The Blitz: Sources exercise

GCSE: History

Superficially, Source A shows that the British people were brave and heroic in the face of the aerial bombardment from the Luftwaffe during the Blitz. The level of morale and determination demonstrated by this source is conveyed through an extremely positive tone that is celebratory of the virtue of British civilians, as is conveyed through the language used: “Their memories will…make you smile”. Furthermore, we can infer from Source A that the bombardment from the German air force was intense enough to have a significant effect on various aspects of infrastructure and society in Britain. Yet despite this, we can also infer from the source that certain methods and campaigns were implemented during the Blitz, such as propaganda, to sustain British morale, and that pure psychological determination of Britons also played a part in this. However, it is paramount to note that Source A originates from the “blurb” of a book celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Blitz. As the blurb would have probably been used as a marketing tool to sell the book and to celebrate the Blitz, and due to the simple fact that this book is witting (intentional) because it was published in 1990 for public consumption, the content of Source A would have been greatly altered to achieve the intended effect. Indeed, this is emphasised by the evident bias in the content towards the strength of the British people, as is shown by the frequent use of positive language and by the fact that the tragedy of the Blitz has not been discussed. As a result of this, the overall reliability of Source A is questioned.

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