6: Post War Economic Issues BRT Flashcards
Britain’s wartime economy: why was the former emphasis on ‘laissez fairs’ moved away from
The size of the war effort required state intervention
Britain’s wartime economy: why did size of war effort require state intervention
- increase in production of weapons
- had to supply vast quantities of war materials to its allies
- huge demands for transport
Britain’s wartime economy: what effect did the huge demand posed by the war have on the economy
Pushed up prices and created shortages of materials and workers in 1914
Britain’s wartime economy: why did the state begin commandeering stocks of vital war materials and fixing prices
Private industry couldn’t cope on its own
Britain’s wartime economy: what did LG persuade parliament to grant in 1915
More state powers over industry by extending DORA
Britain’s wartime economy: what did the ministry of munitions do
- set up central purchasing system for buying essential war materials
- organised British achieve to help war effort
- encouraged factories to convert from peacetime to war production
- built own national factories
Britain’s wartime economy: which industries came under state control
Key industries such as railways, docks and coal mines
Britain’s wartime economy: what were women encouraged to do
Enter jobs previously done by men
Britain’s wartime economy: what did ministry of munitions CONTROL
Prices wages and profits
Rationed essential foods
Bought 90% of all imported
Had charge of transport and fuel
Britain’s wartime economy: how did the state alter the clocks
By introducing British Summer Time
Britain’s wartime economy: what did the state reduce the strength of
Alcoholic drinks
Britain’s wartime economy: what did state limit opening hours for
Public houses
Britain’s wartime economy: why was a department of food production set up
-to increase amount of home grown foodstuffs
Britain’s wartime economy: how did government encourage food production
- subsidised farmers to plough up wasteland
- allocated scarce fertilisers
- prisoners of war to work on land
- encouraged women to volunteer for farm work
Paying for the war: gov spending increase 1913 to 1918
1913: £200 million
1918: £2600 million
Paying for the war: what were governments traditionally meant to do
Balance the budget
Paying for the war: what did gov have to do instead of balancing the budget
Had to borrow money from it’s own people and from neutral countries (particularly USA)
Paying for the war: what did gov have to do as well as borrowing
Increase taxation
Economic impact of war on workers: what were workers hit by as well as increased taxation
Rise in cost of living
Food prices rose by 10% in first month of war and continued to rise
Economic impact of war on workers: what did workers benefit from there being
More work
Economic impact of war on workers: pre war unemployed or casual part time workers position during war
Working full time
Economic impact of war on workers: how did unskilled workers benefit from war
Had real bargaining power because of labour shortages and consequently earned more
Economic impact of war on workers: how did those already in war increase their earnings
They were able to do more overtime
Economic impact of war on workers: how were better living standards evident for poorest in working class
Fall in poor relief applications and lower working class morality
Economic impact of war on workers: how were middle and upper classes more disadvantaged by war
Higher income tax rates and taxes on land
Many landed estates had to be sold off
Economic impact of war on workers: what percentage of landed estates had to be sold off in England 1917-1921
25%
Housing and austerity: what were working class homes like before the war
- already over crowded
- most lacked basic facilities
- joined up terraced houses
Housing and austerity: how did all resources being focused on war worsen housing situation
Me house building and even major repairs generally halted
Housing and austerity: what happened as a result of increased demand for munition workers
More people came into already overcrowded industrial towns
Housing and austerity: what caused landlords to increase rents
Increased demand combined with no increase in the supply of houses
Housing and austerity: why did the government introduce a Rent Restriction Act in 1915
Unrest led by Mary Barbour
Housing after the war: what was a key aspect of the 1918 govs creation of a better Britain
To create houses that were fit for heroes
Housing after the war: when did Addison introduce the first housing and town planning act
1919
Housing after the war: what did the first housing and town planning act 1919 encourage
Local govs to clear slums and construct low rent homes for the working class
Housing after the war: in what respect was Addison’s housing and town planning act a success
200,000 homes built by 1922
Housing after the war: why was Addison sacked
Addison payed £910 for houses when building cost of was only £385
Caused public outcry
Housing after the war: what led to a shortage of over 800,000 homes in 1922
Grants for housing were withdrawn
Housing after the war: why did the government have to consider a policy of retrenchment after 1921
Economic recession
Housing after the war: why did the government appoint a committee under Sir Eric Geddes
To examine government spending after they were struggling with debt interest, falling tax revenues and rising spending
Housing after the war: the did Geddes commuter recommend cuts amounting to
£86 million which were then reduced to £64 million
Housing after the war: what did Geddes committees cut become known as
The Geddes axe
Housing after the war: what did the Geddes axe mean
Housing subsidies were withdrawn
Trade unions and post war industrial problems: what did the ‘treasury agreement’ in 1914 specify
That unions involved in vital war work would not strike
Trade unions and post war industrial problems: what was the treasury agreement followed by and what did this ban
Munitions if war act 1915 which banned strikes for munitions workers
Trade unions and post war industrial problems: what did it become illegal for workers in key production posts to do
Switch jobs without permission
Trade unions and post war industrial problems: how did some workers to object to these stricter arrangements
Believing that trade unions were no longer fulfilling their role of fighting for better wages and conditions
Trade unions and post war industrial problems: what were the complaints against union acceptance of
Dilution agreements
Trade unions and post war industrial problems: how successful was the ban on strikes
There was still continued strike activity throughout the war
Trade unions and post war industrial problems: what was clear by 1918 about the relationship between gov and unions
Good relationship was coming to an end
Trade unions and post war industrial problems: what was the growth in TU membership accompanied bu
A mood of militancy
Trade unions and post war industrial problems: what did LG continue to improve industrial relations despite
- police strike 1919
- serious riots Glasgow 1919
- may 1920 dockers refused to load ships to he used against bilsheviks in Russian civil war
- support from unions for hands off Russia campaign
Trade unions and post war industrial problems: how did LG Avert the threat of a coal strike in feb 1919
By appointing the Sankey committee to investigate pay and conditions in the coal industry
Trade unions and post war industrial problems: why did LG set up industrial councils
To negotiate wage rates and look at production methods
Trade unions and post war industrial problems: what effect did the industrial recession of 1921 have
Wages slumped and strikes grew in number
Trade unions and post war industrial problems: how did the relationship between gov and workers change
Became more confrontational
Trade unions and post war industrial problems: why did the relationship between workers and gov become more confrontational
Conservative dominated cabinet refused to accept most of recommendations of sankey commission and recommendations of industrial councils notnfollowed up
The position of the staple industries and trade: what did urgent need for products of Britain’s staple industries during war lead to
Massive investment
The position of the staple industries and trade: what became even more evident about staple industries when war ended
Long term decline
The position of the staple industries and trade: what did Britain’s capacity to produce steel expand by during war
50%
The position of the staple industries and trade: what was clear by 1921 about steel industry
There had been substantial over investment and that neither the domestic nor the foreign markets could absorb this quantity of steel
The position of the staple industries and trade: why had Britain built 2 million tons of shipping during war
To cope with the demands of continual losses to German u boats
The position of the staple industries and trade: how many tons of shipping did Britain need to produce after 1918
0.5 pernyear
The position of the staple industries and trade: which countries were producing more coal than Britain by 1918
Poland and Germany
The position of the staple industries and trade: rival energy sources
Gas, electricity and oil
The position of the staple industries and trade: which counties had overseas markets for textiles been lost to
Japan, India and USA
The position of the staple industries and trade: what did America impose on certain imports which lowered demand
Tariffs
The position of the staple industries and trade: how did Italy lower demand
It tried to become more self sufficient
The position of the staple industries and trade: how did soviet Russia contribute to lowering demand
Tried to avoid reliance on capitalist counties
The position of the staple industries and trade: why did restrictions on trade and touched foreign competition hit staples hard
They were great exporting industries
The position of the staple industries and trade: what was massive lay off of workers as a result known as
Structural unemployment
The position of Britain’s trade: how could Britain be said to have a favourable trade balance before the war
- imported more goods than exported
- could make up for this by selling services and income it received from overseas investors
The position of Britain’s trade: how did Britain have an unfavourable trade balance after war
- gov sold off many overseas investments during war
- borrowed vast sums of money to fight and had to pay interest on these
