Changes in the role of the people Flashcards
why was reform needed in the 1790s?
Poor performance in the war of independence
1780s ship building
Ships still commissioned during peacetime
Middleton’s initiative
Coppering
expensive but effective
Royal ordnance
improved quality of guns
Blomefield policy on Naval Guns
every gun had to be fired 30 times before installed
firing mechanism had to be flintlock
Carronade
Shotgun fired grapeshot short-range quick to reload broader angle of fire
Intention of carronade
used on merchant ships
fired from deck so didn’t take up carrying capacity
First use of carronade on frigate
1782 HMS rainbow
Carronade action 1795
HMS Glatton armed entirely with carronades
devastated French ships in Indian Ocean
Carronade Battle of Trafalgar
2 Carronades on HMS Victory cleared top gun deck of French battleship
Why did use of carronades decline?
Long distance guns became more accurate
When were carronades phased out?
1851
first successful use of rockets
attack on Boulogne
October 1806
24 cutters fired 2,000 rockets at the city.
Effects of the congreve rocket
Physical effects limited
psychological effects more drastic
What were rockets used for?
ship to shore bombardment
Views on rockets in army
opposed
inaccurate and frivolous
Why were rockets discontinued?
Inaccuracy
stored poorly
advances in steel artillery
Armstrongs artillery developments
breech loading
cannon
why was breech loading better
quicker and simpler
what problems was Armstrong’s new cannon aim to overcome
slow loading barrel wear and poor accuracy
How did Armstrongs new cannon overcome these problems?
breech loading
projectiles coated in soft metal
Why weren’t Armstong’s guns used?
more maintenance needed
higher level of training
maxim gun
1884
600 rounds a minute
crew needed to move it set up and service
Vickers gun
1897 improved on the design of the maxim gun lighter more reliable replaced by Lewis gun
impact of machine guns
fewer men needed to hold an area
warfare no longer mobile
What and when was the first working tank prototype?
1915
Little Willie
Problems with the first tanks
too loud to communicate
difficult to operate
slow
no steering
when was the first tank used?
1916 the Somme
Tanks at the Somme
Broke down before reaching the enemy
What was the most successful use of tanks in WW1?
Battle of Cambrai
400 tanks supported the infantry in a creeping barrage
Why was the Bank of England founded?
to manage government debt
What was the Bank of England responsible for?
Issuing Government bonds
Why did the Bank of England give Britain an advantage?
Other countries all dealt in cash
What were consols?
Government bonds with:
no fixed period by which they had to be repaid
investor received interest payments every quarter
Why were government bonds successful?
Government could quickly access large amounts of money
Could financially support allies
Financing the French Wars
William Pitt
income tax
inheritance tax
How much was additionally raised in taxes between 1793 and 1815?
£12 million
Financing Crimean war
Short with limited scope
Britain at the height of economic power
half funded by borrowing
Financing boer war
Tax increased
Mainly met by borrowing - consols
third met by taxation
WW1 taxes
taxes increase
income tax exemption limit lowered
High duties imposed on luxury items
WW1 public borrowing
30% of expenditure funded by borrowing
What was the increase in national debt in WW1?
1914: £625 million
1918: £7,800 million
How much did Britain loan to allies in WW1?
£1825
How much did Britain owe the US after WW1?
£1,000 million
How many people paid income tax by 1918?
1914: 1.5 million
1918: 7.7. million
Social impact of the French Wars
Virtually the entire British population contributed
Social impact of Crimean War
public opinion (influenced by press) called for change - prime minister Florence Nightingale showed women could help
Social impact Boer War
Public outraged changed concentration camp policy
Why did women and children follow army campaigns?
only other choice was the workhouse
Why did people follow army campaigns?
patriotism, philanthropy or curiosity
Who provided medical care and catering?
Camp followers
Home front 1793 - 1815
militia units across Britain
maintained law and order whilst main military away
DORA
Defense of the realm act
government able to rule by decree
control of censorship, alcohol sales and food regulations
Munitions of War act
Created a controlled establishment
strikes banned
fines for absenteeism
workers could only leave job with leaving certificate
When did Lloyd George become PM?
1916
What did Lloyd George create to win the war?
12 new ministries
including: Blockade, shipping, food control, health, transport
Role of women in WW1
took over waged work to free up men for war
Over 100,000 women served as typists, drivers, clerks and cooks
40,000 worked as orderlies
What was the increase in women doing waged work?
only 22.5%
