Britain 6- Economic issues

Question 1

What were the economic demands for Britain during the war and what affect did this have?

Answer 1

Massive increase in production of weapons of war, supply war materials to allies, transport, increase and protect the provision of food, ensure adequate supplies of fuel.
Impact= pushed up prices and created shortages of materials and workers

Question 2

What did DLG persuade parliament to do to grant more state powers over industry?

Answer 2

Extend the DORA act and campaigned for a ministry of munitions

Question 3

What did the ministry of munitions do?

Answer 3

Set up a central purchasing system for buying essential war materials, organised British science to help with the war effort and encouraged the development and production of new weapons like tanks and encouraged factories to convert from peacetime to war time production (also built its own national factories

Question 4

How many factories did the ministry of munitions manage and supervise?

Answer 4

Managed 250 state factories, supervised another 20,000

Question 5

How many workers did the ministry of munitions control?

Answer 5

Almost 4 million

Question 6

What did govt spending increase from and to from 1913 to 1918 as a result of the war?

Answer 6

1913- £200 million
1918- £2600 million

Question 7

What was greatly extended in 1915 to help pay for the war?

Answer 7

Income tax

Question 8

By 1918, how much had food prices increased?

Answer 8

Doubled

Question 9

What improvements did workers experience during the war?

Answer 9

More work, many unskilled workers now had bargaining power so earned more, overtime could be done to increase earnings, fall in poor relief applications and lower working class mortality show better living standards

Question 10

Why were the middle and upper classes more disadvantaged from the war?

Answer 10

Higher income tax and taxes on land. Many landed estates had to be sold off. 25% of land holdings sold off between 1917 and 1921

Question 11

In what two ways did war worsen the housing situation?

Answer 11

All resources focused on war so house building and major repairs halted
With demand for munition workers, people came into already crowded industrial towns and increased demand caused landlords to have to increase rent

Question 12

What did the first housing and town planning act do and what year?

Answer 12

Encouraged local govts to clear slums and construct low-rent homes for the working class, 1919

Question 13

Why was the housing act a success and a failure?

Answer 13

200,000 houses built by 1922 but cost excessive. Addison ended up paying for houses at a rate of £910 instead of try building cost of £385 and was sacked following an outcry about his use of public money

Question 14

When was the economic recession and what did it mean?

Answer 14

1921, govt had to consider a policy of entrenchment

Question 15

What did the ‘Geddes Axe’ mean?

Answer 15

Committee recommended cuts of £86 million reduced to £64 million which mean housing subsidies were withdrawn

Question 16

What was the treasury agreement and when?

Answer 16

Specified that unions involved in vital war work would not strike

Question 17

When was the Munitions of war act and what did it do?

Answer 17

1915, banned strikes for munitions workers

Question 18

How many strikes were there across Britain in 1917?

Answer 18

48

Question 19

How many members did trade unions have by 1921?

Answer 19

Doubled its membership to 8 million members

Question 20

In 1921, how many days were lost to strike action?

Answer 20

Almost 86 million

Question 21

How did the war impact steel?

Answer 21

Britain’s capacity to produce steel exapanded by 50% but by 1921, clear that there had been over investment and no markets could absorb this quantity

Question 22

How did the war affect ship building?

Answer 22

Britain had built 2 million tons of shipping during war to cope with losses of German U-boats but after 1918, only needed to produce 0.5 million tons a year

Question 23

How did the war affect the textiles industry?

Answer 23

Overseas markets had been lost during the war to the Japanese, India and the USA

Question 24

what was the Sankey commission and what year?

Answer 24

1919- set up to investigate wages and conditions in the mines

Question 25

what did the Sankey commission recommend and why was it not passed?

Answer 25

made recomendations for wage rises and a shorter working day and nationalisations however the govt refused to do this because the conservatives felt it was too radical and sounded too much like socialism