1914-1922 (The Impact of War)- Economic (Economic Issues)

Question 1

What made DLG persuade Gov to extend DORA?

Answer 1

Failures on the Western Front

Question 2

What was the purpose of the Ministry of Munitions/what did it do?

Answer 2

-Oversee all aspects of war materials

• organised science to help war effort (e.g. develop tanks)
• Encouraged factories to convert from peacetime to wartime

Question 3

In 1918, how many factories did the Ministry of Munitions directly manage?

Answer 3

250

Question 4

Who played a key role in factories?

Answer 4

women

Question 5

Why was the Department of Food Production introduced?

Answer 5

demand for food for army- U Boats sunk merchant ships so DoFP aimed to increase home grown food products

Question 6

What did gov spending go from in 1913 to 1918?

Answer 6

£200m to £2,600m

Question 7

Who did the war hit the most in GB?

Answer 7

Middle/upper classes- higher taxes

Question 8

Who introduced the Housing and Town Planning Act of 1919?

Answer 8

Christopher Addison

Question 9

How many houses were built under the Addison Housing Act?

Answer 9

200k

Question 10

What was the main criticism of the AHA?

Answer 10

far too expensive (£910 to build, value was only £385)

Question 11

What did the Geddes Axe recommend needed to be cut?

Answer 11

£86m (reduced to £64m)

Question 12

What 4 things did the Geddes Axe hit hardest?

Answer 12

• housing subsidies withdrawn
• £46m cut from armed forces
• £18m cut from education
• Changes to Unemployment Act

Question 13

What was the 1914 treasury agreement?

Answer 13

Unions involved in war work would not strike

Question 14

What was the munitions of war act 1915?

Answer 14

Banned strikes for munitions workers

Question 15

Why did the 1914 treasury agreement and 1915 munitions of war act anger many workers?

Answer 15

Claimed TUs were not doing their job properly

Strike movements anyway

Question 16

How many strikes were there in 1917, and what did this show?

Answer 16

48

Deteriorating relationship between TUs and gov

Question 17

What was TU membership by 1921?

Answer 17

8m (doubled since 1918)

Question 18

Give 2 examples of strikes in the late 1910s?

Answer 18

1919 police strike Liverpool

1920 where dockers refused to load ships with weapons against Russian communists

Question 19

When was the Sankey commission appointed and what did it do?

Answer 19

1919

Investigate pay and conditions in coal industry

Question 20

Outline parts of the industrial recession that started in 1921?

Answer 20

Wages slumped
1921=86m days lost to strikes
Workers more confrontational to gov-army tanks used to end strikes
Cons refused to accept Sankey commission recommendations to nationalise coal mines

Question 21

What did the government fear in the early 1920s after rising industrial action?

Answer 21

Socialist revolution (1920 communist party fuelled this fear)

Question 22

In 1919 how many radicalists filled George Square in Glasgow?

Answer 22

90k

Question 23

What was the impact of wartime industrial expansion post war in steel, shipping, coal and textiles?

Answer 23

Steel: wartime capacity expanded 50%, but after war overproduction
Shipping: 2m tonnes during war, only needed 0.5m post war= unemployment
Coal: Poland/Germany produced more and the need for it was declining with turn to oil and electricity
Textiles: overseas markets lost to Japan, India and USA

Question 24

Give 3 trade restrictions that particularly hit the staple industries?

Answer 24

USA imposed tariffs
Italy shift to self sufficiency
Soviets against using capitalist goods

Question 25

Summarise the position of Britain’s trade by 1922?

Answer 25

Britain imported more than it exported
Britain’s invisible trade was it’s strongest aspect
CLEAR UNFAVORABLE TRADE BALANCE

Question 26

What was the difference in imports and exports between 1914 and 1922?

Answer 26

1914: imports £700m exports £500m
1922: imports £1300m exports £500m

CLEAR TRADE GAP