Era of the great war Flashcards
what factors helped promote recruitment?
Pals Battalions
- more willing to join up with friends
Patriotism
- duty to defend your country
Propaganda
- 54 million posters
- public meetings and speeches by famous scot’s to join up
Adventure
- made it look like a adventure
what was life like in the trenches?
Weather
- wet, muddy, cold
Disease
- trench foot, trench mouth, trench fever, dysentery
Fear of death
- see friends die
- constant explosions, shell shock
Pests
- rats spread disease and stole food
- lice in air and clothes which was itchy and uncomfortable
what were the advantages and disadvantages of planes?
+ used to spy on enemies
- obvious target
- easily shot down
what were advantages and disadvantages of machine guns?
+ quick to reload
+ 600 bullets per minute
- overheated
- 2-3 people to operate
what were advantages and disadvantages of gas?
+ cleared large areas quickly
+ caused fear and panic
- could blow back in troops due to wind
- less effective once gas masks made
what are advantages and disadvantages of tanks?
+ cross no man’s land barbed wire
+ fear and surprise
- very slow 4mph
- overheat
- unreliable breaks down easily
what are some tactics soldiers used?
Gas barrage
- gas sent out in 2 clouds (1st smoke, 2nd toxic gas)
- soldiers may remove mask after 1st attack
Tunelling
- dig under no man’s land under enemy trenches
- effective as explosions killed thousands
- less effective as it took a long time to dig
what was the purpose of DORA?
to focus people’s effort on war
what were terms under DORA?
Prevent food shortages
- can’t feed bread to animals
Prevent spying/ improve security + secrecy
- no pigeons without a license
- no bonfires or fireworks
Takle lateness
- beer watered down
- pub opening hours restricted
- british summer time introduced
what was rationing for in ww1?
- government concerenced food shortages would lead to starvation
- priority was to provide food to so,diners as the front, means food shortages at home
- lack of food being produced on farms, workers + horses were being used on front line
- rationing became compulsory: ration cards
- womens land army provided voluntary labour on farms
what jobs did women do to replace men on the front line?
Munitions factories
- 1M women, TNT poising turned skin yellow, many died, dangerous work
Womens Land Army
- 250,000 worked in farms to reduce food shortages
Other roles
- police officers
- nurses on frontline
- transport (train drivers, ticket conductors)
who were the conscientious objectors?
the people who refused to fight in britain
Moral
- believed it was wrong to take a life
Religius
- believed it was against their religion to kill eg Quakers
what treatment did the conscientious objectors receive?
- spat on in the street
- harassed in public
- seen as cowards
- assaulted
- given white feathers
what did propaganda do?
- encourage men to join the war
- encourage women to join the workforce
- promoted strong anti german feelings
what was conscription?
- military service act 1916, all dingle men aged 18-41 have to join
- numbers of volunteers falling, conscription introduced
- medically unfit exempt
- reserved occupations - eg doctors, teachers, coal miners etc exempt also
what were reserved occupations?
- needed men to stay in certain jobs
- could NOT be called up
what effect did the war have on industries?
Shipbuilding
- pre war on verge of closing
- during war industry boomed, build hundreds of ships
- after war decline as no orders
Coal
- pre war produced a lot of coal
- during war gov took control of mines, demand high, higher wages, boom as coal vital die wwalin factories
- after war gov no longer controlled mines, demand decreased, strikes because of wage cuts
Fishing
- pre war very important, 32,500 men employed
- during war north sea closed as german naval attacks, boats taken over by navy, herring trade lost
- after war herring trade lost, damaged boats
what was homes fit for heroes?
- after war people who served reserves a reward for their efforts
- Addison act aimed to build 500,000 homes in 3 years
- less than half actually built
- Wheatley housing act more houses to be built with indoor toilets, electricity and garden
what were rent strikes?
- thousands of workers move to cities
- demand for houses increased, created shortage
- landlords raised rents and threatened to evict people who couldn’t pay
- hoped women wouldn’t ‘give in’ as men were at war
- made it hard for police to carry out evictions as blocked stairwells and threw flour bags at them
- factory owners worried as men went on strike to show support
- rent restriction act introduced which frozen rents
who were the suffragists?
- peaceful persuasion
- tactics: marches, wrote letters to MSPs
- convinced people women were responsible and deserved the vote
- too peaceful and didn’t gain enough attention
who were the suffragists?
- more violent
- tactics: blew up post boxes, hunger strikes in prison, broken windows, lured acid on go,d courses
- many were imprisoned
- kept in the public eye
- gained sympathy due to experience in prison
- tactics made them seem unstable, irrational
