What mistakes do students make with The impact of war on civilians, including recruitment…?

Assuming civilians were largely unaffected by war in this period. Emphasise that recruitment, requisitioning, and billeting caused severe economic and social disruption to civilian life. Confusing early modern recruitment with modern volunteer armies. Highlight the use of impressment and the compulsory nature of the militia system. Believing requisitioning was always paid for fairly. Note that compensation was often delayed, inadequate, or non-existent, leading to civilian hardship.

Pearson Edexcel · GCSE · History

Course version: 1HI0 · Version from Sept 2016

C1500–c1700: Warfare and English society in the early modern period - 2…

Full specification wording

Option 12: c1500–c1700: Warfare and English society in the early modern period - 2 The experience of war: The impact of war on civilians, including recruitment and requisitioning.

During the early modern period (c1500–c1700), warfare significantly impacted civilians through recruitment and requisitioning.

Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 1HI0 specification (opens in a new tab) on 24 September 2026.

Study notes

From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.

The idea

What earns the marks

Explain how the militia system and impressment were used to recruit soldiers, removing men from civilian occupations.
Describe the process of requisitioning, where armies seized food, livestock, and transport from local populations.
Analyse the economic and social disruption caused by billeting soldiers in civilian homes without adequate payment.
Evaluate the impact of these practices during specific conflicts, such as the English Civil War, on civilian attitudes towards the military.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

Assuming civilians were largely unaffected by war in this period.
Put it right: Emphasise that recruitment, requisitioning, and billeting caused severe economic and social disruption to civilian life.
Confusing early modern recruitment with modern volunteer armies.
Put it right: Highlight the use of impressment and the compulsory nature of the militia system.
Believing requisitioning was always paid for fairly.
Put it right: Note that compensation was often delayed, inadequate, or non-existent, leading to civilian hardship.

Exam tips

Use the English Civil War as a primary example to illustrate the severe impact of requisitioning and billeting on civilians.
When discussing recruitment, distinguish between the local militia (intended for home defence) and impressment for foreign or national campaigns.
Link the economic impact of requisitioning directly to the loss of agricultural output and local trade.

Try the lesson

The start of the Option 12: c1500–c1700: Warfare and English society in the early modern period - 2 The experience of war: The impact of war on civilians, including recruitment and requisitioning. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.

Have a go first

What was the primary meaning of 'requisitioning' for civilians during warfare in the period c1500–c1700?

Tip: press 1 to 4 to choose

Listen

During the early modern period (c1500–c1700), warfare significantly impacted civilians through recruitment and requisitioning. Recruitment often relied on the militia system and impressment (forced conscription), which disrupted local economies by removing able-bodied men from agriculture and trades. Requisitioning involved armies seizing food, horses, and supplies from civilian populations, often without adequate compensation, leading to hardship and starvation. The English Civil War (1642–1651) provides a stark example, where both Royalist and Parliamentarian forces heavily requisitioned goods and billeted soldiers in civilian homes, causing widespread resentment and economic devastation in affected communities. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Explain how the militia system and impressment were used to recruit soldiers, removing men from civilian occupations. Describe the process of requisitioning, where armies seized food, livestock, and transport from local populations. Analyse the economic and social disruption caused by billeting soldiers in civilian homes without adequate payment. Evaluate the impact of these practices during specific conflicts, such as the English Civil War, on civilian attitudes towards the military. A common slip: Assuming civilians were largely unaffected by war in this period. Instead, Emphasise that recruitment, requisitioning, and billeting caused severe economic and social disruption to civilian life. Exam tip: Use the English Civil War as a primary example to illustrate the severe impact of requisitioning and billeting on civilians.

See it

A top-down flowchart beginning with a node labelled Warfare, which branches into Recruitment and Requisitioning. Recruitment leads to two nodes, Militia system and Impressment, and both of these lead to a node reading Men removed from agriculture and trades. Requisitioning leads to two nodes, Seizing food, horses and supplies and Billeting soldiers in civilian homes, and both of these lead to a node reading Hardship and starvation. The node Men removed from agriculture and trades and the node Hardship and starvation both lead to a node reading Disruption to local economies, which finally leads to a node reading Resentment and economic devastation. — Shows how recruitment and requisitioning during early modern warfare disrupted civilian life and local economies.

Label the diagram

Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.

The diagram again, with 3 boxes numbered instead of named. A top-down flowchart beginning with a node labelled Warfare, which branches into Recruitment and Requisitioning. Recruitment leads to two nodes, Militia system and Impressment, and both of these lead to a node reading Men removed from agriculture and trades. Requisitioning leads to two nodes, Seizing food, horses and supplies and Billeting soldiers in civilian homes, and both of these lead to a node reading Hardship and starvation. The node Men removed from agriculture and trades and the node Hardship and starvation both lead to a node reading Disruption to local economies, which finally leads to a node reading Resentment and economic devastation.

1Box 1
2Box 2
3Box 3

0 of 3 labelled

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