DWR

Question 1

What was the world unemployment rate in 1930?

Answer 1

30 million people were unemployed, 3 million were british

Question 2

What was the dole?

Answer 2

The dole was an unemployment insurance scheme which would give benefits for 6 months after unemployment

Question 3

When was the dole cut by 10%?

Answer 3

1931

Question 4

What was the means test?

Answer 4

It was a way to reduce and control the dole.
It was introduced in 1931.
The dole could be refused if anyone else in the family had a job, or if any grandparents lived in the house without paying rent.

Question 5

Why was the means test unpopular?

Answer 5

Heirlooms and precious items had to be sold.
It was humiliating to reveal hiw much savings, earnings and possessions people had.
It caused tension in families.
Some authorities were very harsh whereas others refused to carry it out.

Question 6

What we’re the hunger marches?

Answer 6

Protest marches to highlight the problems caused by enemployment, such as poverty and hunger

Question 7

What was the most famous hunger march?

Answer 7

The Jarrow crusade in 1936

Question 8

Unemployment rates in Jarrow and why?

Answer 8

Around 75% of Jarrow’s population were unemployed, due to the closure of shipyards.

Question 9

What happened during the Jarrow crusade?

Answer 9

200 unemployed men walked 300 miles (which took a month) to get to London. They wanted to present an 11,000 signature petition requesting jobs to the MP Ellen Wilkinson. However, when they arrived they were sent on a boat ride while the petition was presented behind the backs in order to get rid of them. When arriving home, their benefits stopped.

Question 10

When and what was the nationwide hunger march?

Answer 10

On October 14, 1932, 375 marchers wanting the abolition of the means test headed to London. The petition was confiscated and not presented to Parliament.

Question 11

How many people left Wales during 1920 to 1930?

Answer 11

Around 430,000 people

Question 12

What was ‘making ends meet’?

Answer 12

Trying to make little money last as long as possible.

Question 13

How did people try to make ends meet?

Answer 13

Buying cheap food, women looked for work, women often starved so that they could feed their family, etc.

Question 14

What were the consequences of people trying to make ends meet?

Answer 14

There was an increase in mother’s and children dying during childbirth, women suffered illnesses, children were malnutritioned, people had poor health

Question 15

How many people did merthyr Tydfil loose?

Answer 15

Merthyr Tydfil lost 10,000 people during the 1930s

Question 16

When was radio introduced?

Answer 16

1922

Question 17

How popular was radio?

Answer 17

Very popular. By 1937, half of the households in Britain had a radio.

Question 18

Was cinema popular in the 1930s?

Answer 18

Yes, I was very popular.
In 1934, there were 20 cinemas in Cardiff and 320 in Wales.
In 1939 there were 4776 cinemas in Britain and 23 million tickets were sold a week.

Question 19

When was the first Welsh talkie?

Answer 19

1935

Question 20

Who was a famous sportsman?

Answer 20

Tommy Farr was a successful boxer and Rhondda hero. His match against the American Joe Louis was famous even though Tommy lost.

Question 21

What was the Special Areas Act?

Answer 21

It was introduced in 1934 to provide help to areas worst hit by the depression.
Grants of £2 million (approximately £130 million now) were given to encourage companies to move to special areas.
By 1938 over £8 million was spent but only 14,900 jobs were created.

Question 22

How were new goods purchased?

Answer 22

Via the hire purchase scheme, where one would pay for goods in installments. This was encouraged by companies as they started mass producing.

Question 23

Example of mass produced item:

Answer 23

2 million Austin 7 cars were sold in 1938.

Question 24

Why and when was the ‘phoney war’?

Answer 24

This was the first 6 months of WW2, when there was very little fighting in the west as Germany was concentrated on the invasion in Poland.

Question 25

When did Germany invade Norway and Denmark and what tactics did they use?

Answer 25

April 1940 was when Germany invaded Norway and Denmark, using Blitzkrieg. It is a tactic of brute force, speed and sunrise, and is difficult to defend against.

Question 26

When did Neville Chamberlain resign and why?

Answer 26

Neville Chamberlain resigned in May 1940 because appeasement failed. Churchill was then selected to be the prime minister and led a coalition government for the rest of the war.

Question 27

Why and when dis Hitler start focusing on Britain?

Answer 27

On 22 June 1940, France surrendered and Britain was Hitler’s next target.

Question 28

When did ‘total war’ begin?

Answer 28

In September 1940 the blitz began, and it was no longer a ‘phoney war’

Question 29

What was the Battle of Britain?

Answer 29

It was fought in the air and could be seen by the public.
The RAF was out numbered, with only 2,915 planes with 1,200 fighters against 4,550 luftwaffe aircraft.
Within a week 185 spitfires and hurricanes were shot down.
The RAF were saved when the Germans changed tactics and started the Blitz on the September 7th 1940.

Question 30

How long did the Blitz last?

Answer 30

September 1940 until May 1941.

Question 31

What was the Blitz?

Answer 31

The continuous bombing of British towns and cities, especially London to reduce morale and force the government to surrender.

Question 32

When was Coventry first raided?

Answer 32

14 November 1940. In one night, 554 people were killed, 50,000 houses destroyed and 400 shops destroyed.

Question 33

What was the overall damage of the Blitz?

Answer 33

In total:
45,000 civilians killed
3 and a half million houses damaged or destroyed
For every 1 civilian killed, 35 were made homeless.

Question 34

How did people shelter from the Blitz?

Answer 34

-Anderson shelter made from metal sheets in the earth covered in soil.
- Morriston shelters were large steel boxes which could be set up at home.
- communal shelters like the underground.
-trekkers- families traveling to safer places (eg forests) every night to shield from the blitz

Question 35

How’s did Churchill raise morale during the blitz?

Answer 35

Churchill gave stirring speeches and toured damaged areas.

Question 36

When was the bombing of Swansea?

Answer 36

February 1941 over 3 nights.
The aim was to destroy docks and heavily industrialised areas.
-250 German aircrafts raided Swansea
- 1,320 highly explosive bombs were dropped.