Era of the Great war Flashcards
why was propaganda used
Propaganda and recruiting posters encouraged many men to join up. The main themes used were patriotism, fighting to defend families, not letting down your friends who had joined, feelings of shame for those who did not enlist etc.
Recruiting propaganda was also aimed at women to persuade them to get their sons/boyfriends/husbands to join up and to be ashamed of them if they refused. Employers were also asked to put pressure on men to enlist.
The government put out stories of German atrocities in Belgium. Popular newspapers usually accompanied by illustrations of evil Germans bayoneting babies or torturing nuns carried these stories. This type of propaganda continued throughout the war.
Companies advertising their products often used illustrations of the war and soldiers to promote their products. Usually they showed smiling soldiers in grassy fields sharing cigarettes and chatting. This was a completely false picture of the trenches.
why was recruitment used
Scottish Pals battalions - Scots could fight in the same regiment as their friends. For example, the 16th Royal Scots (McCrae’s), 600 Hearts supporters were a part of this. Glasgow’s tram drivers signed up together.
Sense of adventure - Many Scots had never left the country before, so it was an exciting opportunity. It was also said the war would be ‘over by Christmas’.
White feather campaign - women encouraged to give men to sign up, gave them a feather if they had not to show they were a coward.
Wages - Many were unemployed and/ or living in poverty, this was an opportunity to make some money to support their families.
what was life like on the western front
Trenches were built in a zigzag. There were usually three lines. The firing trench, the support trench and the reserve trench - all linked by communication trenches. Trenches were 2 meters deep with duckboards, fire steps, drainage sumps, and sandbag parapets. Barbed wire entanglements protected the front line trenches.
Trenches were difficult for foot soldiers to attack. It was impossible to go round or surprise the enemy. Battles lasted a long time (months) and casualties were high.
Living conditions in the trenches were awful. It was cold, wet and muddy. Rats, lice and flies were everywhere. The stench from dead bodies and latrines was sickening. The daily routine:
- Cleaning weapons, repairing trenches, filling sandbags and repairing wire and night patrols. Even in quiet times snipers and shells killed many.
Battles usually involved - Artillery bombardment / gas / infantry attack. This was intended to destroy the German wire and drive the enemy out of their trenches. This did not work. The wire was not destroyed, Germans sheltered until it was safe to return and set up machine guns. British troops were cut down in no-man’s land.
The effects on soldiers of this type of war were - deaths, wounds, blindness, disease and infections, shell shock, madness. Some were shot for cowardice.
Despite the slaughter High Command continued to order attacks. This was a war of attrition and high losses were accepted as part of the plan to grind down the enemy.
New technology made trench warfare deadlier.
what weapons were used
Machine Guns pros - Casualty rate was higher compared to regular rifles.
Fire 400-600 rounds per minute, an ideal defensive weapon.
Longer range than regular rifles.
Use of cross fire over no-man’s land made the machine gun deadly.
Machine Guns cons - Jammed frequently.
Lacked mobility couldn’t move to different parts of the trench easily because they were heavy.
Overheated - didn’t work.
Tanks pros - Able to cross no-man’s land.
Crushed barbed wire.
Provided cover for attacking soldiers.
Bulletproof.
Equipped with machine guns.
Tanks cons - Broke down easily.
Very slow/ often got stuck in the mud. Easier target for defending soldiers.
Artillery pros - Wounded and killed soldiers from long range.
Big Bertha could fire a 2,200lb shell over 9 miles.
Constant artillery bombardment killed and injured many soldiers at one time.
Artillery cons - Failed to destroy barbed wire.
Aircraft pros - Some success by taking pictures from enemy trenches from the sky to learn about the opposition’s military tactics.
Used to bomb enemy trenches.
Used to protect soldiers in trenches.
Machine guns attached to attack soldiers on the ground.
Mainly used for reconnaissance but were equipped for machine guns and ‘dog fights’ took place in the sky.
Aircraft cons - Fragile - maneuvered too quickly could result in damage.
Easy target for enemy soldiers.
Gas pros - Chlorine, mustard, phosgene gas created panic.
Killed/ wounded many by choking/ blinding/ blisters/ burns.
Phosgene was colourless.
Overall, more injuries than deaths.
Gas cons - Weather dependent - impact of wind.
Impact of gas marks.
what military tactics were used
‘Over the top’- soldiers would leave their trenches into no-man’s land.
Barbed wire gates were removed and men lined up along the front line.
Soldiers were often given a drink of whisky or rum before.
The sergeant would blow his whistle and soldiers would scramble over the top of the trench.
Scottish soldiers went over the top at 7.30 of the battle of Somme.(1916)
Advancing across no-mans land - soldiers would charge at the enemy.
Soldiers would defend against charges by using machine guns and heavy artillery fire.
Aim was to reach and take the German trenches.
When the artillery barrage stopped, German machine gunners were out of their shelters and ready to fire within two minutes.
Attrition warfare - bombard the enemy with constant shelling and artillery fire.
Haig battered the enemy lines with a five-days-long artillery barrage intended to destroy the German barbed wire, wreck their trenches and kill the defenders.
Aim is to tire and wear down the enemy.
Damage the enemy front lines and explode on impact.
Shrapnel would injure many soldiers not near the blast.
Use of gas for example at the Battle of Loos in 1915 Haig ordered chlorine gas to be used before going over the top.
what were the DORA laws- Life on the homefront
The Defence of the Realm Act (DORA) was passed by Parliament in August 1914. The government could make new laws without asking parliament. The government could impose martial law if required and railways and docks came under military control. As the war progressed DORA allowed the government to introduce many other new laws.
Special constables were recruited to assist the police and army. Air raid precautions and black out regulations were introduced. Vehicles had to be immobilised if there was a threat of a German invasion. The army could requisition horses and vehicles for military use.
German citizens living in Britain were arrested and imprisoned without trial until the war ended.
The government took over the running of mines and railways. The Government took powers to control rents, prices and wages. They controlled conditions and wages to prevent people from moving between Scottish factories which might negatively impact factory production from Scotland.
A Ministry of Munitions was set up and the government built factories to produce weapons, shells etc.
Workers could be told to work in factories making vital war supplies. Strikes became illegal in important war industries. The government reached agreement with trade unions on the dilution of labour to allow women to do skilled work.
Compulsory Military Service for all men aged 18-41 was introduced in 1916. All men and women aged 18-65 had to register at labour exchanges for war work.
Attitudes to the war changed. At first it was popular. After 1916 the slaughter of so many young men made many people question whether their deaths were worth it.
Rationing was introduced in 1917. Every household was given a ration card that they had to use to buy sugar, meat, tea, butter etc. There were heavy fines or even prison sentences for those who broke the regulations.
what were the DORA laws part 2
Licensing hours were introduced -
Beer was watered down to limit the effect of alcohol on people.
Buying a round of drinks was banned -
To prevent large groups of people going out together.
Higher taxes -
More expensive for drinks so people would drink less.
Pub opening hours were limited to 5 hours/pubs were shut on Sunday -
Limit how drunk people could get so they would be better equipped to work the following day.
British Summer Time -
Introduced more daylight hours for people to work in Scottish industry.
Blackout windows at night -
Prevent the enemy from identifying populate scottish towns.
Censorship of newspapers -
Government controlled morale on the Home Front high and halted production in Scottish Factories.
Censored soldiers letters -
Prevent negative views of what was happening on the western front circulating in Scottish communities(e.g. Poor conditions/ military losses.)
No taking pictures of military or navy bases/ No talking about military matters in Scotland -
In case any information was given to the enemy.
Land taken over -
Farmers were ordered to turn more land over to the production of grain crops. Used to maximise food production to make Britain self-sufficient.
No whistling/No ringing church bell/No fireworks or bonfires/No flying flags, balloons, kites -
No signalling to the enemy.
No feeding ducks, horses and birds -
To save food.
No homing pigeons -
To stop the transport of secret messages.
Not using invisible ink when writing abroad -
To prevent the passing of secret information.
No using cameras without a permit -
To prevent pictures of military/ naval bases/ factories.
rationing why was it introduced
German U-boats attacks-
Sinking British ships with food supplies causing a shortage in Scotland.
Government concern over food shortages in Scotland-
Feared this would lead to malnutrition and starvation and they would need strong and healthy soldiers.
Slow the rising food prices in Scotland-
Fear that this would lead to riots as only the rich could afford food and the poor would go without.
Lack of skilled workers on Scottish farms-.
So food production slowed because there were fewer workers.
Voluntary rationing campaign failed across Britain-
Which forced the government to take action to prevent food shortages in Scotland.
Boost public morale in Scotland-
Fear that food riots and food shortages would negatively impact people’s contribution to the war effort at home.
Food for soldiers one western Front-
Keeping soldiers healthy to fight in the war was a priority for the government therefore it was necessary food was rationed in Scotland.
rationing- what were the measures taken to deal with shortages
Strict censorship-
To hide the extent of ship losses with food supplies from the public to prevent panic.
Propaganda campaign -
Which encouraged people to avoid waste and grow their own food.
Dig for Victory-
was encouraged for people with gardens and parks to grow their own vegetables.
Allotment system -
Which increased the amount of land available for growing food, e.g. parks, gardens and football fields.
Corn Production Act 1917-
This paid farmers more money to plant more crops. However, this was limited in Scotland due to the limited suitable land.
what were the 4 types of propaganda
Scottish Recruitment propaganda -
Such as Lord Kitchener (Your Country Needs You) encouraged Scottish men to sign up by making the war look exciting/ adding pressure/ making many feel guilty for not signing up.
Anti- German propaganda -
Created a common enemy which Scottish men believed they had to defeat. Germans were portrayed as brutes.
Rationing propaganda- .
Encouraged Scottish people to save food to help the war effort.
Propaganda aimed at Scottish women-
To encourage Scottish women to join the war effort by serving in munitions factories, like Gretna, the land army and VAD.
why was conscription introduced
Volunteers declined-
Government forced to get more Scottish men to enlist. (For example, from October 1914 300,000 men enlisted each month. By early 1915 this had fallen to 120,000 per month.)
Injured/ Dead-
Government had to replace the number of men who were injured/ had died.
Not ‘over by Christmas’-
Scottish people had realised that the war was going on for longer.
Lack of returning soldiers- .
war no longer glorified as many had not returned from the war, which put many off joining.
why didn’t the Conscientious Objectors fight in the war
Political reasons (Communists, members of ILP)-
Which meant men refused the war as those in power were not of their political beliefs.
Religious reasons (Quakers) -
Believed it was wrong to injure/ kill another person.
Pacifists (Against the war on principle) -
Moral viewpoint- pointless slaughter of people led by government officials.
why didn’t the Conscientious Objectors fight in the war part 2
Exemption certificates were given to conscientious objectors who were prepared to do non-combatant (non-fighting) duties.
For example, ambulance drivers, Working for the King’s shilling in munitions factories, Stretcher bearers, 7,000 pacifists agreed to do this.
Under the Military Service Act some men were excused from service. Those who were mentally or physically disabled or unfit ; men who were working in essential war industries; men whose families would suffer extreme hardship; and men who objected to military service for religious or moral reasons.
Some men refused to serve in the army because they had moral objections to killing. They were ‘conscientious objectors’. Some agreed to serve as stretcher bearers at the front. Others were ‘absolutists who refused to help the war effort in any way. Many were jailed and treated very harshly by the authorities and often by their families, friends and neighbours.
A system of tribunals was set up to decide who would be excused from service. All around the country there were Local Tribunals and in London there was a Central Tribunal which judged appeals.
Most of the tribunals were made up of military men, local councillors and businessmen. They were not very sympathetic to men who applied to be excused from military service. Most men were refused exemption and handed over to the army.
Most of the tribunals were made up of military men, local councillors and businessmen. They were not very sympathetic to men who applied to be excused from military service. Most men were refused exemption and handed over to the army.
what were the conscientious objectors treated like
Scottish Men who refused to enlist faced military discipline.
Some Scottish conscientious objectors were sentenced to death for refusing orders.
Some Scottish conscientious objectors sent to prisons/ work camps, for example, Dyce just outside Aberdeen.
-24 died while detained prisons
-6,000 were imprisoned
Verbal and sometimes physical abuse by others in Scottish society.
Their families were shunned from Scottish society.
Often ignored or refused service in Scottish shops.
Received a white feather from Scottish women or it was stuck on their door, which represented that they were a coward.
Continued to be shunned (treated like an outsider) from Scottish society after the war and were often refused jobs.
Disliked by the Scottish media and were shamed in Scottish newspapers.
what were the Events of the Rent Strikes/ Women’s role
By 1915 there was a housing shortage in Glasgow as thousands of workers came to work in the war industries like Aberdeen and Dundee. Landlords tried to increase rents and threatened evictions. The Glasgow Women’s Housing Association was formed to resist evictions and organize rent strikes.
Mobs of women blocked closes to prevent evictions. Sherriff’s Officers and police were often assaulted. John Wheatley and the Independent Labour Party supported the rent strikes. People thought it unfair and unpatriotic for landlords to profit from the war. The government was forced to intervene and imposed a freeze on rents until the war ended.
Landlords increased the rent and evicted people who could not pay.
Many women blocked access to tenements by crowding stair closes.
Women ‘Bombed’ police officers with bags of flour.
In May 1915 25,000 women went on strike in Glasgow.
They waved banners such as “We are fighting the Huns at Home” and “Fighting the Prussians at Partick”
A demonstration took place in George Square 18th November 1915 to protest against the prosecution of 18 tenants for the non-payment of rent increases.
