AP European History DBQ ANSWERS Period 4

DOCUMENT BASED QUESTION 1

Directions: The following question is based on the accompanying Documents 1–6. This question is designed to test your ability to apply several historical-thinking skills simultaneously—i.e., contextualization, historical causation, and appropriate use of relevant historical evidence. Your response should be based on your analysis of the documents and your knowledge of the topic.

Write a well-integrated essay that does the following:

States an appropriate thesis that directly addresses all parts of the question.
Supports the thesis or an appropriate argument with evidence from all or all but one of the documents AND your knowledge of European history beyond/outside the documents.
Analyzes a majority of the documents in terms of such features as their intended audience, purpose, point of view, format, argument, limitations, and/or social context as appropriate to the argument.
Places the arguments in the context of broader, regional, national, or global processes.

1.Evaluate changes in warfare during the First World War (1914-1918) and analyze the impacts of these changes.

Learning Objective / Main Historical Thinking Skills / Key Concepts in the
Curriculum Framework
SP-13 Evaluate how the emergence of new weapons, tactics and methods of military organization changed the scale and cost of warfare, required the centralization of power, and shifted the balance of power.
SP-14 Analyze the role of warfare in remaking the political map of Europe and in shifting the global balance of power in the 19th and 20 centuries.
SP-18 Evaluate how overseas competition and changes in the alliance system upset the Concert of Europe and set the stage for World War I.
IS-8 Evaluate how the impact of war on civilians has affected loyalty to and respect for the nation-state. / Contextualization
Historical Causation
Appropriate Use of Relevant Historical Evidence / 4.1.I.B

ANSWER

Thesis

Possible thesis statements could include the following:

Changes in modern warfare made World War I a horrific development in the history of mankind.
Changes in warfare during World War I continued the pattern of modernization of conflict that had begun in the mid-nineteenth century and culminated in World War II.

Analysis of Documents

To earn full credit for analysis of documents, responses must offer at least one of the following for all or all but one of the documents: intended audience, purpose, historical context, author’s point of view. The analyses must also support the stated thesis or a relevant argument.

Document 1

Source: Graphs depicting the use of animals by the military during World War I

Components of document analysis may include the following:

Audience: Students of World War I
Purpose: to illustrate the use of horses and other modes of transport during World War I
Historical context: Although World War I was in many ways the first modern war, it still relied largely upon antiquated means of transportation and supply.
Author’s point of view: N/A

Document 2

Source: Fritz Kreisler, Austrian soldier, Four Weeks in the Trenches, The War Story of a Violinist, 1915

In the western area of the theater of war, . . . such trenches become an elaborate affair, with extensive underground working and wing connections of lines which almost constitute little fortresses and afford a certain measure of comfort. But where we were in Galicia at the beginning of the war, with conditions utterly unsteady and positions shifting daily and hourly, only the most superficial trenches were used. In fact, we thought ourselves fortunate if we could requisition enough straw to cover the bottom. That afternoon we had about half finished our work when our friend the [Russian] aeroplane appeared on the horizon again. This time we immediately opened fire. It disappeared, but apparently had seen enough, for very soon our position was shelled. By this time, however, shrapnel had almost ceased to be a source of concern to us and we scarcely paid any attention to it. Human nerves quickly get accustomed to the most unusual conditions and circumstances and I noticed that quite a number of men actually fell asleep from sheer exhaustion in the trenches, in spite of the roaring of the cannon about us and the whizzing of shrapnel over our heads.

Components of document analysis may include the following:

Audience: The civilian readers at home who were curious about the realities of the war
Purpose: to explain the realities of World War I warfare
Historical context: In the early stages of the war, the impact of new weapons and technology was still being grappled with and adapted to. Warfare on the Eastern Front remained more fluid than the static Western Front.
Author’s point of view: Kreisler stresses the dangers and violence of modern warfare and its impact on the human psyche.

Document 3

Source: Anonymous Account of French troops being gassed at Ypres, April 1915

Utterly unprepared for what was to come, the [French] divisions gazed for a short while spellbound at the strange phenomenon they saw coming slowly toward them.

Like some liquid the heavy-colouredvapour poured relentlessly into the trenches, filled them, and passed on.

For a few seconds nothing happened; the sweet-smelling stuff merely tickled their nostrils; they failed to realize the danger. Then, with inconceivable rapidity, the gas worked, and blind panic spread.

Hundreds, after a dreadful fight for air, became unconscious and died where they lay - a death of hideous torture, with the frothing bubbles gurgling in their throats and the foul liquid welling up in their lungs. With blackened faces and twisted limbs one by one they drowned - only that which drowned them came from inside and not from out.

Components of document analysis may include the following:

Audience: the reading public
Purpose: to illustrate the horrors of German use of gas as a weapon
Historical context: To break the deadlock of trench warfare, both sides turned to poisonous gas as a means to incapacitate enemy forces.
Author’s point of view: The author presents the horrors of gas warfare.

Document 4

Source: Official German Press Report citing French use of chemical weapons at Ypres in April 1915, published June 1915

For every one who has kept an unbiased judgment, the official assertions of the strictly accurate and truthful German military administration will be sufficient to prove the prior use of asphyxiating gases by our opponents.

On April 16th the French were making increased use of asphyxiating bombs. But let whoever still doubts, consider the following instructions for the systematic preparation of this means of warfare by the French, issued by the French War Ministry, dated February 21, 1915:

Remarks concerning shells with stupefying gases:

The so-called shells with stupefying gases that are being manufactured by our central factories contain a fluid which streams forth after the explosion, in the form of vapours that irritate the eyes, nose, and throat.

There are two kinds: hand grenades and cartridges. . . .

Here we have a conclusive proof that the French in their State workshops manufactured shells with asphyxiating gases fully half a year ago at least.

Components of document analysis may include the following:

Audience: The German public, specifically, and the international community, in general
Purpose: to justify German use of poison gas based upon French development and deployment of such weapons
Historical context: Both sides developed various means to break the deadlock in World War I, including poison gas. However, by most accounts the Germans were the first to employ this deadly new weapon on a large scale.
Author’s point of view: The German military is attempting to justify its use of poison gas based upon the French use of similar weapons.

Document 5

Source: Richard Haigh, British tank commander, Life in a Tank, written during World War I

Although one is protected from machine-gun fire in a tank, the sense of confinement is, at times, terrible. One does not know what is happening outside his little steel prison. One often cannot see where the machine is going. The noise inside is deafening; the heat terrific. Bombs shatter on the roof and on all sides. Bullets spatter savagely against the walls. There is an awful lack of knowledge; a feeling of blind helplessness at being cooped up. One is entirely at the mercy of the big shells. If a shell hits a tank near the petrol tank, the men may perish by fire, as did Gould, without a chance of escape. Going down with your ship seems pleasant compared to burning up with your tank. In fighting in the open, one has, at least, air and space.

Components of document analysis may include the following:

Audience: presumably intended for the home front audience curious about the new weapons of World War I, particularly the tank
Purpose: to explain the realities of tank warfare
Historical context: Tanks were introduced as a means to defeat trench warfare; however, the relatively new technology had severe flaws and was not well incorporated into the larger military strategy.
Author’s point of view: Haigh presents service in a tank as unpleasant and deadly.

Document 6

Source: Captain Manfred von Richthofen, Prussian nobleman and fighter pilot known as the Red Baron, The Red Battle Flyer, 1918

In Russia our battle squadron did a great deal of bomb throwing. Our occupation consisted of annoying the Russians. We dropped our eggs on their finest railway establishments. . . . The aeroplanes were ready to start. Every pilot tried his motor, for it is a painful thing to be forced to land against one's will on the wrong side of the Front line, especially in Russia.The Russians hated the flyers. If they caught a flying man they would certainly kill him. That is the only risk one ran in Russia for the Russians had no aviators, or practically none. If a Russian flying man turned up he was sure to have bad luck and would be shot down. The anti-aircraft guns used by Russia were sometimes quite good, but they were too few in number. Compared with flying in the West, flying in the East is absolutely a holiday.

Components of document analysis may include the following:

Audience: written to entertain the readers on the German home front
Purpose: intended as a means of propaganda to garner support for the war effort
Historical context: By later years of the war, the air war had expanded in importance and deadliness. Aerial combat was one of the aspects of World War I which gained the interest and imagination of the civilian public.
Author’s point of view: Richthofen presents air combat in both a somewhat romantic as well as deadly light.

Analysis of outside examples to support thesis/argument

Possible examples of information not found in the documents that could be used to support the stated thesis or a relevant argument could include the following:

New technologies before and during the War introduced more deadly and wide-spread warfare into the events of World War I.
Continued improvements in machine guns made casualty rates particularly high.
The use of more advanced artillery, coupled with TNT, made artillery the most deadly aspect of World War I artillery.
The development of aerial bombardment throughout the course of World War I opened civilians to the horrors of bombardment as well as the troops.
The use of the submarine extended the war far beyond the front lines and across the high seas.
The alliance system was the factor that truly made World War I so costly.
The real change in modern warfare was the implementation of larger alliance systems which drew increasing numbers of countries and soldiers into the conflict.
The biggest change in World War I was the implementation of “total war” in mobilizing all the resources of countries and empires in the conflict.
The expansion of the size of armies required the recruitment and drafting of ever greater numbers of soldiers and resulted in huge numbers of women and children being pressed into industrial work to support the war effort.

Contextualization

Students can earn a point for contextualization by accurately and explicitly connecting historical phenomena relevant to the argument to broader historical events and/or processes. These historical phenomena may include, but are not limited to, the following:

The horrors of World War I were part of the continued development of industry and government.
World War I was, in many ways, a sign of the automation and greater efficiency of modern industrial society applied to warfare.
World War I allowed the continuation of the increasing involvement of governments in overseeing and commanding the population, industry and economy of countries.

Synthesis

Students can earn the point for synthesis by crafting a persuasive and coherent essay. This can be accomplished by providing a conclusion that extends or modifies the analysis in the essay, by using disparate and sometimes contradictory evidence from primary and/or secondary sources to craft a coherent argument, or by connecting to another historical period or context. Examples could include, but are not limited to, the following.

World War I continued the trend of greater mobilization of the population and resources of a country for warfare.
This trend can be seen beginning in France during the Napoleonic Wars and later in the U.S. Civil War.

DOCUMENT BASED QUESTION 2

Directions: The following question is based on the accompanying Documents 1–6. This question is designed to test your ability to apply several historical-thinking skills simultaneously—i.e., contextualization, historical causation, and interpretation. Your response should be based on your analysis of the documents and your knowledge of the topic.

Write a well-integrated essay that does the following:

States an appropriate thesis that directly addresses all parts of the question.
Supports the thesis or an appropriate argument with evidence from all or all but one of the documents AND your knowledge of European history beyond/outside the documents.
Analyzes a majority of the documents in terms of such features as their intended audience, purpose, point of view, format, argument, limitations, and/or social context as appropriate to the argument.
Places the arguments in the context of broader, regional, national, or global processes.

2. Analyze the extent to which the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia represent the larger problems of ethnicity and nationalism in post-1989 eastern Europe.

Learning Objective / Main Historical Thinking Skills / Key Concepts in the
Curriculum Framework
SP-17 Explain the role of nationalism in altering the European balance of power, and explain attempts made to limit nationalism as a means to ensure continental stability.
IS-7 Evaluate how identities such as ethnicity, race, and class have defined the individual in relationship to society.
IS-10 Analyze how and why Europeans have marginalized certain populations (defined as “other”) over the course of their history. / Contextualization
Historical Causation
Interpretation / 4.1.VI

ANSWER

Thesis

Possible thesis statements could include the following

The turmoil in Kosovo and Bosnia is symptomatic of the ethnic tensions which divide much of eastern Europe.
The turmoil in the former Yugoslavia is a product of the unique ethnic make-up and tensions of that region of the Balkans.
The uncertainty and instability of the years following the end of Communism brought the opportunity for ethnic conflict throughout eastern Europe, but it was the unique factors of Yugoslavia that led to turmoil there as opposed to other regions.

Analysis of Documents

Document 1

Source: Speech by Slobodan Milosevic, delivered to 1 million people at the central celebration marking the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo, held atGazimestanon 28 June, 1989.

Let the memory of Kosovo heroism live forever!
Long live Serbia!
Long live Yugoslavia!

Components of document analysis may include the following:

Audience: a largely Serb nationalist crowd honoring the anniversary of a historic Serb victory
Purpose: to promote the unity and greatness of Serbia
Historical context: Given in the midst of the collapse of communism in eastern Europe, this speech commemorated a medieval Serb victory over the Turks.
Author’s point of view: Milosevic viewed the history and destiny of Serbia and Kosovo to be identical.

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Document 2

Source: Stefan Wolff, Ethnic Minorities in Europe: The Basic Facts. Centre for International Crisis Management and Conflict Resolution

Components of document analysis may include the following:

Audience: students of modern eastern Europe
Purpose: to illustrate the ethnic diversity and complexity existing in eastern Europe in the modern age
Historical context: compiled to show the shifting ethnic minorities of eastern Europe through the period of the fall of communism
Author’s point of view: N/A

Document 3

Source: UN Security Council Resolution 1199 (1998) concerning Kosovo