The war had many impacts on civilians.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2021). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1-4] e.g. ‘There was a massive recruiting poster campaign.'
2. [1-4] 'The most famous poster was of Lord Kitchener.'
3. [1-4] 'There were conscience posters making men feel guilty if they did not volunteer.'
4. [1-4] 'Recruiting stations were opened in every town.'
5. [1-4] 'Patriotism was whipped up by public speakers and army bands.'
6. [1-4] 'Friends were encouraged to form ‘Pals' Battalions.'
7. [2-3] 'Food supplies were running low.'
8. [2-3] 'German U-boats destroyed merchant ships.'
9. [2-3] 'Much of Britain's food was imported.'
10. [2-3] 'Many farm workers joined the army.'
11. [2-3] 'To ensure an even distribution of food across the country.'
12. [4-5] e.g. 'Britain was forced to introduce food rationing because of the effect of unrestricted submarine warfare on British shipping by German U-boats. By April 1917, Britain had lost 1500 merchant sailors and almost 3 million tons of shipping. These ships had transported food supplies to Britain from abroad and so rationing was introduced.'
13. [2-3] 'Food shortages made the war so unpopular that to be a successful government it would need to withdraw Russia from the war.'
14. [2-3] 'The shortage of food led to the overthrow of the Provisional Government.'
15. [2-3] 'The Bolsheviks who promised Bread, Peace and Land took Russia out of the war.'
16. [2-3] 'Russia had suffered huge casualties and many defeats on the battlefield.'
17. [2-3] 'The final offensive in June 1917 was a disaster.'
18. [4-6] e.g. 'Food shortages were an important factor because they led to the outbreak of the February Revolution which caused the abdication of the Tsar. There were severe shortages of grain, supplies were slow to reach the towns and people had to queue for hours to buy bread. Demonstrations started in Petrograd. At first these were about the lack of bread, but the demands of the demonstrators soon became political, and the Tsar was forced to abdicate. Although a Provisional Government took over, the Bolsheviks seized power. They promised bread for the people and an end to the war.'
19. [4-6] OR e.g. 'Military failings were important in Russia's decision to leave the war. Russia had faced heavy defeats since the start of the war and suffered huge casualties. The few successful offensives, such as the Brusilov Offensive could not be followed because of a lack of supplies and poor leadership. When the Provisional Government took over it kept Russia in the war but an unsuccessful attack on Austria in June of 1917 added to this government's unpopularity.'