GCSE History: Warfare and British Society c1250–Present

This material covers the GCSE History thematic study of warfare and British society – for example Pearson Edexcel's 'Warfare and British society, c1250–present', together with its historic environment 'London and the Second World War, 1939–45'. It traces how armies were raised, how battles were fought and how war affected ordinary people over more than seven hundred years.

In the medieval period you revise the feudal levy and the growing use of paid soldiers, and the dominance of the English longbow, using the battles of Falkirk (1298) and Agincourt (1415) as examples. For the early modern period you study the arrival of gunpowder weapons, pike and musket formations, and the creation of the New Model Army during the English Civil War, with the Battle of Naseby (1645) as a case study. The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are covered through the Battle of Waterloo (1815) and the way soldiers were recruited, the Crimean War and the Charge of the Light Brigade, the influence of war reporting by William Howard Russell, and the Cardwell reforms that abolished the purchase of officers' commissions in 1871.

The twentieth century covers conscription in 1916 and 1939, the Western Front, the Defence of the Realm Act and propaganda, and the impact of the Second World War on civilians – evacuation, rationing and the Home Guard – before looking at National Service, the move to smaller professional forces, and modern conflicts such as the Falklands and Iraq, where technology plays a central role. The historic environment section focuses on London in the Second World War: the Blitz, the use of Underground stations as shelters, the Balham disaster of 1940 and the V-1 and V-2 attacks of 1944.

The quiz tests key events, dates and changes, including a chronology question. The flashcards drill the landmark events and terms. The written work asks for explanations and judgements about change and continuity, the role of technology and the impact of war on civilians. In the oral exam an examiner asks one question at a time and gives brief feedback at the end.

The material is revision practice written by Zestly and is not produced or reviewed by any exam board; check the details of your own specification with your teacher.

• Explain how armies were raised from the feudal levy to modern professional forces
• Explain the importance of the longbow, gunpowder and later military technology
• Explain the significance of the New Model Army and the Cardwell reforms
• Describe the impact of war reporting and government control on British society
• Describe the experience of London civilians in the Second World War
• Judge the relative importance of technology and other factors in changing warfare

Practice material written by Zestly, based on the DfE GCSE history subject content (thematic study and historic environment) and options such as Pearson Edexcel 'Warfare and British society, c1250–present' with 'London and the Second World War, 1939–45' (GCSE History 1HI0 option 12).