breadth study 2: organising the home front

Question 1

what formed at home during the threat of invasion by the French?

Answer 1

militia units

Question 2

what was the role of militia units in the French wars?

Answer 2

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

Question 3

what were the 2 cavalry militia unit types in the French wars?

Answer 3

fencibles
yeomanry

Question 4

explain fencible units

Answer 4

they were temporary and couldn’t be sent abroad
they were popular in 1790s but most dispersed after the peace of Amiens in 1802

Question 5

who undertook the role of militia duties from 1803?

Answer 5

yeomanry
part time soldiers

Question 6

what was garrison duty?

Answer 6

infantry militia units given duty away from home area in order to avoid conflict of loyalty when pressing civilians

Question 7

what were volunteer units in French wars?

Answer 7

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

Question 8

give an example of a yeomanry unit and an event they were used in

Answer 8

south Notts Yeomanry Cavalry
raised in 1794 and operated independently from each other
involved in suppressing the Nottingham bread riots in 1795

Question 9

how were militia units funded in the 1790s?

Answer 9

privately, by wealth individuals
by popular subscription

Question 10

give an example of a militia unit funded by popular subscription

Answer 10

shropshire yeomanry
the MP for Shropshire, Sir William Pulteney contributed £5’000

Question 11

what was available to militia units after 1803?

Answer 11

government money under the conditions of a few days of training ever year

Question 12

how many men were serving in the reserves in 1803/how many were cavalry?

Answer 12

380’000 men
34’000 cavalry

Question 13

what happened to local units after Waterloo?

Answer 13

they were disbanded
some did continue and provide policing when necessary

Question 14

peterloo massacre

Answer 14

1819
local yeomanry were called to disperse the crowd and 11 died
people began to question the relevance of reservists

Question 15

when was a civilian police force introduced?

Answer 15

1829

Question 16

what was the cause of the militia act?

Answer 16

fear of French invasion and that the military authorities were not prepared for that

Question 17

when was the militia act?

Answer 17

1852

Question 18

what did the militia act do

Answer 18

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

Question 19

what also grew as well as militia in the 1860s and why?

Answer 19

volunteer movement
many saw it as patriotic and enjoyable
volunteer units were free from the discipline of militia

Question 20

what had the British government passed, wishing 4 days of war breaking out in 1914?

Answer 20

Defence of the Realm Act

Question 21

what did the defence of the realm act, and similar legislation, give the government the authority for?

Answer 21

to influence every aspect of everyday life

Question 22

why was the defence of the realm act so significant?

Answer 22

it changed the relationship between government and society. people largely left alone in the 19th century-laissez-faire government

Question 23

what was the defence of the realm act?

Answer 23

DORA
was passed in order to control communications, the nations ports, and subject civilians to the rules of military courts

Question 24

what were some of the things that become illegal during the First World War and why?

Answer 24

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

Question 25

what measures were there of DORA regarding the economy?

Answer 25

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

Question 26

what became clear in early 1915?

Answer 26

that more supplies were needed for frontline troops this was indicated by a rumour of shell shortage that caused outrage at home

Question 27

what did concern for supply of frontline troops result in

Answer 27

the Munitions of War Act 1915

Question 28

munitions of war act

Answer 28

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

Question 29

explain the main area of the munitions of war act- conduct of workers?

Answer 29

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

Question 30

what did workers get in return under the munitions of war act?

Answer 30

protected wages, and pay rises offered only with the agreement of the government

Question 31

how were workplace disputes solved under the munitions act?

Answer 31

compulsory arbitration and workers found contravening the munitions act would be tired by special munitions tribunals

Question 32

give a specific example of an industry that came under government control in ww1?

Answer 32

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

Question 33

did the government control the transport industries?

Answer 33

they fixed profits to 1913 levels- same as coal mines but companies left to run themselves
however merchant shipping came under increasing government control

Question 34

what were the workforce issues in the first world war?

Answer 34

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

Question 35

by how much did the number of women working in munitions increase?

Answer 35

82’859 in July 1914
947’000 in Nov 19918

Question 36

how many women became civil servants during WW1?

Answer 36

over 200’000

Question 37

how many women were in the transport industry by the end of the war?

Answer 37

117’000

Question 38

by how much did female employment rise during WW1?

Answer 38

by 22.5%

Question 39

how much of British food was imported in 1914?

Answer 39

60%

Question 40

what impact did the war have on food supply?

Answer 40

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

Question 41

how did the government tackle food shortages

Answer 41

massive shipbuilding to ensure imports continued
second was setting up a food agency and rationing

Question 42

what did the food agency do?

Answer 42

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

Question 43

what was created in 1917 to support food production at home?

Answer 43

women’s land army

Question 44

how effective was the women’s land army?

Answer 44

only 16’000 joined in the end

Question 45

when was compulsory rationing introduced

Answer 45

January 1918

Question 46

what food was not rationed?

Answer 46

bread
price of loaf was subsidised by the government

Question 47

by how much did the war affect civilian diets?

Answer 47

number of calories in the average diet dropped by 3%

Question 48

how did the government control alcohol ?

Answer 48

the Intoxicating Liquor (temporary restriction) Act passed on 31st august in 1914

Question 49

what did the intoxicating liquor act do?

Answer 49

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

Question 50

how successful was the government policy on drinking?

Answer 50

very successful
beer consumption halved by 1918

Question 51

how did convictions for drunkenness reduce?

Answer 51

1914; 3’388 per week
1918:449

Question 52

the government used DORA to control military matters spoken about in public and by newspapers. when were correspondents allowed on the frontline?

Answer 52

1916
they were still carefully controlled

Question 53

explain how the civilian servants ensured that the press did not reveal any sensitive information

Answer 53

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

Question 54

how many posters were printed in WW1

Answer 54

50 milloin
government saw propaganda an important part of war effort

Question 55

name a propaganda film?

Answer 55

the battle of the somme
shown in over 2000 cinemas by October 1916

Question 56

how did the scale of war change over time

Answer 56

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