Option 12: c1700–c1900: Warfare and British society in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries - 2 The experience of war — Edexcel GCSE History
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Option 12: c1700–c1900: Warfare and British society in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries - 2 The experience of war explained
Warfare increasingly impacted civilians through intense recruitment drives and the requisitioning of supplies and transport.
Read the full explanation
The growth of newspaper reporting and photography profoundly shifted popular attitudes towards war. During the Crimean War, William Howard Russell's vivid reports for *The Times* exposed harsh realities and logistical failures, sparking public outrage and demands for reform. Conversely, Roger Fenton's pioneering photographs were largely sanitised to avoid upsetting the public. During the Boer War, widespread press coverage and photographic evidence of concentration camps shaped public opinion, highlighting the human cost of conflict and increasing civilian engagement with military affairs.
Your focus
- Describe the impact of recruitment and requisitioning on civilian populations.
- Analyse how newspaper reporting and photography changed public attitudes during the Crimean War.
- Evaluate the influence of media coverage on popular opinion during the Boer War.
Option 12: c1700–c1900: Warfare and British society in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries - 2 The experience of war exam tips
Marking Points
- Explain how requisitioning affected civilian life by removing essential goods, horses, and transport for military use.
- Describe the methods and impact of recruitment on local communities, including the loss of agricultural and industrial labour.
- Analyse how William Howard Russell's journalism during the Crimean War altered public perception by exposing military incompetence.
- Evaluate the role of early photography, noting that Fenton's Crimean images were sanitised, whereas Boer War photos exposed civilian suffering.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Use specific examples of journalists (like William Howard Russell) when discussing the impact of the press on public opinion.
- 💡When evaluating change, contrast the limited civilian knowledge of war in the 1700s with the immediate, visual impact of reporting by the time of the Boer War.
Common Mistakes
- Claiming that photography showed active combat in the Crimean War; correction: early cameras required long exposure times, so photographs depicted posed scenes and aftermaths, not live action.
- Stating Fenton's photographs sparked outrage over logistical failures; correction: Fenton's images were sanitised and intended to reassure the public, whereas Russell's written reports drove the outrage.
- Assuming requisitioning only involved weapons; correction: requisitioning primarily involved taking civilian food, horses, and transport vehicles to supply the army.