C3 | After WWI: the 1920s and 1930s

Question 1

How was Britain’s unemployment rate in 1921?

Answer 1

Unemployment figures shot up to 2 million, which meant that 1 in 5 workers had no job

Question 2

Why were so many people unemployed?

Answer 2

British factories were worn out by the time war ended. During the war, British factories and businesses had been totally dedicated to winning the war. They built guns, bombs and bullets, produced food and made ships

Question 3

Which countries became the world’s leading producers and suppliers of raw materials?

Answer 3

Japan and the USA

Question 4

How did the British government try to improve the country in the years after the war?

Answer 4

1. Children under 14 were banned from working in mines, factories or on ships, and made to attend school
2. Old age pensions were increased
3. Great effort was put into finding work for ex-soldiers and those who were disabled in the fighting
4. More people than before were allowed to claim dole money if they lost their job
5. New laws protected tenants against large rent increases
6. Wages of teachers and farm workers were increased
7. A ‘Ministry of Health’ was set up to coordinate and improve healthcare across the country
8. Around 200,000 new homes were built that could be rented from local councils. However, the rent was still too high for the poorest people

Question 5

What happened to the lives of women in 1918?

Answer 5

Women aged over 30 were given the right to vote and more jobs became open to women, such as becoming lawyers and politicians

Question 6

What happened to the lives of women in 1928?

Answer 6

All women over 21 were given the vote

Question 7

How else did the lives of women change in the 1920s?

Answer 7

Along with equality came a greater sense of freedom. Some women smoked and drank openly, drove motorbikes, had short hair, and wore shorter dresses and heavy make-up

Question 8

Roaring Twenties

Answer 8

The period in American history where American factories were busy and many Americans were making lots of money

Question 9

What forms of entertainment were there in the 1920s?

Answer 9

1. Dancing to American jazz music
2. Going to the cinema to watch Hollywood films
3. Spending time outdoors, going on walking and camping holidays, and visiting seaside resorts (such as Blackpool)
4. Listening to the radio

Question 10

How was unemployment throughout the 1920s?

Answer 10

Unemployment remained high and there were protests and strikes

Question 11

The General Strike

Answer 11

A nine-day general strike in 1926 where people with all kinds of jobs went on strike

Question 12

Why did the General Strike take place?

Answer 12

The people were supporting the coal miners who were about to have their pay reduced and their hours of work increased

Question 13

What happened to the strikers?

Answer 13

Soon the strikers weren’t receiving money any more and all workers (except the miners) went back to work

Question 14

What happened to the miners?

Answer 14

They fought on until November and then returned to work for less pay and longer hours

Question 15

When did the government introduce a new law for making general strikes illegal?

Answer 15

1927

Question 16

Nationalists

Answer 16

Mainly Catholics who wanted Ireland to have its own Parliament and run itself

Question 17

Unionists

Answer 17

Mainly Protestants who wanted Ireland to stay a part of Britain

Question 18

Where did the unionists mainly live?

Answer 18

In the northern part of Ireland, called Ulster

Question 19

Easter Rising

Answer 19

During Easter 1916, a group of Nationalists took control of Dublin and declared independence from Britain. British troops were sent in to arrest the rebels and within a week the Easter Rising had been stopped

Question 20

What happened in the 1918 British election?

Answer 20

The leading Irish political party (Sinn Féin) won, but the Irish politicians refused to go to London to sit in Parliament and set up their own Parliament (the Dáil) based in Dublin

Question 21

What happened after Irish politicians set up their own Parliament?

Answer 21

They began ordering the Irish Republican Army (IRA) to drive the British out of the country. The IRA attacked British police and government buildings.

Question 22

How did the British try to stop the fighting in Ireland in 1920?

Answer 22

They sent in tough ex-soldiers known as ‘Black and Tans’. Soon both sides were carrying out shootings and bombings

Question 23

What was the solution for Ireland in 1921?

Answer 23

1. The northern part of Ireland (mainly Protestant Nationalists) would remain part of Britain and be called Northern Ireland
2. Southern Ireland (mainly Catholic Unionists) would become the Irish Free state and run its own affairs. But it would still remain part of Britain’s empire

Question 24

Hungry Thirties

Answer 24

The period in British history where there were high levels of unemployment and poverty

Question 25

Which areas of Britain had the highest levels of unemployment in the 1930s?

Answer 25

North of England, Wales, Scotland

Question 26

Why some areas of Britain were hit harder than others?

Answer 26

Places like the North of England, Wales and Scotland produced materials such as coal, iron, steel or cloth, and these industries haven’t really recovered after the Great War. If nations wanted to buy these materials, they tend to get it from other countries or make them themselves, rather than buy from Britain

Question 27

Great Depression

Answer 27

The period in history when American banks, businesses and individuals hit hard times financially (1929 to 1939). As a result, Americans no longer had money to buy goods from abroad and factories in other countries shut down too. Millions lost their jobs in France, Italy, Germany, Japan and Britain

Question 28

Why did the government cut unemployment benefits?

Answer 28

They were trying to save money since the government was still paying for the Great War

Question 29

Means Test

Answer 29

An official check to see if a person had money coming in to reduce their dole money

Question 30

What areas of Britain were less affected by the depression of the Hungry Thirties?

Answer 30

The south-west and Midlands

Question 31

What was the British Union of Fascists?

Answer 31

A new political party in Britain with ideas similar to the Nazi Party in Germany. They talked about having a stronger government that can deal with Britain’s problems and reclaim their position as one of the most powerful nations in the world