The First World War Flashcards
When did Britain declare war on Germany?
August, 1914
What permissions did the Defence of the Realm Act [DORA] in 1914 give?
Gave the State unprecedented level of control over people’s lives enabling the government to react to crises without having to take the longer route of getting Act of Parliament
What lowered the government’s prestige to thee extent that Asquith had no choice but to accept an all-party coalition?
The military disaster at Gallipoli and a scandal over the apparent shortage of shells on the Western Front
Who was put in charge of the Ministry of Munitions?
Lloyd George
When was conscription introduced?
January 1916
Which party did the Maurice Debate of 1918 cause divisions within?
The Liberal Party
When did Lloyd George take over as Secretary of War?
1916
Who was included in the small war cabinet established by Lloyd George?
Bonar Law (conservative) and Edward Carson (ulster unionists)
Why did the Labour Party nearly split in 1914?
The party believed in the international cooperation of the working class and was opposed to war and militarism. Some leaders, e.g. Ramsay MacDonald refused to support the war however most of the Labour movement did support the war
Who was the first ever Labour politician to be given a place in the cabinet?
Arthur Henderson
Movement away from……………….to state intervention
laissez faire
What did the huge demand of war cause?
Increased prices and shortages of both materials and workers in 1914
When was the Defence of the Realm Act extended?
1915
What key industries came under state control?
Railways, docks and coal mines
By 1918, how many factories and workers were under direct management of the Ministry of Munitions?
250 State factories, 20,000 supervised factories and 4 million workers
What was set up to increase the amount of home grown foodstuffs?
A Department of Food Production
How much was spent on the war in total?
£9,420 million
How was money generated for the war?
- Through increasing income tax from 1915
- Through abandoning the ‘balance the budget’ policy
- Borrowing money from neutral countries, USA
What was the economic impact on workers?
Increased taxation, rise in cost of living and food prices rose by 10%. However there was more employment and conditions improved slightly
What % of landholdings were sold off in England between 1917 and 1921?
25%
What was the housing situation during the war?
Over-crowding and basic facilities.
New houses being built was halted
What Act did unrest, led by Mary Barbour, cause to be introduced?
Rent Restriction Act in 1915
How was Housing dealt with after the war?
Addison’s Housing and Town Planning Act in 1919
How many houses had been built under Addison’s Act by 1922?
200,000 houses
Why was Addison sacked?
Due to the outcry against the use of public money to subsidise the building industry and Lloyd George had to apologise in the Commons
The economic recession after 1921 led to which policy?
Retrenchment > cutting back on Government spedning
What was the ‘Geddes Axe’?
£64 million austerity cuts from the armed series and education. Unemployment Act made it difficult to claim benefits and the Agriculture Act of 1920 caused the minimum wage for farmers to be repealed
An agreement that specified unions involved in vital war work would not strike
‘Treasury Agreement’ between Lloyd George and trade unions
An Act in 1915 that banned strikes for munition workers?
Munitions of War Act 1915
In 1917, how many strikes took place across Britain?
48 strikes
What was the Trade Union membership in 1921?
8 million members
Who set up the large trade union called Transport and general Workers Union (TGWU)?
Ernest Bevin
When was the Sankey Committee first appointed and why?
In February 1919 following a coal strike.
Why? to investigate pay and conditions in the coal industry
How many days were lost in 1921 due to strike activity?
86 million days
What did the Sankey Committee recommend and why was this rejected by the Conservatives?
Recommend for wage rises and a shorter working day which were agreed to by the government however the idea of nationalisation was rejected as this was too radical and sounded too much like ‘socialism’
When was the economic ‘boom’?
1919 and 1920 - both domestic and export industries were doing well, there was little unemployment, profits and wages were rising
In 1920, by how much did the industrial production grow?
50% growth
Why was there such an increase in Staple Industries?
Due to the huge demand for weapons and military equipment
How did restrictions on trade impact the Staple industries?
The introduction of tariffs by the USA meant industries had to drastically scale back on their production causing many workers to be ‘let go’
During the war Britain had a favourable trade balance. What does this mean?
The balance between exports and imports - including invisible exports/imports
Overall conclusion about the economic situation due to the war
Government was forced to take greater control of industry, trade and farming. Worsening economic situation, shown through Geddes Axe. Sankey Commission caused increased strike activity and trade union membership grew.
What proportion of the total workforce were women by 1918?
one-third
By late 1918, what % of the workforce in shell factories were female?
80%
How did the war benefit women and how did it cause problems for women?
It accelerated and helped loosen traditional social constraints. The pay was also much better than domestic services.
However…
it disrupted family life and put relationships under strain as women often did long working hours
How many women died from handling poisonous chemicals?
100
What Act in 1919 meant women could no longer be barred from a career in the law or the Civil Service on the basis of their gender
1919 Sex Disqualification Act
What cultural changes did women encounter by the end of the war?
Within the fashion industry, women symbolised a new freedom with shorter skirts and hairstyles.
Despite this, there was still a strong emphasis on women’s traditional roles - ‘keeping the home fires burning’ and bringing up the children
What year was the Representation of the people’s act introduced that allowed women aged 30 to vote?
1918
When did government control of mines end?
March 1921
What impact did the de-nationalisation of mines have on the workers?
Mine owners cut wages and lengthened working hours to compete with foreign imports - they could do this as unemployment was high and the workers would have limited jobs they could go to
Why did the National miner’s Strike in April 1921 seem like it could escalate into a General Strike?
As the railwaymen and transport workers backed the miners - a ‘triple alliance’. The government declared a state of emergency
How did the Miners’ strike in 1921 come to an end?
Lloyd George intervened immediately and managed to split the ‘triple alliance’ causing the miners to stand alone. When they returned to work in July, they were forced to accept pay cuts and their wages 20% lower than in 1914
What was the impact of war on children?
- Education was disrupted - many young teachers volunteered to fight
- About 300,000 children lost their fathers
What was the impact of war on life in Britain?
- introduction of British Summer Time by Churchill
- Cigarette smoking became more popular
What assumptions did the war challenge?
Assumptions towards behaviour, morality and religious practice. This was reflected in increased social mobility and changes in womens political and social positions
How did the Church benefit from war?
It gave the church a greater public role and Churchmen were in demand to conduct religious services
How did the ‘arts; change due to war?
Embrace of ‘modernism’ which rejected the values that had previously been so destructive
By the end of 1914, how many people had signed up?
Over 1 million
The outbreak of war caused a wave of…
patriotism
Why did patriotism remain a key theme for government propaganda?
As it sought to encourage industrial activity and urge people to conserve resources and request war loans
Name two key symbols that were used within Britain’s propaganda campaign?
The British Bulldog, John Bull - used to remind people of the strength and importance of Britain
What reasons did Conscientious Objectors have for refusing to fight?
- Religious reasons - Quakers = pacifism
- Political reasons - left-wing activists saw it as an imperialist war
- Moral reasons - unethical to kill , ‘human life is sacred’
Overall, how many Conscientious Objectors were there during the war?
16,000
How many conscientious objectors were arrested?
6312
What were Conscientious Objectors also known as?
‘conchies’
What was the general feeling towards ‘conchies’?
Unpatriotic and cowardly - it was common for women to give men who did not sign up to fight white feathers
What was the impact of war on soldiers?
750,000 were killed and about 2 million wounded. many experienced shell shock or other mental trauma’s - long term effects of fighting on the front lines
How many men overall served in the armed forces?
6 million men
Name two famous ‘trench warfare’ battles during WW1?
- The Battle of the Somme in 1916
2. The Third Battle of Ypres in 1917
Name a famous WW1 war poet?
Wilfred Owens
Overall conclusion about the social impact of war?
Most significant impact on women, led to many social and cultural changes in the arts and fashion and it challenged religious ideologies. The war fostered patriotic sentiment and c’conchies’ were seen as cowards. Workers did not benefit when back at home and strike activity increased.
What party did the war cause a split in?
The Liberal Party - Asquith and Lloyd George
Who replaced Asquith as PM in 1916?
Lloyd George
How did WW1 benefit the Labour Party?
Gained credibility, Arthur Henderson was the first Labour Cabinet minister. The idea of Nationalization during the war proved to be effective (key Labour policy). The Labour party was bale to have an influence on social policy during the war - allowed reorganization of the Labour Party
After the war, TUC membership doubled to…
8 million
Why did the war cause division in Labour?
As Ramsay Macdonald refused to compromise and support the war whereas Arthur Henderson did.
What did the war create amongst all classes?
A shared sense of experience
How many men were killed in the war?
750,000
How did Britain not change socially after the war?
- Many women returned to their ‘traditional jobs’
- Working Class women did not gain the right to vote
- Class divisions continued
What role in Bonar Law play during the war?
Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1916-1918 and in 1917, he raised £600 million via a War loan campaign
