1914-1922 (The Impact of War)- Economic (Economic Issues) Flashcards
What made DLG persuade Gov to extend DORA?
Failures on the Western Front
What was the purpose of the Ministry of Munitions/what did it do?
-Oversee all aspects of war materials
- organised science to help war effort (e.g. develop tanks)
- Encouraged factories to convert from peacetime to wartime
In 1918, how many factories did the Ministry of Munitions directly manage?
250
Who played a key role in factories?
women
Why was the Department of Food Production introduced?
demand for food for army- U Boats sunk merchant ships so DoFP aimed to increase home grown food products
What did gov spending go from in 1913 to 1918?
£200m to £2,600m
Who did the war hit the most in GB?
Middle/upper classes- higher taxes
Who introduced the Housing and Town Planning Act of 1919?
Christopher Addison
How many houses were built under the Addison Housing Act?
200k
What was the main criticism of the AHA?
far too expensive (£910 to build, value was only £385)
What did the Geddes Axe recommend needed to be cut?
£86m (reduced to £64m)
What 4 things did the Geddes Axe hit hardest?
- housing subsidies withdrawn
- £46m cut from armed forces
- £18m cut from education
- Changes to Unemployment Act
What was the 1914 treasury agreement?
Unions involved in war work would not strike
What was the munitions of war act 1915?
Banned strikes for munitions workers
Why did the 1914 treasury agreement and 1915 munitions of war act anger many workers?
Claimed TUs were not doing their job properly
Strike movements anyway
How many strikes were there in 1917, and what did this show?
48
Deteriorating relationship between TUs and gov
What was TU membership by 1921?
8m (doubled since 1918)
Give 2 examples of strikes in the late 1910s?
1919 police strike Liverpool
1920 where dockers refused to load ships with weapons against Russian communists
When was the Sankey commission appointed and what did it do?
1919
Investigate pay and conditions in coal industry
Outline parts of the industrial recession that started in 1921?
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
What did the government fear in the early 1920s after rising industrial action?
Socialist revolution (1920 communist party fuelled this fear)
In 1919 how many radicalists filled George Square in Glasgow?
90k
What was the impact of wartime industrial expansion post war in steel, shipping, coal and textiles?
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
Give 3 trade restrictions that particularly hit the staple industries?
USA imposed tariffs
Italy shift to self sufficiency
Soviets against using capitalist goods
Summarise the position of Britain’s trade by 1922?
Britain imported more than it exported
Britain’s invisible trade was it’s strongest aspect
CLEAR UNFAVORABLE TRADE BALANCE
What was the difference in imports and exports between 1914 and 1922?
1914: imports £700m exports £500m
1922: imports £1300m exports £500m
CLEAR TRADE GAP
