Imperial changes in the run up to WW1 Flashcards
why was there a need for reorganisation of the British Armed Forces?
the failures evident during the Boer War were thoroughly investigated
what did government investigations look into?
military planning
recruitment
army and navy organisation
home defence
who was St John Broderick?
Secretary of State for War
between 1900 to 1903
what did Broderick propose?
creation of 6 self-contained army corps
- 3x regulars
- 3x auxiliary
why did Broderick’s reform never take off?
he recieved criticism from the government and press
why were Broderick’s reforms criticised?
the proposed army corps would have been too small for a European War
AND
too big for a colonial war
who replaced Broderick as Secretary of State for War?
Hugh Arnold-Forster
what did Arnold-Forster immediately do?
he appointed a small committee to report on reform in the War Office
what was the name of the committe set up by Arnold-Forster?
The Esher Commmittee
what did Esher’s committee reccomend?
- the need for a clean sweep of the War Office (removal of Lord Roberts from CiC)
- the replacement of the CiC with an inspector-general of the forces
- the formation of an Army Council
- formation of the Commitee of Imperial Defence
why was the CID set up in 1902?
Selborne and Broderick refused to resolve strategic difficulties
what reforms did Arnold-Forster look to introduce?
he wanted to abandon both Broderick’s system and the Cardwellian System
- he wanted to divide the army into long-term and short-term battalions
what were the short-term battalions?
3 year
home defence corps
30 battalions
what were the long-term battalions?
9 year
overseas operations
112 battalions
how did Arnold-Forster look to save money?
he reduced the number of volunteers
he disbanded half of the militia
absorbed the rest of the militia into the Army
why did Arnold-Forster believe a large auxillary force was not needed?
he believed the Navy was strong enough to defend Britain from a land invasion
who opposed Arnold-Forster’s reforms?
the CID
the cabinet
the New Army Council
the Parliament
which of Arnold-Forster’s reforms were passed?
- long service enlistments in 1904
- short service recruiting in 1905
why were Arnold-Forster’s reforms never fully implemented?
Balfour’s government fell in December 1905
what did Britain sign in response to the threat which Germany posed?
Entente Cordiale in 1904 with France
what was the main issue in the run up to WW1 in the armed forces?
should Britain spend more on:
- the army
or
- the navy
what did Navalists in Britain believe?
that France should deal with land warfare while Britain kept control of the seas if war broke out with Germany
they believed that money spent on a large army would be subtracted from the Navy which they thought was the main factor keeping Britain safe
what did British Army officers believe?
they believed that the British Army could make a big difference in Europe
when was the National Service League formed?
1902
what was the National Service League?
organisation which campaigned for compulsory military service
why did the NSL struggle to push for conscription in Britain?
they had little support from Parliament
when did the Liberals beat the Conservatives in the 1900s?
1905 election
who was the Liberal PM elected in 1905?
Henry Campbell-Bannerman
what were the Liberals committed to with regards to the Armed Forces?
reducing military expenditure
who was the Liberal’s Secretary of State for War?
Richard Haldane
what was Haldane budget for the Army?
28 million a year
what was the budget for the Army under the Conservatives?
£30 million
what was the Amry which Haldane envisaged?
a two-line army:
- an expeditionary force of three army corps (150,000)
- a territorial force composed of militia and volunteers
which system did Haldane revert back to?
the Cardwellian System
what balance of overseas-home battalions did Haldane achieve?
74 at home
74 abroad
why was Haldane able to push for these changes?
he had the support of BOTH the Army as well as the cabinet
which act led to the launch of the Territorial Amry?
the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act of 1907
was the Territorial Amry a success?
YES
it was a major improvement on the previous volunteer force
was more complete in its arms and equipment
how many men did the Territorial Army have by 1913?
236,000
what led to a rise in cadet corps across Britain?
the Boer War
imcreased rivalry with Germany
when was the Officer Training Corps established?
1908
what was the Officer Training Corps?
the merging of all the cadet corps in Britain
how many students were enrolled in the OTC by 1914?
25,000
which army officers were important in Haldane’s reforms?
General Douglas Haig
General Henry Wilson
how was Haig involved in military reform?
was director of military training
often held large-scale manouveres for training
how did Henry Wilson reform the Army?
formulated mobilisation plans
his work led to the overall transportation of the BEF to France in August 1914
what problems remained in the army?
- army commanders had understimated the power of machine guns
- commanders still believed in a cavalry charge and swords
- British Army was much smaller in size compared to European rivals
by mid-1914 how many battalions did Germany have?
84
by mid-1914 how many battalions did France have?
66
by mid-1914 how many battalions did Britain have?
6
what was the ‘two power standard’ which Britain tried to maintain?
that the RN had to keep up with the combined strength of it’s 2 largest naval powers
what law did Germany pass in 19898?
the First Fleet Act
what did the First Fleet Act lead to?
the German Navy was to be doubled in size
who was the second naval lord between 1902-03?
Admiral Fisher
what did Admiral Fisher do as the second naval lord?
he introduced the Selbourne Scheme
what was the Selbourne Scheme?
all naval officers were trained in common
they could then later specialise in either:
- engineering
- gunnery
- navigation
eventually once at a higher rank, officers would be eligible to command ships
what did Fischer hope the Selbourne Scheme would do?
he hoped to create a more meritocratic navy which was no longer bound by class
when did Fischer become first sea lord?
1904
till 1909
what did Fischer do to save money?
he overhauled the Fleet Reserve
meant that only 2/5 of the manpower needed for the reserve ships were available (saved money)
what did Fischer especially advocate for during his tenure?
the mass construction of submarines
why did Fischer believe submarines were better than battleships?
they were 25x cheaper
they could both be a threat in attack as well as to neutralise a threat when defending
what did Fischer want to work WITH the submarines?
battlecruisers
a hybrid between a battleship and crusier
speed + firepower
what did the Admirality prefer over a battlecruiser?
a Dreadnought
when was the Dreadnought brought into commission?
1906
what had the Dreadnought done to the rest of Britain’s naval fleet?
made many of the other ships redundant and allowed Germany to catch up
what was the Naval League?
an organisation set up to promoted the interests of the navy
by 1914 what was the Navy’s budget?
£48.8 million
by August 1914 how many Dreadnoughts and battlecruisers had the Royal Navy built?
40
