History- The War at Home Flashcards
The WW1 broke out the government had to be sure Britain was ready to go. They gave themselves special powers by getting parliaments to pass a law.
Parliament passed the defence of the realm act
Defence of the realm act (DORA) was passed in August 1914, right at the start of the war. There were two basic things the government was trying to do:
make sure the country had enough resources to fight the war.
Make sure the British people were in a fit state to defy can support the war effort.
he law allowed the government to:
Take control of vital industries like coal mining
Take over 2,500,000 acres of land and buildings
Bring in British summertime from more daylight (working) hours
Control drinking hours and the strength of alcohol
Introduce conscription
Stop people talking about the war or spreading rumours
Censor newspapers
Enforce Rationing
Thousands volunteered to fight – but it wasn’t enough
When war broke out, thousands of men rushed to volunteer for the fighting. They believed the war would be over quickly – by Christmas. They thought it was going to be an adventure, and wanted to be part of it. The enthusiasm didn’t last.
By 1915 the number of casualties was going up – and the number of volunteers was slowly going down. On the Western front so many men were being killed and wounded that there weren’t enough volunteers to replace them. There was also a growing feeling in Britain that it wasn’t fair that some men were avoiding military duty.
The government introduced conscription in 1916
all single men aged between 18 and 40 had to fight.
When there still weren’t enough soldiers married men had to join up too.
People who didn’t believe in fighting were called conscientious objectors. They were treated as criminals and sent to prison. They were seen as traitors because they refused to fight. Some were members of groups like the Quakers, who had religious objections to fighting. Many agreed to carry out nonviolent War work, such as driving ambulances.
Women started doing “men’s jobs”
Many of the original volunteers came from heavy industries like coal mining. There was a shortage of workers in the industries and without them Britain could not supply the army. When conscription started there were even fewer men available to do the vital jobs. Women started taking their places in the pits and factories.
