Paper 3, Option 37.1: The changing nature of warfare, 1859–1991: perception and reality - 1 Reporting and portraying war — Edexcel A-Level History
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Paper 3, Option 37.1: The changing nature of warfare, 1859–1991: perception and reality - 1 Reporting and portraying war explained
Paper 3, Option 37.1: The changing nature of warfare, 1859–1991: perception and reality - 1 Reporting and portraying war covers 2 specification points, including The telegraph, photography, film, radio,… and The impact of the film All Quiet on the….
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Open a point below for its explanation and revision guidance.
Changes in the reporting of war and the impact of new technologies, 1859–1991: the telegraph, photography, film, radio, television, satellite communication (key developments: the reporting of the US Civil War, Spanish- American War and the First World War, filming the Second World War, the televised reporting in Vietnam and in particular the Tet Offensive 1968, instantaneous reporting from the First Gulf War).
This topic examines how each new communication technology changed the speed, reach and character of war reporting between 1859 and 1991. The telegraph allowed correspondents to send brief dispatches quickly, but censorship and cost limited detail. Photography could show static scenes, yet exposure times and official control shaped what was seen. Film brought moving images, radio gave immediate voice, television added pictures in the home, and satellite communication made reporting almost instantaneous. You should connect each technology to named conflicts: the US Civil War, the Spanish-American War, the First World War, the Second World War, Vietnam (especially the Tet Offensive in 1968) and the First Gulf War. Assess how technology changed perception and reality, including censorship, propaganda and the gap between report and experience.
The changing remembrance and portrayal of war, 1859– 1991 in ceremonies, novels, plays, war books and comics, films and television series (key developments: the impact of the film All Quiet on the Western Front 1930, the portrayal in Hollywood films of the Second World War in 1940s and 1950s and Vietnam War in the 1970s and 1980s).
This topic explores how war has been remembered and portrayed in ceremonies, novels, plays, war books and comics, films and television series from 1859 to 1991. You need to show how different media shaped public memory and attitudes, often years after the fighting. Key examples include the 1930 film All Quiet on the Western Front, which presented the First World War as futile and traumatic, and Hollywood's portrayal of the Second World War in the 1940s and 1950s, which often celebrated heroism and national purpose. Vietnam War films of the 1970s and 1980s, such as The Deer Hunter and Platoon, reflected division and trauma. Consider how ceremonies, comics and television series also contributed to remembrance, and assess how portrayals changed with time, politics and audience expectations.
Your focus
- Describe how the telegraph, photography, film, radio, television and satellite communication each changed war reporting between 1859 and 1991.
- Explain the significance of named developments such as the US Civil War, Spanish-American War, First World War, Second World War, Vietnam and the First Gulf War.
- Evaluate the extent to which new technologies changed public perception of war, taking account of censorship and propaganda.
Show all 6 objectives
- Describe how ceremonies, novels, plays, war books, comics, films and television series portrayed and remembered war between 1859 and 1991.
- Explain the significance of All Quiet on the Western Front 1930 and Hollywood portrayals of the Second World War and Vietnam War.
- Evaluate how and why the remembrance and portrayal of war changed over time in response to cultural and political factors.
Paper 3, Option 37.1: The changing nature of warfare, 1859–1991: perception and reality - 1 Reporting and portraying war exam tips
Marking Points
- Explains how the telegraph accelerated transmission of war news but also encouraged short, censored dispatches, using the US Civil War as an example.
- Analyses how photography and film created visual records but were shaped by exposure times, editing and official restrictions, for example in the First and Second World Wars.
- Assesses radio and television as broadcast media that brought war into homes, with Vietnam and the Tet Offensive 1968 as a key case of contested televised reporting.
- Evaluates satellite communication in the First Gulf War as a step towards instantaneous reporting, while noting military control of information and the 'CNN effect' debate.
- Compares continuity and change across 1859–1991, showing how each technology altered speed, immediacy and audience reach rather than simply improving accuracy.
- Explains how ceremonies, novels, plays, war books and comics contributed to remembrance of war across the period.
- Analyses the impact of All Quiet on the Western Front 1930 in shaping a critical, anti-war memory of the First World War.
- Assesses how Hollywood films of the 1940s and 1950s portrayed the Second World War, often emphasising heroism, sacrifice and national unity.
- Evaluates how Vietnam War films of the 1970s and 1980s presented the conflict as traumatic and morally ambiguous, reflecting wider public division.
- Compares different media and time periods to show how remembrance and portrayal changed in response to politics, audience taste and collective memory.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Anchor every technological point to a named conflict and date so your argument is precise and evidence-based.
- 💡When discussing Vietnam and the Tet Offensive, distinguish between what was filmed, what was broadcast and how audiences interpreted it.
- 💡Use the concept of perception versus reality to structure comparisons between official reports and soldiers' or civilians' experiences.
- 💡Use specific film titles, dates and examples to support claims about changing portrayal.
- 💡Link each portrayal to its historical context, such as interwar pacifism, post-1945 confidence or post-Vietnam disillusionment.
- 💡Discuss both remembrance and portrayal, showing how public memory is constructed and contested over time.
Common Mistakes
- Treating technology as automatically producing truthful reporting; correction: always link each technology to censorship, propaganda or practical limits that shaped what audiences received.
- Confusing the Tet Offensive with a clear military defeat for the United States; correction: explain it as a psychological and media turning point that undermined public confidence despite tactical outcomes.
- Assuming satellite communication removed all delay and control; correction: note that instantaneous reporting still operated within military pools, briefings and security restrictions.
- Treating All Quiet on the Western Front 1930 as a simple documentary record; correction: analyse it as a dramatic interpretation that shaped anti-war memory and provoked political controversy.
- Assuming all Hollywood Second World War films were purely celebratory; correction: note variations and the influence of wartime propaganda and post-war consensus.
- Ignoring non-film media such as ceremonies, comics and television series; correction: integrate them to show the full range of remembrance and portrayal.