Booklet 3: Britan At War: 1914-1918 Flashcards
(33 cards)
Attitudes to War: Anti-German Attitude
•Build up of suspicion and hostility between governments and increasing number of general public held hostile attitudes towards Germany.
•Anti-German attitude was reinforced by reports of atrocities committed by German troops as they moved through Belgium and the execution francs-tireurs.
•concerns towards German naval expansions; campaigns to build a British fleet and German economic competition.
•Invasion of Belgium confirmed Britain’s moral duty to oppose rampant militarism and disregard for the rights of independent nations.
Attitudes to War: Enthusiasm
With war came a chance for British people to show the moral qualities that had won the Empire, for them to show sacrifice, unity and ‘manhood’. Not just a case of opposing Germany but of national revival after a period of internal conflict.
Attitudes to War: Overconfidence
It was not thought that the war would be drawn out or involve the total commitment of Britain’s population. It seemed obvious that the allied forces would win. (Britain, France and Russia).
Attitudes to War: Idea of Unity
War may unite the people of Britain behind a cause.
Attitude to War: Internal Conflict
Issues around women’s suffrage, Irish Home Rule, Industrial Unrest, Health and Welfare, war would temporarily disband these social problems.
Why was Belgium important to Britain?
Belgian independence had been a long-standing British commitment.
Public opinion was also swayed by the fact of Belgium being a small country fighting a much bigger adversary which helped establish the moral arguments for war.
Why Britain entered the war?
•Belgium’s neutrality was determined by Britain, when Belgium is invaded, Britain is obliged to protect their independence.
•Britain and France’s naval alliance - France the Mediterranean sea, Britain the Channel and The North Sea.
•Foreign pressure to stick to agreements.
When and What was the Treaty that ensured Belgiums independence and neutrality?
Treaty Of London 1839
Total War: Definition
•Where all aspects of society contribute towards the war effort.
•A type of warfare where a nation commits all its resources and its entire population to achieving a complete victory, often disregarding conventional rules and laws of war.
What was the Defence Of the Realm Act: (DORA) (1)
Passed on 8th August 1914
The act allowed government considerable powers which it took in different way to maximise the production of goods (military) and food, to keep military secrets and maintain the morale of the general public to protect people and property.
What was the Defence of the Realm Act: (DORA) (2)
•The Ministry of Munitions, established in 1915, took over arms factories and created its own.
•Railways and Mines were taken over by the state for the duration of the war and shipping could be requisitioned.
•sugar, meat, butter, jam, tea rationed.
•restrictions on alcohol, pub opening hours restricted, strength of beer reduced and the buying of rounds was made illegal.
•British Summer Time introduced in May 1916.
•Blackouts introduced in danger of air raids.
•Censorship of press and of private correspondence and telegrams.
•land use regulated with county agricultural committees set up to ensure land was not left uncultivated.
•improved conditions in munitions factories and the gov negotiated with trade unions to reduce industrial discontent, and get agreements for women to enter skilled work.
•government propaganda posters used to influence attitudes and ensure that people did not object to the states new powers.
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Conscription
•Introduced in May 1916, a conscripted military force was raised on a national scale. There was a rush to volunteer in 1914, but numbers of volunteers decreased.
•In January 1916, conservative minister Lord Derby introduced a voluntary scheme = men of military age attested their willingness to serve. Derby later argued this would not raise the numbers required for the mass attacks needed and the full scheme was introduced.
•provision for conscientious objectors but often harshly treated.
Living Standards: Problems (1)
•German U-boats struck merchant ships importing food and war supplies. -> led to food shortages and hunger
•loss of manpower on farms/agriculture as more workers went into armed forces -> led to food shortages and hunger.
•families had to cope without male breadwinners
Living Standards: Problems (2)
•Employment of child labour on farms and factories. Between 1914-1917 600,000 children were withdrawn from school for war work.
•The casualties of war fell higher on the healthier and wealthier of the nation. Poorer men were too unhealthy to go to war.
•Healthier, better paid, and skilled working classes who were better paid were of more use to the forces and it was they who died in larger numbers. Unskilled workers and casual labourers back home who suffered from the diseases of malnourishment and lung disease.
•Labour shortage of men = wages rose higher than prices as demand for labour in factories, this meant that working class people who weren’t fighting could afford more food than before.
•Household income increased -> government control on rent and restrictions of consumption of alcohol.
Living Standards: (3)
•Average family size dropped
•Family budgets helped by wartime measures -> provision of cheap food in factory canteens
•More work for longer hours in factories meant more lung diseases as conditions were poor.
Housing Problems:
•Housing stock was run down as few houses were built and labour was not available for building work and repairs.
•Bad housing: major cause of lung disease, inadequate heating, draughts and squalor.
Food and Rationing:
•Working class spending on food rose by 60% to around £2 a week
•There was a problem with food supplies as imports and trade was disrupted by German submarines. •There was lower farm production because of shortages of men to work during the harvests and the demands of feeding the armed services.
•Rationing was introduced in 1918 -> made shopping difficult and long queues were common.
•A study of 1918 by Lord Summer on living standards revealed a rise in the consumption of milk, potatoes, bread, and flour since 1914. Bacon replaced other meats and wholemeal bread had replaced white bread.
Government Intervention and Payments: what was introduced? (1)
•Introduced war bonuses and minimum agricultural wage.
•Separation payments made to families of those on active service which by 1917 reached 23s for a wife with one child.
•widow’s pensions were paid on a scale according to the rank of the servicemen killed, starting at 13s.
•disability allowances for those badly injured.
•provision in munitions canteens of subsidised food
•By 1918, 900 workplace canteens were feeding a million workers.
•school meals Act of 1908, during the war they were extended throughout the year.
Government Intervention and Payments: what was introduced? (2)
•The Ministry of Munitions subsidised nurseries for working mothers -> cut childcare costs.
•1912 National Insurance Scheme was extended in 1916 to families of servicing soldiers and war workers. Led to maternity care being more available to more women.
•the war led to concerns about birth rate. The Care of Mothers and Young Children Act of 1915 gave authorities responsibilities for the care of pregnant women and babies.
•H.A.L Fisher proposed improving fitness and health of children and for schools providing playing fields and sports facilities which became the Education Act of 1918.
Voluntary Work:
•The need for accommodation and food for troops in transit was met by an expansion of the Young Men’s Christian Association.
•The Prince of Wale’s national Relief Fund was established. Helped families suffering from the war
•Calls for special constables with 30,000 recruited in London in 1914.
•The Voluntary Corps was a forerunner for the Home Guard of the Second World War.
Civilian participation:
Attacks on many what…
German businesses and individuals, particularly in 1915 in the aftermath of the news of the sinking by Germany of the Liner Lusitania
Why did women gain the vote in 1918? Achievements before the War:
•women could vote for and sit on a school boards, become mayors and were receiving more education and more legal rights.
•there were bills before 1914 which had considerable support and gave women the vote had war not intervened
Why did women gain the vote in 1918? Experiences during the War:
•Journal called “votes for women” published by the United Suffragists. They and the women’s freedom league continued their organisation and worked for women’s suffrage, social and economic rights.
•The NUWSS focused on the needs of women in wartime, while the WSPU received a government subsidy in 1915 for promoting the war.
•Residence qualifications be changed and there should be a rise in adult men voting. The issue was whether women should be given the vote on the same terms as men or with a different qualification.
1.On what date did Lloyd George receive representatives of the suffrage organisations, the bill giving all adult males and women over 30 the vote
2. When did it pass the Commons and. 3 the lords?
- 29th March 1917
- June 1917
- February 1918
