How Much And Why Did The Experiance Of Civillians Change Flashcards
How did providing food and shelter for combatants affect civilians ?
It was typical, due to most armies living off the land, to not carry food supplies with them so civilians were expected to provide for them and give them accommodation know as quarters which was called billeting the troops
Unpopular and annoying most villages didn’t like it but some did receive payment but was rarely given
How did looting affect civilians ?
Extremely common due to badly paid and poorly disciplined soldiers taking any opportunity to steal and take what they could
How did taxation affect civilians ?
Increased taxation to fund wars was a big burden. Taxes included excise taxes on the purchase of a wide range of foodstuffs. Many just accepted them but didn’t like them
Both sides also confiscated the property of wealthy opponents
How did casualties affect civilians ?
Many towns especially where garrisons where experienced direct violence
If a besieged town didn’t not surrender and was eventually captured wide scale loot, destruction of property, rape and murder of civilians was common
How did propaganda affect civilians ?
Considerable attempts to inform, persuade and appeal to people about the events of war during this period
Pamphlets and weekly news books telling exaggerated stories
Summarise the affects on civilians ?
Overall, although there was some variation in the extent to which areas suffered, it didn’t differ that much from the Middle Ages but what was different was the intensity
