Breadth Study 2: civilian population Flashcards

camp followers and financing the war

1
Q

what impact can an army have on a civilian population when moving through an area?

A

soldiers can be physically threatening, steal valuables or food
they can leave a local population facing starvation

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2
Q

what was the only war that had previously had a major impact on civilians in the countryside?

A

English Civil war

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3
Q

what was the impact of war on the civilian population before 1914?

A

they only heard about it through conversations and newspapers, there was no disruption to daily lives

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4
Q

what is total war?

A

involves the whole population in the war effort and affects all aspects of daily lives
very different to the usual experience of war

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5
Q

how many total wars has Britain experienced?

A

2, both world wars

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6
Q

name 2 important changes to British society in the 19th century

A

industrialisation
population increase

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7
Q

british population in 1800

A

10 million

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8
Q

British population in 1900

A

40 million

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9
Q

how did war benefit the economy?

A

demand for food and goods increased
prices rose, jobs increased

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10
Q

how did war negatively impact the economy?

A

it disrupted trad and so exports dropped
causing downturn In some sectors so some worker were laid off

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11
Q

how did improvements to communications and literacy change the involvement of the public in war?

A

increased literacy and less dispersed population brought war closer to people
during the war with France, people may be aware but largely unknowing of the details. compared to them digesting daily news in the Boer war
compared to the huge sacrifices made in WW1

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12
Q

how did warfare change social mobility?

A

social structure was rigid in the French wars, but meritocracy overruled aristocracy by the first world war
e.g. wellington was a son of an aristocrat and educated at Eton, Haig and David Lloyd George were of middle class background

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13
Q

how did the government raise funds/fund war?

A

taxes
the economic boom for most of the 18th century meant the government had enough money, but the government was having to take out loans for the expansion of the armed forces

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14
Q

what was the role of the Bank of England initially?

A

it was a way that the government could manage its dept
it was responsible for issuing government bonds- the way that the government borrowed money

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15
Q

why did the government bond/bank of england system give the government an advantage over other countries?

A

they didn’t have to pay with cash
they could pay with a promissory note when they commissioned work because the British people were confident in the Bank of England

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16
Q

promissory note

A

a piece of paper promising the debt will be settled on demand
the idea developed into paper money

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17
Q

what did the government issue in addition to standard bonds?

A

consolidated annuities (consols)

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18
Q

what were consols/ how did they differ from standard bonds?

A

there was no fixed period where they had to be repaid
meaning in theory the government didn’t have to repay capital investment- but they did sometimes pay off consols

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19
Q

how did consols benefit the investor?

A

every quarter would receive an interest payment
also when the rate of inflation was low, consols guaranteed a return of 2.5/3% so where highly tradable on the stock market

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20
Q

when were consols first issued?

A

1750su

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21
Q

initial interest rates on consols?

A

3.5%

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22
Q

what was the interest rate on consols reduced to?

A

2.5%

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23
Q

when were consols issued most?

A

when the government needed money
e..g. 1855 in Crimea, 1920s when the country was trying to deal with the debt from WW1

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24
Q

What made investing in government bonds more appealing?

A

growth of the industrial revolution, so growth of British trade, so more wealthy landowners and merchants invested

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25
Q

why were government bonds appealed him?

A

having a guaranteed return over a fixed period seemed like a sound investment.
it wasn’t a quick way to make a lot of money, but the government still had enough investors

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26
Q

what did the ability to borrow large amounts of money that the British government had, mean they could do?

A

it affected how they fought wars, they could take on large enemies with lots of battleships, as well as financially support allies

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27
Q

how did the government fund the French wars?

A

the same way they had done with any previous campaign, but the scale of the war put an unprecedented strain on the economy

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28
Q

what did the British prime minister, William Pitt, do after the American war of independence?

A

put in place a series of indirect tax reforms to increase government revenue

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29
Q

how much did William Pitt’s indirect tax reforms increase government revenue

A

12.7 million in 1783
18.6 million in 1792

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30
Q

by 1792, how much had Pitt reduced national debt?

A

from £243 million to £170 million

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31
Q

what methods, other than indirect tax reforms, did the government use in the French wars to improve tax revenue?

A
  • new tax on inheritance
  • suspension of gold payments by the bank of England
    -reduction in import duties
    however outgoing was still growing faster than revenue
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32
Q

because outgoings were still more than revenue, what did Pitt have to do in the French wars?

A

impose an income tax on individuals for the first time

33
Q

how much was the income tax that Pitt implemented in the French wars?

A

2 old pence in the pound, on incomes over £60 year
2 shillings in the pound, on incomes over £200

34
Q

who was affected by Pitt’s income tax?

A

targeted wealthy businessmen and landowners, who were in a position to afford it (but reluctant to pay)
most working people weren’t affected because the average wage was below £60

35
Q

when was the Income Tax act passed?

A

1798
as a temporary measure

36
Q

how much extra income did the treasury get from income tax in the first year they were implemented?
how does this compare to what was expected?

A

£6 million but it had been hoped for £10 million

37
Q

why was the extra income from taxes not what was expected?

A

people declared wages were under 60 quid in order to avoid it

38
Q

when was income tax suspended and then reinstated?

A

1802-when peace was signed
1803- when war broke out again

39
Q

what were most of the wars between 1815-1914?

A

colonial wars
they were relatively cheap because only small amounts of troops were needed

40
Q

what were the wars in the 19th century that required heavy government borrowing?

A

crimean war (54-56)- partially funded by a large issue of consols
Boer war (99-02)

41
Q

what consequences were there because of issues with financing the crimean and Boer war?

A

politicians stressing for army reductions
Cardwell and Haldane reforms aimed to increase efficiency, which would reduce the financial burden

42
Q

what did the government have to do to keep the British forces going in WW1?

A

massive increase in national debt/ level of taxation

43
Q

by how much did the national debt increase by during WW1?

A

1914: £625 million
1918: £7’800 million

44
Q

how did the government borrow money to fund WW1?

A

international institutions like the USA via government bonds and offering good return on investment
also direct loans from countries like the USA

45
Q

what was another source of government borrowing other than from other countries, that was used to fund the First World War?

A

special war bonds that were offered to the general public
they were investment bonds that could be bought by indviduals during the war, on the understanding that after the war the government would pay them back plus interest

46
Q

initial interest of the first issue of war bonds in the First World War?

A

5%, later reduced to 3.5%

47
Q

what was the price of war bonds, which made them affordable for the general public?

A

£5

48
Q

what did the post office do regarding war bonds?

A

allowed ordinary people to open war savings certificate accounts, where you bought stamps for 15 shillings and sixpence on the understanding you would get £1 back in 5 years

49
Q

what factors meant the government were so successful in raising millions to support the war effort in WW1?

A

the British people trusted the government, and their commitment to repaying the debt
London was also a strong and reputable centre of international finance
this made selling government stock to foreign investors viable

50
Q

other than war bonds, how did the government increase income during the first world war?

A

increased taxation

51
Q

by how much did the rate of income tax increase by during ww1?

A

3.75% in 1914
30% in 1918
all 3 chancellors of exchequers increased taxation

52
Q

how much had business tax increase to by 1918?

A

80%

53
Q

how many people paid income tax in 1914?

A

1.5 million people

54
Q

how many people paid income tax in 1918?

A

7.7 million

55
Q

why did so many more people pay income tax in 1918 compared to 1914?

A

the exemption level was lowered from £160 to £130
and wages had increased over the course of the war

56
Q

how did the Bank of England support the government in the First World War?

A

it stopped issuing gold in exchange for bank notes ,and kept the gold as emergency reserves
it also issued more bank notes than it had gold to back up
this meant the economy could continue to function and the government could make payments
it also put inflationary pressures on the economy
this affected interest and made borrowing more expensive

57
Q

who were camp followers?

A

the large body of people that had no official role in the army, but for different reasons, followed the army on campaigns. be this because they were related to the soldiers or saw it as a way to make money

58
Q

what could wives of soldiers do?

A

accompany them on campaigns, but numbers allowed were limited

59
Q

how many wives were allowed per company for the lower ranks in the French wars?

A

6
selection made by ballot
these women were listed on company strength, and subject to army rules
there were no restrictions on officers bringing wives.

60
Q

there were unofficial camp followers as well as the unofficial ones, who could this include?

A

wives not selected as official spouses
women and children
local women who became attached to soldiers and followed

61
Q

what were the differences between official and unofficial camp followers?

A

official women had tents and rations but unofficial camp followers had to fend for themselves

62
Q

what impact did war have on women/wives back home, especially in the earlier campaigns, like the French wars and Crimea?

A

many women ‘lost’ their husbands to the army may have felt there was little chance of seeing him again
she would have to either follow the army or work in a work house for income
they often had little of it, also taking into account that pay in the French wars was 1/3 of usual and deliver irregularly, many soldiers were drunks or criminals who never. sent it home anyway, forcing the women to work

63
Q

what removed the legal barrier for gender equality between men and women?

A

the sex disqualification Removal act of 1919
they were still maintained by cultural attitudes though

64
Q

what did the army focus on before the 20th century, and what was the impact of this?

A

solely on fighting battles, not the other activities that meant it could function
e.g. medical care and catering
they were neglected by the authorities so usually provided by camp followers

65
Q

when did medical care in the military begin to become more professional?

A

crimea was a shard focus for the need of better medical care, but full scale professional care wasn’t seen until the late 19th/ early 20th century

66
Q

what was the medical care arrangement before crimea?

A

bandsmen as stretchbares, and there was one surgeon attached to each battalion
nurses did most of care, a role done by camp followers, but there was an overwhelming number of men who needed care

67
Q

why was the medical care in the armed forces not professional?

A

for a doctor, a job in the army was the least desirable position to attain, so it attracted the worst surgeons in the country

68
Q

how were most sick and wounded soldiers treated?

A

women camp followers had often been taught folk remedies
e.g Mary seacole

69
Q

other than medical care, how was culinary skills a valuable role of female camp followers?

A

men had to cook there rations themselves- a skill they lacked due to fixed gender roles, so it made sense for them to have someone accompany them who could cook

70
Q

how were army uniforms kept serviceable, given the poor quality?

A

camp followers were better with needle and thread than soldiers

71
Q

what was the other motivating factor, other than care that resulted in camp followers?

A

possible to make money
e.g. prostitutes,selling alcohol, cobblers,cutlers

72
Q

what type of camp followers had always followed an army?

A

prostitutes
for many women, it was their only means of survival

73
Q

how many servicemen did the government estimate had contracted venereal disease in the 1850s?

A

1 in 5

74
Q

what did the government do as a result of estimating the number of servicemen with venereal disease?

A

an investigation that resulted in the contagious diseases act in 1864

75
Q

what did the contagious diseases act mean for women?

A

women were examined and if they were found to have a venereal infection they could be detained for up to 3 months
it was initially limited to ports and army towns but was extended to other areas in 1866

76
Q

who was not examined under the contagious diseases act?

A

clients of prostitutes
which made the act controversial

77
Q

what did women do in response to the contagious diseases act?

A

1869 the Ladies National Association for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Act was formed by social reformer Josephine butler

78
Q

when was the contagious diseases act repealed?

A

1886