Impact On Civillians 1900-present Flashcards
How civillians became involved in war: forced enlistment
During WW1 and WW2, forced enlistment became common.
-WW1: 6,000,000 Britons fought and 700,000 died. Death rate of 12%
-WW2: 450,000 Britons died
How civillians became involved in war: civillian deaths
Civillian deaths became more common:
-WW1: 1414 died to German bombs, WW2: 40,000 Brits killed in the Blitz of 1940-41, 200,000 killed at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 100,000 civillians died in Iraq 2003-2010
Fighting on the home front: Home Guard
Volunteer, part-time force (sometimes called ‘Dad’s army’) formed 1940 to protect against invasion. 1941, 1,600,000 civillian men had joined
Fighting on the home front: civil defence
Formed 1941. Combined all air-raid wardens and firefighters. 1945, 1,400,000 civillians were air-raid wardens. 7,000 civil defence staff died on duty
Fighting on the home front: Women’s Voluntary service (WVS)
Part of the civil defence. Helped with air-raid precautions and assisted those affected by bombing. Had 1,000,000 members by 1941
(Impact on civillians) Rationing
In both Word Wars, both sides cut off enemy food supplies. April 1917, there was only 6 weeks of wheat left. Rationing was intoduced in January 1918.
In WW2, rationing was introduced January 1940
In WW1, 750,000 civillians in Germany died of starvation
(Impact on civillians) Homelessnes
Blitz, 1940-41, 2,000,000 British homes were destroyed and 1,500,000 mothers and children evacuated to the countryside.
Ten years after the Iraq war, 1,000,000 Iraqi civillians were displaced. 60,000,000 worldwide
(Impact on civillians) Loss of freedom
1914 Defence Of the Realm Act (DORA) banned buying binoculars, flying kites of lighting bonfires. Both WWs, workers could be moved from their jobs to whatever the government decided
(Impact on civillians) incidental benefits for women
Women working equally with men and joing armed forces helped change social views
(Impact on civillians) incidental medical benefits
Improvements occured through need to treat large numbers of casualties. Treatments developed were: x-rays, blood transfusions, penicillin and plastic surgery.
(Impact on civillians) social reforms
After both WWs had ended, public expected government support to continue, leading to: 1919 housing act (council houses for the poor), 1944 education act (free primary and secondary education), 1946 national health service act (free healthcare)
(Impact on civillians) fear
Nuclear war was feared throughout the coldwar and is still a concern
Changes in war reporting
-1914, one journalist (an army officer) reports from the frontline
-November 1916, five journalists allowed at frontline
-2003, 700 reporters part of coalition forces in Iraq. Many more worked independently in the warzone
New media and communications revolutionised reporting and impacted public attitudes
Levels of censorship/propaganda
-WW1, government limited the amount of info given to the public. Soldiers’ letters home were read and censored
-propaganda used to build support for war and encourage volunteers. It would often suggest that the enemy is evil. Propaganda in WW2 focused on the horrors of war and the need to win. Morale-building posters encouraged support for the war effort
-Newspapers could be shutdown for criticising the government
Public attitudes towards war
-WW1,volunteer numbers deacreased as casualty figures were reported, leading to conscription in both WWs
-since 1945, support for war has declined. In 2003, 1,000,000 protesters marched against the Iraq war. Modern strategies aim to minimise casualties to maintain public support
-jingoism has waned
