doubt that you did; I have never seen an official government document before about the stalemate, only that of military commanders who thought it a temporary phrase that will be passed in new offensives in the New Year that would hopefully continue mobile warfare. Hell even the French rushed it and attacked the Germans in the First Battle of Champagne in December 1914 in an attempt to commence mobile warfare.

There is no need for the insults. They are unwarranted; in reading my previous posts I cannot see any provocative comments that I may have made towards you (and if I did, I apologise for making them). I was trying to help you; I thought you were one of those over the board students who go on wasting their valuable time looking for sources to practise off in the supposition that they will get better marks in source-related questions. In a way, this method will help in earning better marks in improving your source analysis skills but if you don't have any background knowledge to reinforce your response, what the hell are you going to write for Question 2 and 3 in the HSC exam section of World War One to reinforce your answers? You need background knowledge with sources. You should be reading as many books as you can instead of wasting your time trying to find just one kick-ass 'government document' in a source-related task, that has many other valuable primary and secondary sources available for you to use, in order to just make your history teacher go 'oooo'.

For historians, check out John Keegan's 'The First World War', Peter Simkins 'World War One' (published by Osprey, it's actually written by a couple more authors but their contributions to the book are not concentrated towards the Western Front), H.P Willmott's 'World War One' and A.J.P Taylor's 'The Illustrated History of the First World War'. Also have a look at the following wikipedia article-

Schlieffen Plan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For each of the quoted historian comments follow the superscript hyperlink at the end of the quote which will lead you to the reference details for you to reference your quote since many prejudiced people still believe that wikipedia is 'an unreliable resource' which it is not (in regards to history articles that no one in our generation gives a toss about. Other articles about other things, worry).