3. Teenagers Flashcards
What happened to most schools in urban areas during WWII?
They closed in waves because：
a) Students and teachers in urban areas were evacuated in waves after the Blitz and ‘flying bombs’ of 1944, terming the War the ‘Phoney War,’ causing schools to close in waves in turn, where more schools were open at the beginning of the war.
b) 103,000 teachers were evacuated to rural areas in September 1939 with 872,000 school children, and so there was a shortage of teachers and students to educate in urban areas, causing schools to close there.
c) Male teachers were conscripted into the army, and so could not teach at schools in rural areas, causing them to close.
What proportion of town and city children were not evacuated, and were therefore often left with no schooling?
50%
What did some young people left in the cities during WWII start to do, as they had no school to go to?
They were responsible for vandalism and petty crimes.
What services, beyond teaching, did children in urban areas miss out on because schools were closed? What impact did this have on children?
A lot of poor children lost their free milk and their free school meals as a result. As well as also losing free medical inspections. This meant a dramatic increase in the number of children suffering from scabies and head lice.
What was schooling like for children who were evacuated during WWII?
Schooling for evacuee children was acceptable, with schools in rural villages operating a policy where half the day would be devoted to teaching village children, and the other half evacuee children.
What happened to children’s health during WWII?
Children’s health generally improved during WWII.
Why did children’s health often improve during WWII?
The majority of children who had been evacuated to more rural areas lived in far better conditions than they had while living in cities. Better hygiene and sanitation, as well as the fresh country air and active lifestyle, often brought about an improvement in childrens’ health.
What emotional impact did WWII have on children, and why?
- Shock of returning home after being away for six years - some evacuees felt they had less in common with their real families than the families who had been looking after them.
- Some evacuees were left with psychological scars as a result of being separated from their parents and being badly treated.
What was evacuation?
evacuation was when children and teenagers were forced to leave there home and go to other families because of the blitz in 1940.
When did evacuation start?
Evacuation started in September 1939
How many children were evacuated in September 1939?
About 800,000 children left their homes.
What did many evacuees start to do after 6 months of war?
They started going back home because there were no bombings in the first month.
Why did many evacuees start to return home after 6 months of war?
There were no air raids.
When was the second wave of evacuation?
The second wave of evacuation began in 1940 at the beginning of the Blitz
Why was there a second wave of evacuation in autumn 1940?
1) Demand had been overestimated-only half of all school-aged children were moved from the urban areas instead of the expected 80%
2) there was enormous regional variation. As few as 15% of the children were evacuated from some urban areas, while over 60% of children were evacuated in Manchester and Belfast and Liverpool.
When was there a third wave of evacuation?
June 1944
Why was there a third wave of evacuation in 1944?
The third wave of evacuation took place because of the Germans firing V1 and V2 rockets into cities.
What problems did evacuees face?
The WW2 evacuees faced several problems including:
1) the school time that the evacuees received was half of what it used to be due to the amount of teachers being 100,000 when there were 3,000,000 evacuees. 2) Some would also encounter division based on stereotypes and would be treated badly by their host families. 3) Many evacuees had also lost friends/family, and many others lived in fear that they would.
What did some people in rural areas try to avoid doing during WWII?
They tried to avoid taking on children from the cities.
Why was the government keen for evacuation to work during WWII?
- To protect children.
2. To free women to work in the war industries and armed services.
What did propaganda try to persuade mothers to do during WWII?
Many women were nervous to leave their homes where they knew the work demanded of them, so much of the propaganda put forth tried to convince women that their country needed them and that they were serving their patriotic duty by working in these factories. As well, one of the most famous images of the war, Rosie the Riveter, was created in order to persuade women to join the workforce.
As well as propaganda, how did the government try to encourage parents to evacuate their children and leave evacuees in rural areas?
The government carefully controlled images and stories in newspapers → only positive images of evacuation were published.
How did evacuees feel when they returned home after six years of being away from their family?
- Some were glad.
2. Some were sad.
What did many people in Britain believe about poverty before WWII?
Many believed that poverty was the result of bad decisions and reckless living i.e. the poor were responsible for being poor.
Why did evacuation make child poverty an issue the government could not ignore?
Wealthier country residents were exposed to the poverty induced lack of development among the urban poor. As exemplified by the discovery of one carer that the reason the evacuees were urinating all over her was was because they hadn’t been exposed to lavatories.
What did many evacuees arrive without?
No spare clothing.
What did the Ministry of Education do in November 1940?
In November 1940, the Ministry of Education agreed to give the London County Council £20,000 for boots and clothing.
What did all political parties agree on after WWII?
Political parties agreed that social welfare must be a government priority.
Who published a report in 1942 looking at how to make Britain a better place after WWII?
William Beveridge
Identifying the ‘five great evils’
What were the five giant social evils that Beveridge identified in his report?
- Want
- Disease
- Ignorance
- Squalor
- Idleness
What were the three key ideas Beveridge recommended to help fight the five giant evils?
- Universality: all British people should be able to claim benefits.
- National system of insurance: all workers should pay into a National Insurance scheme run by the government, which would fund unemployment and sickness benefits.
- Family allowances to provide for children.
Who won the general election in 1945?
The Labour Party
Clement Attlee
For each of the five giant evils, identify and describe a law/measure that Labour introduced to challenge that giant evil.
1) Disease – The National Health Service Act (1946)
2) Idleness – The National Insurance Act (1946) in which workers were given 5 shillings a week, and The Housing Act (1949)
3) Ignorance – The Education Act (1944) which gave free compulsory education to all children up to the age of 16
4) Squalor – The Town and Country Planning Act and New Towns Act (1947) which ensured the clearance of bomb-damaged housing and slums
5) Want – The Children Act (1948)
