HSC Modern History Question Thread

[nikkit9]

This might sound silly but I'm very, very nervous for the national study in particular (we're studying Germany) and was wondering if there were any essay structures you could help me out with?! I mostly need some suggestions for the Nazism in power section. My teacher keeps hammering us about our 'argument' and I'm really lost as to what that means sometimes. Is it different from just addressing the question?

I also just get a bit confused as to what information to include as there is so much content and the questions are usually narrowed to a small part of the syllabus.

[jakesilove]

This might sound silly but I'm very, very nervous for the national study in particular (we're studying Germany) and was wondering if there were any essay structures you could help me out with?! I mostly need some suggestions for the Nazism in power section. My teacher keeps hammering us about our 'argument' and I'm really lost as to what that means sometimes. Is it different from just addressing the question?

I also just get a bit confused as to what information to include as there is so much content and the questions are usually narrowed to a small part of the syllabus.

Hey!

I totally understand where you're coming from in terms of there being just SO much information to remember/include, and it being difficult to synthesis all of that into a single argument. Students always struggle with Nazism in Power, rather than Weimar, because it feels like less of a straightforward narrative and more of a combination of often competing factors culminating in a war. For the section, you really do need a very strong thesis if you decide to do that question. My main recommendation is to go through EVERY past paper Nazism question you can find, place them in categories (ie. similar questions) and create a very solid thesis for each. Have nuance in each (ie. Consolidation of power occurred in 193x, and was due to xxxxx, which was undermined by xxxx). Write thesis sentences, and learn these. Then, go through and decide what specific content and detail would help you prove that thesis most effectively. Literally just write a list beneath the thesis statement, and do that for each question. Repeat this whole process a few times, and you'll have a much more solid idea of how your essay should be structured! Feel free to post an essay in the free essay marking section, or post a thesis here for me to comment on!

Jake

[imtrying]

Is the Paris Peace Settlement the same as the Treaty of Versailles?

[birdwing341]

Is the Paris Peace Settlement the same as the Treaty of Versailles?

Yes indeed

[Tizzy]

(I am doing Germany in the Interwar period and WW2) Not sure if this has been asked, but what is the go with using German words - grossdeutschland / dolchstosslegende etc. Can we just drop them in and assume markers get them, or should you also put an english translation for them...?

[jakesilove]

(I am doing Germany in the Interwar period and WW2) Not sure if this has been asked, but what is the go with using German words - grossdeutschland / dolchstosslegende etc. Can we just drop them in and assume markers get them, or should you also put an english translation for them...?

Whilst I think it's fair to assume that the marker knows what the word means, I always put the english translation in brackets the first time I used a German word. I think this is probably the best approach, just in case you get a dud marker. Plus, it takes a grand total of four seconds!

[imtrying]

Hi!
If anyone did Conflict in Europe, just wondering how much detail I should need for Russian counteroffensives in 1944? I have one textbook that's super detailed, the other is not detailed at all.

[RIPmytrials]

Hey Jake!
I have the Modern History HSC exam next Wednesday but I'm not feeling prepared at all and I was wondering how I should be using the time that I have. I currently only have class notes that give a general overview for events and concepts but are lacking in detail and statistics. Should I be trying to complete notes with examples and statistics and what not on each Syllabus point? Or rather, would it be more effective to be completing essay plans and covering different thesis, or rolling through different past paper questions, or even the 'worksheets' that you proposed in the other post. Thanks for your time!

[jakesilove]

Hi!
If anyone did Conflict in Europe, just wondering how much detail I should need for Russian counteroffensives in 1944? I have one textbook that's super detailed, the other is not detailed at all.

Hey! I had a fair amount of detail, because this lent itself towards any 'turning point' argument in an essay. However, don't go overboard! I would look at a past 'turning point' question, and decide how much detail you need to answer the question adequately. Compile the specific facts you would use in that essay, and learn those off by heart!

[jakesilove]

Hey Jake!
I have the Modern History HSC exam next Wednesday but I'm not feeling prepared at all and I was wondering how I should be using the time that I have. I currently only have class notes that give a general overview for events and concepts but are lacking in detail and statistics. Should I be trying to complete notes with examples and statistics and what not on each Syllabus point? Or rather, would it be more effective to be completing essay plans and covering different thesis, or rolling through different past paper questions, or even the 'worksheets' that you proposed in the other post. Thanks for your time!

Hey! Really good question. My recommendation would be to compile past paper questions, and decide on broad 'themes' that each question falls into. Figure out what sort of paragraphs you need to write in each type of essay, and through that decide how many statistics/dates/details you need for that essay. Compile all of these crucial statistics, and use the worksheet method to memorise them. That way, you're doing essay plans, and being smart about what statistics to learn, and learning them in the most effective way. So, for instance, if you decide that a question requires you to talk about three broad areas, then get enough statistics to talk about those areas in enough detail, and learn those!

Let me know if I can clarify anything, or help in any other way! Good luck

[RIPmytrials]

Thanks for your reply! I was just wondering what you meant by 'themes'. Just as an example, I'm doing the National Study of Germany 1918-1939. Would I look at all the HSC questions that address the various reasons for the failure of the Weimar Republic as the one theme and just have a single thesis, or would it be split into a few different essay plans. Also would you recommend doing an essay plan for all of the HSC questions in each theme, or just the ones that are more likely to pop up. For example the only question for Nazism as totalitarianism was 2008, so for the sake of time efficiency would I skip over it unless I have more time? Thanks again 

[jakesilove]

Thanks for your reply! I was just wondering what you meant by 'themes'. Just as an example, I'm doing the National Study of Germany 1918-1939. Would I look at all the HSC questions that address the various reasons for the failure of the Weimar Republic as the one theme and just have a single thesis, or would it be split into a few different essay plans. Also would you recommend doing an essay plan for all of the HSC questions in each theme, or just the ones that are more likely to pop up. For example the only question for Nazism as totalitarianism was 2008, so for the sake of time efficiency would I skip over it unless I have more time? Thanks again 

To answer your second question first: If time efficiency is important, then definitely focus on more likely questions. I think, though, given the time you have left, you should be able to cover all the bases.

For instance, with failure of the Weimar republic, you might break the essay into social, political and economic 'themes'. I use the term very loosely, more as something to base your paragraphs on than anything else. I would split it into a single thesis, and then sub-thesis without each sub-topic.

[birdwing341]

Thanks for your reply! I was just wondering what you meant by 'themes'. Just as an example, I'm doing the National Study of Germany 1918-1939. Would I look at all the HSC questions that address the various reasons for the failure of the Weimar Republic as the one theme and just have a single thesis, or would it be split into a few different essay plans. Also would you recommend doing an essay plan for all of the HSC questions in each theme, or just the ones that are more likely to pop up. For example the only question for Nazism as totalitarianism was 2008, so for the sake of time efficiency would I skip over it unless I have more time? Thanks again 

I'm doing Germany as well!! And thanks for asking that question - gave me a good pointer to how I would be studying Personally I'm focusing almost solely on Nazism in power - am banking on them not asking a consolidation of power question for the third year in a row and also not a racial policy for the second year in a row. As far as older questions go, I reckon it's more likely that they'll ask that sort of question. So questions like Totalitarian, role of the German army, Propaganda, Terror and Repression etc, which haven't appeared in ages, might be good to study for. You don't want them chucking you Totalitarian and role of German army in one and having no idea about either haha.

Feel free to chuck up some plans and we can give you some feedback and chuck some of our own tips

[imtrying]

Hi again:) Ive been looking through some past papers and hoping for some clarification on a couple of things?
What was the significance of the Nazi Soviet Pact other than for Hitler avoiding war on the eastern front whilst he was invading France and the Low Countries and Stalin trying to buy time?
Also was the significance of the Russian counteroffensives in 1944 simply that it meant Germany was decisively pushed out of the Soviet Union and Hitlers control of central and eastern europe was diminished?

Thank you so much:)

[elixv]

Hi, I'm currently doing some practice essays for national study: Russia and I'm having trouble figuring out how i should structure my essay for the question:

What was the impact of the purges, show trials and ‘the terror’ on the Communist Party and Soviet society?

Thank you