Research, Reasoning and Rhetoric: comparing and evaluating source commentaries
Introduction

Example 1
The primary source that will be analysed is the Russian ‘October Manifesto’ or as it is
officially named the ‘The Manifesto on the Improvements of the State order, 17th October
1905’. The Daniel Field translation will be used for this source. The manifesto was issued by
Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and predominantly written and edited by his Prime Minster Count
Sergei Witte. It was created as a tactical means of appeasement to the Russian people who
were in the midst of a yearlong rebellion against the Russian authority and was a precursor
of the first ever Russian Constitution. It attempted to address the demands of the working
class people while simultaneously silencing the growing opposition and ultimately ending the
violence and protests. The manifesto pledged new civil liberties and promised to create a
primitive constitution in the form of Duma, to be duly elected by the Russian people.
However this was done without making specific guarantees or assurances and was very
vague about the official role of the promised Duma within the new constitution. The
manifesto was an example of the Tsar’s need to maintain full power, as well as his ability to
control and manipulate his subjects. It was key in defusing the widespread discontent of the
Russian people, as well as dividing the opposition, thus preventing a full-scale revolution and
allowing him to remain in power for 12 further years.
By examining the October Manifesto both solely as well as in conjunction with other primary
and secondary sources, it can be ascertained that the purpose of the manifesto was merely
a tactic of appeasement and that Nicholas II and no intention of fully enforcing the pledges
he made in it. It was a much debated, unwanted last resort for the Tsar to quell an
increasingly bloody revolution and remain the dominant power in Russia. The manifesto was
a clear turning point in Russian history and had it not been issued it can be argued that
revolution would of encompassed Russia and Tsardom would of ended far more
prematurely. The source denotes the beginning of a new consitution and introduction of new
political ideas. The manifesto was a gate way for Russia and highlighted the flaws of the
imperial regime, exposing the need for change that the people so desired. The need to issue
such a document renders the Tsar and his government ineffective and desperate hence
demonstrating the reason for future revolution and such radical change to a communist
state. The source provides a much deeper insight into Russian history.

Example 2
The source above is a photograph taken during World War 2 of the destroyed Warsaw, the
capital of Poland, January 1941. Eight out of each ten buildings within the capital were
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destroyed come the end of World War Two. You can see in the image three Soviet soldiers
stood outside a sea of rubble. Hitler ordered the entire city to be knocked to the ground
regardless of the promises he made, you can see that in the source as the rumble lays
under the feet of the soldiers. The photographer of this photograph is unknown but the
source was found on ‘Digital Journal.’ Digital Journal was formed in 1998 and is ‘a social
news site which is powered by professional journalists and bloggers.’ Some historians may
find this image biased due to the fact the author is unknown, as this photo was uploaded
onto ‘Digital Journal’ years after the event there is a chance that photo manipulation could
have been used to make the scene look more extreme than it was. But comparing this
source to other photos and written texts about Warsaw, such a famous photograph of
German and Soviet troops shaking hands after the invasion. It is safe to say that this source
is not biased, the capital was destroyed and the source above has not been manipulated to
over exaggerate the devastation.
Content

Example 1
Another question relating to this source is in the 4th January postscript. Although there is
correspondence between Stalin, the other members of his triumvirate and Bukharin proving
that they read the first and second Letters to Congress, it is often left blank in historical
debate whether Stalin read the postscript as well. It was added to the main manuscript
several days after Fotieva’s letter to Kamenev, allowing more than enough time for Lenin to
safeguard the extra writing from Stalin. As we do not know when exactly Stalin read the rest
of these letters, it is possible that they were sent to him the same way as the first. This also
puts the authorship of the letters into a shadow of doubt. The letters were initially said to be
dictated to Volodicheva by Lenin and written up in shorthand, typed up in the days following
their initial notation. However, Buranov’s discovery of a handwritten testament in Stalin’s wife
Alliluyeva’s script testifies to the possibilities surrounding this series of events. Obvious flaws
in dictated sources include misinterpretation of the meaning, mishearing words, and the
potential for mistakes in translating short hand into full sentenced writing, all making this
source lose credibility as a piece of evidence.

Example 2
On Monday, September 11th, 1939 Germans crossed the river San and headed into
Southeast Poland, come Sunday September 17th, 1939 the main event occurred; the soviet
invasion of Poland. The source also shows how “the city was swiftly taken by the Soviet
Army.” The Soviet troops swiftly swept into the capital to take over, much like they did with
the rest of Eastern Europe. This is why Eastern Europe wasn’t part of the social democratic
movement, as the image shows the Soviet Troops got in too fast, when the Germans
invaded the Soviets were fast to invade straight after, in this image you can see only 3 soviet
troops, but in other sources there are up to 5 – 6 stood in groups outside their vehicles with
weapons , another intention of the photograph could be how the soviet union were not going
to give up easily. These photographs spread fast, and the target audience, especially for the
source above, would have been the Western states, Europe was starting to sort herself out
after the War, for example Britain (Social democracy in Britain was driven forward by the
Labour Party who were elected in1945 on policies such as moderate nationalisation and
welfare improvements) and Scandinavia (The Scandinavian social democratic movement
was based on universality and equality) when these two countries saw the photograph, such
as the one above they would have no doubt got terrified, the fact that the Soviets were
slowly spreading outwards across Western Europe. You can see in the source above how
determined they were; just by the way they are stood up straight, each of them looking in a
different direction perhaps, as if to ensure they don’t miss anything.
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Comment

Example 1
Looking at this source as an individual extract, it can be suggested that the murders were
committed by one person with a sick and twisted mind, dismembering bodies, however the
more murders that went by the more gruesome they became. More recent investigations into
the murders suggests that there was more than murderer, even the possibility of there being
a gang of murderer and that the reason for the increase in the horror of the crimes was
because each murder was attempting to outdo the previous. The suggestion that Jack the
Ripper was not just one man is supported by many followers and researchers of his crimes,
however, there is no actual evidence to either support or disprove these theories as they are
simply just that, theories. The consequence of this is that there is a large difference between
the information at the time and information that has been gathered since. The article from
the London Times can be considered as very basic in terms of relative information, there are
other more reliable and more informative sources, however the majority of these are not
primary, although the article is possible not the most reliable evidence with regards to the
Jack the Ripper Murders, however it has high validity as it is a primary source, written
exactly at the time it was happening and so can be used to ascertain the perceptions of the
newspapers and the public.

Example 2
In the seventy years since Gibson wrote his book terms such as ‘carpet bombing’ and ‘terror
bombing’ have become associated with an awkward and uncomfortable truth about wartime
RAF operations. At the time there was widespread and vocal support for these tactics from
Winston Churchill (“only one sure path.....an absolutely devastating, exterminating attack of
very heavy bombers....upon the Nazi homeland.”) down to the man in the street, yet after
the war finished this enthusiasm was swiftly forgotten. Of all the Service arms, the aircrew of
Bomber Command never received a campaign medal, and as late as 1992 the unveiling of a
statue to Gibson’s (ultimate) commander ‘Bomber’ Harris attracted controversy. The
evolution of ‘smart’ weapons and laser-guided munitions now seemingly offer the promise of
aerial warfare carried out by ‘surgical strike’, that is, with little or no civilian casualties, and
indiscriminate mass slaughter of civilians is seen as morally repugnant. For Gibson there
were no such ethical niceties to indulge in, and he is unapologetic about the policy he was
engaged in. Enemy coast ahead is a forthright and entertaining read, and Gibson comes
across as a reasonably likeable and level-headed young man performing his duty in the face
of horrendous odds and the likelihood of a terrible death, but he was also well aware of the
consequences of his actions, as was the wider British public.
Conclusion

Example 1
The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM), during the
missionary westward migration movement in the 1830s and 1840s, sent missionaries out
west without any training or guidance on what they would face. As a result, the missionaries
were ill-prepared for the rejection and hardship they would encounter leading to feelings of
resentment, between the Indians and the missionaries, and a loss of faith in what they were
doing there. In the case of the Whitmans this had tragic consequences. This paper’s intent
was to show that, although it cannot be put fully to blame, the ABCFM should be held partly
responsible for what happened to the Whitmans. In finding out in interviews if candidates are
suitable enough, with qualities like adaptability, knowledge of other cultures, a certain
robustness and given medical examinations, they would have found people who would have
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been better equipped to deal with the challenges faced by the Whitmans, avoiding the
feelings of resentment, by being prepared in understanding other cultures. Hopefully,
Narcissa’s letters have shown why the missionary movement at the time was a naïve and
embarrassing failure. It is clear from her letters she had an underlying desire to be back in
civilized society, which she thoroughly enjoyed, and with better vetting from the ABCFM,
probably would have done. As Rev. Perkins wrote, “it was her misfortune, not her fault”.

Example 2
In conclusion I believe that overall the speech by Churchill is a useful piece of evidence for a
historian studying appeasement. The speech provides alternatives to appeasement which
other primary sources against appeasement fail to provide, at least in as much depth as
Churchill’s speech did. Not only that he managed to present a solution that was balanced
that could have put Hitler in his place but kept the country out of any wars. Although
Churchill was anti appeasement his grievances were justified and were supported by other
primary sources who suggested similar problems with appeasement. The speech by
Churchill is supported by other primary sources and secondary sources that had thought that
appeasement was a failure. On the whole this speech appears to be a useful piece of
evidence that is filled with useful information and is reaffirmed by other sources.
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