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Change, continuity and significance
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Thematic and breadth studies follow one theme over hundreds of years. You need to spot what changed, what stayed the same, and which events mattered most.
Change and continuity
Change: things become different. Continuity: things stay the same.
Change can be fast or slow, and it is not always progress: things can get worse (regression).
A turning point is a moment after which things go in a new direction.
A trend is a general pattern over time, for example life expectancy rising during the 20th century.
Change can be fast or slow, and it is not always progress: things can get worse (regression).
A turning point is a moment after which things go in a new direction.
A trend is a general pattern over time, for example life expectancy rising during the 20th century.
Example: medicine
Continuity: ideas about the Four Humours, from the ancient Greek doctors Hippocrates and Galen, dominated medicine in medieval England and were still used for centuries.
Change: in 1796 Edward Jenner used cowpox to protect against smallpox, the first vaccine. Smallpox was declared eradicated worldwide in 1980.
Turning point: the NHS began in 1948, making healthcare free at the point of use for everyone in Britain.
Change: in 1796 Edward Jenner used cowpox to protect against smallpox, the first vaccine. Smallpox was declared eradicated worldwide in 1980.
Turning point: the NHS began in 1948, making healthcare free at the point of use for everyone in Britain.
Significance
Something is significant if it mattered. Test it with questions:
How big was its impact at the time?
How many people did it affect?
How long-lasting were its effects?
Does it still matter today?
A significance answer always explains why something mattered, not just what happened.
How big was its impact at the time?
How many people did it affect?
How long-lasting were its effects?
Does it still matter today?
A significance answer always explains why something mattered, not just what happened.
Was the creation of the NHS in 1948 a turning point in British healthcare?
- Before 1948 many people had to pay to see a doctor, so poorer people often went without care.
- From 1948 care was free at the point of use for everyone, a big change affecting the whole population.
- Its effects have lasted to today, so it passes the 'long-lasting' test.
- Judgement: yes, it changed who could get care, and it still shapes healthcare now.
Answer: Yes: a large, lasting change affecting everyone, so it was a turning point.
Change vs continuity; change is not always progress. Turning point = new direction. Trend = general pattern. Significance: impact, number of people, how long-lasting, relevance today. Jenner 1796; smallpox eradicated 1980; NHS 1948.
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