Learning History on the Web, Essay Example

It seems to me that even though a lot of students consider information posted on web sources to be more accessible and less formal than that provided by books, none the less when a thoughtful and in-depth study of a subject is required most of the seriously-minded students will turn for help and data to books and libraries rather than to the Internet. Furthermore, I consider it to be very difficult and time-consuming to find on web all the necessary information with respect to an analysis of certain historical facts and events. For instance, there are quite a lot of articles about the Battle of Vimy Ridge posted on various websites, but for the most part they repeat each other and provide somewhat a limited view on the combat.

Thesis: In order to be able to use the Internet wisely and to apply information found on web-sites correctly one already has to possess background knowledge of the subject obtained from more reliable sources as that of books and lectures.

I think that two of the three selected Internet sites provide quite a thorough analysis and study of what was happening during the Battle of Vimy Ridge as they serve as a collection of articles on the given subject while the third one only gives somewhat a patriotic-style impression of the battle’s importance for the Canadian nation. The first two include the websites of the Canadian Veterans Affairs and the Canadian Library and Archives.

From a first glance the official website of the Canadian Library and Archive presents a ‘gold mine of information’ as it contains The War Diaries which serve as primary sources of information. This gives a possibility to track back the involvement of Canadian troops in all battle actions of the WW1. Furthermore, it is possible to “follow units from month to month, or to see the first-hand experiences of a single day” (2008). Thus, this site provides a great opportunity to trace the development of Canadian military operations in the First World War and the evolution of Canadian corps. Plus as The War Diaries contain a vivid description of all major battles in terms of their strategic plans and objectives, battlegrounds, key factors that determined victory / failure, etc. it is possible to deeply explore the development of those battles and to make one’s own analysis of them. However, all the information found on the website is presented from a viewpoint of Canadian history and therefore there is no connection to what was happening to the British and French allies and no view of the war from a larger-scale perspective. The same deficiency of the absence of a link between the actions of Canadian corps and those of allies can be found on the website of the Canadian Veteran Affairs. However, if to compare these two sources then VAC does provide certain information on what was happening on the Western Front and what battles were conducted by the British and French Armies.

Another point which can’t be found on neither of these three sites is an information about the events that preceded the Battle of Vimy Ridge, meaning The Race to the Sea as a result of which the escarpment had fallen under German control, the allies’ previous attempts to dislodge Germans from the region (Second and Third Battles of Artois) and the causes of their failures. I find such an information to be important as it gives the possibility to see and analyze the Battle of Vimy Ridge in the context of the whole war and not simply as an individually-standing combat.

If to compare the descriptions of the development of the Battle of Vimy Ridge delivered by these three sources then it can be concluded that the greatest amount of data is stored on the website of the Library and Archives Canada.  The War Diary of Donald Fraser, accessible through this site, is a truly unique source in a sense that it shows a preparation for the battle and the battle itself through a perception of a person who had actually participated in the action. Furthermore, on the contrast to the websites of CBC News and Veterans Affairs Canada Fraser’s page contains a great variety of charts, maps, photos and plans that help a reader not just to imagine the battle and preparation for it, but to actually see them. However, the web source provides only five pages of the narratives of Fraser’s experiences based on his diary and in order to access them in full one still has to read the paperback edition of The Diary of Private Fraser.  Nevertheless, this is the only one of the proposed websites that gives a possibility to explore the experience of Canadian soldiers in the Battle of Vimy Ridge from a viewpoint of an ordinary soldier. Quite a limited third-person account of the experiences of Canadian soldiers during the combat is also present in the article “Canada in the First World War…”. For example, the article contains a description of actions of four soldiers who received the Victoria Cross for their brave and extraordinary behavior during the Battle of Vimy Ridge. This fact makes the article less formal and more targeted towards individual experience. On the contrast an article “Vimy Ridge Remembered” doesn’t have any private account of that combat, it only provides information on what Canadian soldiers were supposed to do during the battle and what goals were set for them.

There is another feature about all three proposed Internet sources that serves as a proof of their incompleteness. That is the absence of the description of the Battle of Vimy Ridge on the daily basis. As the battle took place from the 9 to 12 April it seems quite logical that a good source would provide an account of what was happening on each day of the combat. However, all three sites only offer reports on the first day and describe the overall outcomes of the battle (Veterans Affairs Canada also contains slight mentioning of April 10).

In terms of their trustworthiness I find all three Internet sources to be of a high level. CBC News is one of the largest news organizations in Canada and thus its journalists and correspondents work only with reliable sources of information which they use in preparation of reporting and articles. In addition information on this website is updated more constantly than on the other two as new articles and reporting are posted. In overall of all three sources only the Veterans Affairs Canada was modified and updated some five years ago while the other two present fresher information and research. The Canadian Library and Archives contains articles written on the basis of diaries of those soldiers who were participating in the First World War and the Battle of Vimy Ridge as well as on the basis of other historical documents held at the Library and Archives Canada. Therefore, primary sources of information were as well used for the creation of this page. As the Internet site of the Veterans Affairs Canada is a part of services offered by the Government of Canada, thus it is possible to conclude that all the information posted on it also comes from reliable sources.

Therefore I may state that of all three proposed web sources two present certain interest and a possibility to obtain qualitative information on the given subject. These sites are the Canadian Veterans Affairs and the Canadian Library and Archives. However, I may once again note that all the information posted on these two websites can be found in books more fully and with a larger number and variety of details. If to talk about the article “Vimy Ridge Remembered” then the conclusion may be drawn that this source doesn’t possess any worthy information. It seems to me that this site only suits for primary introduction to and acquaintance with the subject of Vimy Ridge and it’s quite invaluable from a viewpoint of in-depth historical analysis and research.

My overall assessment of learning history on the web is that if a profound survey of a historical subject is required then it is definitely better to go to the library and explore all the literary sources available there. Even though it is possible to find a lot of information on the web and there is a great variety of accessible sources offering additional visual and audio materials, still most of them present a very limited view on the topic as they repeat each other. Therefore, my conclusion is that in order to conduct an in-depth historical research it is much less time-consuming to go through a couple of books then to monitor tens of websites.

References

Veterans Affairs Canada. (2005, December). Canada in the First World War and the Road to Vimy Ridge. Retrieved February 16, 2010, from http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/firstwar/vimy

CBC News. (2008, April). Vimy Ridge Remembered. Retrieved February 16, 2010, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/vimy/

Library and Archives Canada. (July, 2000). Donald Fraser, the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Retrieved February 16, 2010, from http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/firstworldwar/025005-2400-e.htm

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