19. social and cultural impact of total war BRT Flashcards
conscription: how was conscription introduced differently to WW1
introduced at an earlier stage in war
conscription: what conscription existed April 1939
for men aged 20-22
conscription: what was conscription extended to in September 1940
18-41
conscription: what was conscription extended further to in 1942
51
conscription: which new responsibilities did older men take on as they were conscripted into the national service
as special constables, firewatchers or workers in civil defence or home guard
conscription: how many young men in uniform did army, navy and airforce have between them by mid1941
3 million
conscription: what had size of armed forces risen to in 1944
4.5 million plus nearly half in womens services
conscription: number in home guard by 1943
1.75 million
conscription: what improved in working class families despite shortages and rationing
nutrition standards
conscription: effect of war on unemployment
- fell by half 1939-42 and had virtually disappeared by 1943
- full employment available even in worst off areas of 1930s
conscription: what did trade union membership increase from
6.3 million to 8.9 million
conscription: how did the war raise the average earnings of the working class
combination of full employment, overtime and piece rate
conscription: what did average male weekly earnings raise by between 1938 and 1945
80%
conscription: what did average earnings for female workers increase by
double
conscription: what did increase in earnings, rationing and controls on prices reduce
income differences
conscription: what were the middle and upper classes hit by
high taxation, death duties and limits on profits which could be made from factories or land.
women: what was there an urgent demand for as in the first world war
an urgent demand for more women workers
women: which women could be conscripted
unmarried women between 19 and 30
women: what were conscripted women given a choice between
service in the Women’s Auxiliary Forces or war work in industry
women: where were women directed into from 1940 onwards
shipyards, aircraft factories, munitions engineering, docks, hospitals and anywhere where there was a labour shortage
women: what proportion of factory workers were women by late 1943
over half
women: what did the demands of total war change for married women
married women also worked
before war they were compelled to stop work when they married
women: what percentage of married women were working by the end of 1943
80%
women: what did war work give women
more money, greater status and independence
women: how much less did women earn than men for the same jobs
60-70% less
women: why did life quickly return to normal after war for many women
they were forced to give up jobs to men returning the war
children: how many children did the gov move out of the main cities in Britain in September 1939
a million
children: how were some evacuees lucky
they found welcoming homes where they were looked after
children from inner cities often found themselves better fed and clothed than at home
children: what did some evacuees suffer from
neglect and mistreatment
children: why had more than half of evacuees returned home by January 1904
due to the phoney war
children: when were children again evacuated
1940 Blitz and 1944-5 when Germany llauched a series of v1 and v2 rocket attacks
children: why was the education of many thousands of children disrupted
evacuation, destruction of school buildings and conscription of male teachers
civil liberties and restrictions: what did emergency powers act 1939 give gov authority to do as soon as war broke out
make regulations covering any aspect of left necessary to secure the defence of the realm
civil liberties and restrictions: examples of regulations issued under Emergency Powers Act
ensuring people kept black outs over windows/ preventing them from expressing defeatist thoughts
civil liberties and restrictions: what was censorship imposed on
overseas mail, telephone lines tapped and newspapers forbidden from publishing information which may be useful to enemy
civil liberties and restrictions: why was far stricter rationing imposed than first world war
Britain imported most of its food and so german u boat attacks in battle of the Atlantic threatened to starve Britain out
civil liberties and restrictions: how did gov place intensive pressure on cutting waste
Lord Wootlon launched campaigns against any waste of food and people were prosecuted for it
civil liberties and restrictions: what did woolton also encourage so housewives could turn rations into appetising dishes
development of new recipes
civil liberties and restrictions: how was woolton pie described
steak and kidney pie without steak and kidney
propaganda: whey were the population subjected to never ending propaganda
to keep attention focused on war effort
propaganda: what were people encouraged no to talk about with slogan ‘careless talk costs lives’
not to talk about any war work they may be involved in or any information they may have regarding shipping, airfields or deployment of armed forces
propaganda: what did ministry of fuel nag population not to do
waste energy
propaganda: why must no food go to waste
unnecessary food imports put at risk the lives of merchant seamen
propaganda: what did the squander bug tempt the public to do
spend money rather than buy war bonds and he was to be resisted
propaganda: how did the BBC start the war badly
they cancelled most entertainment programmes
propaganda: how many private radio sets were there by 1945
10 million
propaganda: what did the BBC provide
news, information and serious discussion as well as comedy shows, music and light entertainment
propaganda: what did the bbc have a huge influence on
morale
propaganda: what had a golden age despite long working hours, bombing and the black out
the cinema- 30 million attendances a week
propaganda: how was the film industry ready to compete with the war effort
indirectly: by making entertaining films to keep people happy and directly: through documentary films and feature films calculated to carry the right messages