FWW Home Front

Question 1

how was public support for the war initially in 1914

Answer 1

• patriotic optimism
• 1914, anti-gov groups like the Suffragettes ended their militant campaigning and supported the war
• anti-war meetings did take place
• conscientious objectors - some men did refuse to fight on moral grounds and refused conscription
• they were assessed by tribunals and most were allocated non-combat work like medical or agricultural but some sent to the army or jail

Question 2

when was the Defence the Realm Act

Answer 2

8th August 1914

Question 3

what was DORA

Answer 3

• governed all lives in Britain
• added to as the war progressed and stated what people couldn’t do
• restrictions on information
• became an offence to talk about military matters in public
• censorship
• newspapers that tried to run anti-war debate ran the risk of closure

Question 4

what was the Intoxicating Liquor Act

Answer 4

• 31st August 1914
• part of DORA
• limited opening hours of pubs and watered down beer
• consumption of beer halved by 1918
• convictions for drunkenness reduced from 3388 per week in 1914 to 449 a week in 1918

Question 5

name some things that were a part of DORA

Answer 5

• British Summer Time introduced May 1916
• rationing
• control of mines and railways
• dilute beer/licensing hours
• censorship
• gov could take land
• can’t fly a kite
• illegal to shoot a pigeon
• can’t feed animals bread
• no fireworks
• can’t melt down gold or silver
• can’t ring church bells
• could be tried for breaking these laws

Question 6

what was the D notice

Answer 6

• part of DORA
• D for defence
• ensured newspapers did not publish certain information that might be harmful to national security

Question 7

list aspects of the economic impact and financing of the war

Answer 7

• borrowing loans from the US - war funded on credit
• treasury agreement
• industrial unrest 1915-1916 - may strikes
• trade unions banned
• increased taxes

Question 8

what was the shells scandal and what did it lead to

Answer 8

• early months of 1915 shells scandal
• an issue with insufficient shell production, quality and wrong shells been produced
• the problem was a lack of direction in the munitions industry
• time for government intervention
• led to the Munitions of the War Act resulting in direct government control of the munitions industry - 2nd July 1915

Question 9

discuss the issue with trade unions during the war

Answer 9

• trade unions agreed to comply with the act for the duration of the war - strikes prohibited. skilled jobs could be broken down or diluted, workers could not refuse overtime or leave their job for another
• in return, wages were protected and pay rises could be offered
• profits were also fixed for the duration of the war

Question 10

discuss the formation of the new national government

Answer 10

• in May 1915, blamed for the Gallipoli disaster and the shell shortage, Asquith’s government was in crisis
• Asquith was presented with an ultimatum from DLG an Andrew Bonar Law (conservative leader)
• Asquith acceded and a ‘National Government’ (coalition) was formed on May 25th

Question 11

what changes were made in the reshuffling of positions under the new national government

Answer 11

• Half of the Liberal Ministers stepped down to be replaced by conservatives
• Churchill replaced as first lord of the Admiralty by Balfour
• DLG became new Minister of Munitions until Kitchener died then he got S.O.S for war position and monatgu took munitions
• Henderson joined Cabinet for the Labour Party
• Kitchener kept his position until his death - he had failed but was still popular

Question 12

discuss the technology of the army available in 1914 before DLG

Answer 12

• each battalion only had 2 machine guns
• the entire army only had 80 motor vehicles
• all guns and supplies transported by horseback
• army lacked field telephones and wireless equipment
• only 30,000 shells produced each month

Question 13

discuss the technology of the army available following DLG efficiency drive

Answer 13

• 5.3 million shells from July-Dec 1915
• machine gun output rose from 287 in 1914, to 33,507 in 1916
• heavy artillery production increased dramatically
• he raised finance from Indian Princes for Stokes Mortars
• he supported the production of tanks against Kitchener’s wishes

Question 14

what did total war mean

Answer 14

• insisted there was no demarcation between the frontline and the Home front
• Indeed the Zeppelins and the Gotha bombers ensured that the Home Front was the frontline for the first time in the BEW

Question 15

discuss the role of women in statistics in the FWW

Answer 15

• almost one million in munitions industry
• 200,000 in civil service
• 500,000 in clerical work for private firms
• 117,000 in the transport industry
• some 5.9 million were already employed in 1914
• rose to 7.3 mil in 1918 - increase of 22.5%
• the nature of womens work changed more

Question 16

when did Kitchener die and what was the impact of this

Answer 16

• June 1916 he drowned when HMS Hampshire the ship he was travelling to Russia on, hit a mine and sank
• DLG became the new S.O.S for war and Montagu munitions
• spun as propaganda - ‘if Kitchener can die for his country, so can you’

Question 17

give the basic points of the political impact of the war

Answer 17

• Asquith’s failings
• DLG as PM
• Liberal Decline
• Rise of Labour
• 1918 election
• Irish independence
• representation of the people act 1918
• political destabilisation
• DORA 1914

Question 18

what was the December Crisis of 1916

Answer 18

• by late 1916 because the war was going badly, the British public lost confidence in the government
• Dec 3rd, leading conservatives signed a letter calling for Asquith to resign
• following day, the Times led an article expressing a vote of no confidence in Asquith
• 5-7th Dec wholesale resignations including DLG, Asquith and Bonar Law - confusion
• Dec 7th - DLG seized opportunity declaring himself PM with limited support from all three parties
• almost all liberals refused to serve under him
• A.J.P Taylor said ‘revolution, British style’

Question 19

what was one of DLG’s most decisive achievements

Answer 19

• to introduce the convoy system for merchant shipping
• entailed large numbers of cargo ships sailing together protected by naval escort to protect against U-boat attacks
• USA declared war on central powers April 6th which helped Britain signif in LT but in mean time Britain had to deal with the U-boat threat alone
• there were major farming initiatives implement to ease the U-boat crisis of 1917

Question 20

discuss the concern of the Ministry of Munitions that was the ‘dilution’ of the workforce

Answer 20

• skilled workers strongly objected to the dilution of their trades and had the support of Trade Unions to fight against it
• the government had to keep the factories open, or risk losing battles on the Western Front
• it negotiated with trade unions and agreed:
• traditional practices would be restored after the war
• profits in the munitions industry would be restricted
• unions were to have a say in the direction of companies