breadth study 2: organising the home front Flashcards
what formed at home during the threat of invasion by the French?
militia units
what was the role of militia units in the French wars?
they were part time and not eligible for foreign service
they performed useful duties at home and served as a base for recruitment
their main role was to control civilian unrest so regular army units could stay abroad
what were the 2 cavalry militia unit types in the French wars?
fencibles
yeomanry
explain fencible units
they were temporary and couldn’t be sent abroad
they were popular in 1790s but most dispersed after the peace of Amiens in 1802
who undertook the role of militia duties from 1803?
yeomanry
part time soldiers
what was garrison duty?
infantry militia units given duty away from home area in order to avoid conflict of loyalty when pressing civilians
what were volunteer units in French wars?
part time soldiers like the yeomanry
who trained for a few areas and were meant to defend the local area from the threat of invasion
give an example of a yeomanry unit and an event they were used in
south Notts Yeomanry Cavalry
raised in 1794 and operated independently from each other
involved in suppressing the Nottingham bread riots in 1795
how were militia units funded in the 1790s?
privately, by wealth individuals
by popular subscription
give an example of a militia unit funded by popular subscription
shropshire yeomanry
the MP for Shropshire, Sir William Pulteney contributed £5’000
what was available to militia units after 1803?
government money under the conditions of a few days of training ever year
how many men were serving in the reserves in 1803/how many were cavalry?
380’000 men
34’000 cavalry
what happened to local units after Waterloo?
they were disbanded
some did continue and provide policing when necessary
peterloo massacre
1819
local yeomanry were called to disperse the crowd and 11 died
people began to question the relevance of reservists
when was a civilian police force introduced?
1829
what was the cause of the militia act?
fear of French invasion and that the military authorities were not prepared for that
when was the militia act?
1852
what did the militia act do
provided a militia force of 80’000 men by volunteer of ballot
protects home territory in times of war but also the ability to do so in peacetime
what also grew as well as militia in the 1860s and why?
volunteer movement
many saw it as patriotic and enjoyable
volunteer units were free from the discipline of militia
what had the British government passed, wishing 4 days of war breaking out in 1914?
Defence of the Realm Act
what did the defence of the realm act, and similar legislation, give the government the authority for?
to influence every aspect of everyday life
why was the defence of the realm act so significant?
it changed the relationship between government and society. people largely left alone in the 19th century-laissez-faire government
what was the defence of the realm act?
DORA
was passed in order to control communications, the nations ports, and subject civilians to the rules of military courts
what were some of the things that become illegal during the First World War and why?
the government was concerned about spying
offence to fly a kite, light a bonfire or buy binoculars
prohibited to talk about military affairs in public
what measures were there of DORA regarding the economy?
there was concern for absenteeism due to drunkenness
pub opening times were restricted and land lords told to reduce alcohol contents
introduction of British summer time to provide more daylight for agricultural work in evenings
what became clear in early 1915?
that more supplies were needed for frontline troops this was indicated by a rumour of shell shortage that caused outrage at home
what did concern for supply of frontline troops result in
the Munitions of War Act 1915
munitions of war act
direct government control over the munitions industry with strict riles of what workers could and couldn’t do
trade unions agreed to abide by the conditions of the act for the duration of the war
explain the main area of the munitions of war act- conduct of workers?
strikes prohibited,wotkers couldn’t leave employment in war industry without written consent of employer
no worker could refuse a new job or overtime
skilled jobs were broken down sp they could be done by unskilled workers- dilution
the government could also direct workers to specific industries in specific areas of the country
what did workers get in return under the munitions of war act?
protected wages, and pay rises offered only with the agreement of the government
how were workplace disputes solved under the munitions act?
compulsory arbitration and workers found contravening the munitions act would be tired by special munitions tribunals
give a specific example of an industry that came under government control in ww1?
coal industry
the profits of coal mines were fixed to 1913 levels for the duration of the war, with surplus going to the treasury
coal mines remained in private ownership but the appointment of a coal controller in feb 1917 suggested full nationalisation would occur if they didn’t comply
did the government control the transport industries?
they fixed profits to 1913 levels- same as coal mines but companies left to run themselves
however merchant shipping came under increasing government control
what were the workforce issues in the first world war?
young men who were skilled workers, had left roles and joined the army. by 1915, recruiting sergeants were told not to recruit from reserved occupations because they were needed at home
resulted in the mass mobilisation of women
by how much did the number of women working in munitions increase?
82’859 in July 1914
947’000 in Nov 19918
how many women became civil servants during WW1?
over 200’000
how many women were in the transport industry by the end of the war?
117’000
by how much did female employment rise during WW1?
by 22.5%
how much of British food was imported in 1914?
60%
what impact did the war have on food supply?
strain of merchant shipping was caused by U boat warfare
by the end of 1916, there were shortages and long queues at home
food prices had also risen dramatically
how did the government tackle food shortages
massive shipbuilding to ensure imports continued
second was setting up a food agency and rationing
what did the food agency do?
Supervised food production, livestock farmers encouraged to turn to food crops
the government guaranteed prices so farmers would switich
every farm came under control of board of agriculture
wages of male landowners set at national minimum so they wouldn’t join army
what was created in 1917 to support food production at home?
women’s land army
how effective was the women’s land army?
only 16’000 joined in the end
when was compulsory rationing introduced
January 1918
what food was not rationed?
bread
price of loaf was subsidised by the government
by how much did the war affect civilian diets?
number of calories in the average diet dropped by 3%
how did the government control alcohol ?
the Intoxicating Liquor (temporary restriction) Act passed on 31st august in 1914
what did the intoxicating liquor act do?
gave authorities the right to limit the opening times of pump
advised land lords to water down beer and stopped customers buying rounds of drinks
opening hours very restricted in ports of factory areas
how successful was the government policy on drinking?
very successful
beer consumption halved by 1918
how did convictions for drunkenness reduce?
1914; 3’388 per week
1918:449
the government used DORA to control military matters spoken about in public and by newspapers. when were correspondents allowed on the frontline?
1916
they were still carefully controlled
explain how the civilian servants ensured that the press did not reveal any sensitive information
in 1916, 38’00 articles, 25’000 photos and 300’000 private telegrams were examined by government censors
any newspaper that gave balanced or antiwar perspective could be shut down
how many posters were printed in WW1
50 milloin
government saw propaganda an important part of war effort
name a propaganda film?
the battle of the somme
shown in over 2000 cinemas by October 1916
how did the scale of war change over time
by WW1 more armies fighting over a larger area, so more troops were needed
this affects the civilian population far more
as did the massive killings brought by new technology that were greater than ever seen before
