The Impact of the Great War Flashcards
Why did people join the army?
1 War propaganda: Lord Kitchner “your country needs you”
2 Excitement: get to see a new country and desire to quit job
3 Pressure: people at home had lots of faith
4 War over by Xmas: no one knew it would by land base
5 Hysteria: propaganda about spies made people hysteric
6 fear of unemployment: coal mining industry decline
7 The pals battalion: encouraged friends to fight (McRaes and hearts)
8 Scottish Martial Traditons: showed strength and patriotism
9 Criminals could avoid prision
What was the experience of Scots on the western front?
1 Morale: low because of high death toll and Germans seemed in higher spirits
2 Disillusionment: fighting, eating and sleeping among dead bodies
3 Censorship: frustration over letter censorship
4 Conditions: rough, vernon, disease and lice
5 Stalemate: no progress was being made. low morale
6 Difficult to launch a successful attack: German trenches + well constructed, barbed wire, mud
7 Front became deadlocked: barbed wire, artillery destroyed natural drainage and very long trenches
describe the contribution that scots played on the western front.
Battle of Loos 1915: chemicals and poisonous gasses blew back in faces of Scots. the war was meaningless and wasted many lives 1 in 3 names in memorial to missing scots
Battle of the Somme 1916: barbed wire and machine guns used by the germans and their trenches were very well constructed + 9000 british dead
Describe the attitudes held by groups/famous people towards war and conscription
1 Socialists: opposed. capitalist war
2 Trade unionists: opposed conscription
3 ILP: opposed war = capitalist plot
4 Labour Party = supported war
5 Scottish Liberals: opposed conscription. division of party
6 Silvia Pankrust and helen crawford: opposed war
7 Kitchner: opposed conscription= less quality of soldiers
Describe the groups of pacifists were
Exemptions: job and ill health
Alternatives: non combat roles. (friends ambulance unit 1914)
Absolutists: no effort in war work
Conches: Lost right to vote. 73 deaths due to harsh treatment
Describe the impact of DORA
1 Censorship: limited news, letter censored and few statistics
2 War Production: co-ordinated resources. 1917 coal resource. pub restrictions
3 Food productions: maximised. land seizures in highland.
3 year loan of land for crofters
4 Opposition: socialists, ILP main opponents. took away liberalism spirit
Describe the role of women during the war
1 Politicisation of women: suffragettes before war, Glasgows womens housing organisation. Helen Crawford = communist candidate
2 Industry: 31,000 by 1918 employed in munitions. Mairi Chisholm set up first aid on front
3 Changed attitudes and more women doctors. Pre war practises act + many women out of work after the war
The effects of War on Industry
1: Shipbuilding: PRE WAR = 14percent depended on 1914-1918= Munitions Act took over industry and increased technology = job losses POST WAR= international trade slump. high unemployment
2 Fishing industry: PRE WAR= 25 percent total uk catch and railways = boom 1914-1918 = boats used for minesweeps = destroyed POST WAR: high fuel costs, loss of Russian, German markets + boats destroyed
3 Land shortage = caused land raids in highlands and islands
4 Jute: Prewar = suffered due to investments abroad 1914-1918= industry boomed. used for sandbags = 600 million used per month POST WAR: rapid decline. Calcutta = competitive prices
5 Food, agriculture and rationing: PREWAR= relied on imports 1914-1918 = encouragement of home grown foods 150 percent farmers profits grow and WOOL BOOM POST WAR= fewer imports and helped famers
6 Low wages. = insufficient demand for consumer goods and all Scottish car manufactories went out of business
Describe the reasons why Scots emigrated after the war
1 Large estates saved money through sheep and cattle grazing rather than crops = no land for crofters
2 promised land for returning fighters =gov lacked money
3 land raids = occurred on Rassay. little gov intervention
4 Leverhulme Project = out of touch with islanders, many ill and suffering losses
5 high taxation and lack of employment opportunities
6 Further investment scared off by Leverhulme’s failures = bleak future for people
