Britain Organised For War

Question 1

What did the government do to mining?

Answer 1

They took control of the coal industry so that it could be run for the benefit of the war effort not the coal owners

Question 2

How did the government control mining?

Answer 2

1. Their profits were fixed and the treasury took any surplus
2. Miners were not conscripted as they were doing vital work
3. All miners were paid the same

Question 3

What were railways needed to do?

Answer 3

To move troops around the country, to and from training camps, and to ports where they would go to battle from

Question 4

How did the government change railways?

Answer 4

• they took control of the railways and ran them as a single unified system
• railways companies guaranteed same profit level they had in 1913

Question 5

What did DLG do to shipping?

Answer 5

He set up the ministry of shipping

Question 6

What did the ministry of shipping do?

Answer 6

It requisitioned merchant ships for vital imports, co-ordinated activities of docks and railways

Question 7

What happened to merchants ships in 1917 and what did they do as a result?

Answer 7

In sprint 1917 German U-boats sank 3.7 million tonnes of British shipping. After this all merchant ships sailed together accompanied by battle ships

Question 8

Give stats to prove how dependant Britain was on foreign food imports in 1913?

Answer 8

• 40% of meat
• 80% of wheat
• 50% milk+fruit+vegetables
• 100% of sugar

Question 9

How did the food imports get to Britain and how could this be exploited?

Answer 9

The came by sea. An enemy with an effective sea force could starve Britain

Question 10

What did the Germans calculate in February 1917?

Answer 10

They calculated that if they sank 600,000 tonnes of food they could starve Britain in 5 months

Question 11

How bad was Britain’s food situation in April 1917?

Answer 11

They were son to nine weeks of bread and four days of sugar

Question 12

What happened as a result of this shortage of food?

Answer 12

Prices rose and shops ran out o food so were closed in the afternoon

Question 13

What were the two ways DLG tackled the food shortage?

Answer 13

Supply and demand

Question 14

What did DLG do with the supply?

Answer 14

He set up a network of local committees whose job was to persuade farmers to turn their pasture land into arable land

Question 15

How successful was the supply?

Answer 15

By 1918, an extra 3 million acres of arable land had been cultivated. Wheat production had risen by 1 million tonnes, potato crop by 1.5 million tonnes

Question 16

How did the rich help in the supply?

Answer 16

They were encouraged to leave bread for the poor

Question 17

What was set up to tackle the demand?

Answer 17

The ministry of food

Question 18

What did the ministry of food do?

Answer 18

• subsidised the price of bread, which meant the price of bread fell, even the poorest families could buy as much as they wanted
• bread was never rationed

Question 19

When was compulsory rationing introduced?

Answer 19

1918

Question 20

What was rationed?

Answer 20

Meat, butter, jam and margarine

Question 21

For which foods did the rationing continue after the war?

Answer 21

• meat came off ration in November 1919

- butter early 1920 & sugar November 1920

Question 22

How did the rich exploit the new system?

Answer 22

They bought more food than was needed and hoarded it. A black market was set up.

Question 23

Give an example of someone who was caught hoarding?

Answer 23

Marie Corelli - novelist, Stratford upon Avon, notorious food hoarder who was caught