Practices of war- Extent of human and economic resources mobilisation

Extent of mobilisation of human and economic resources

Human mobilisation

Conscription forced

Allies:

• Uk gov negotiated women to work in munition factories- mobilising home front

• Uk gov control human resources direction- made sure arms provided for

Economic mobilisation

All countries took loans through taxes

Allies:

• Uk nationalised key industries (coal/mining), regulated wages to control inflation

Central powers:

• Ger industrialist faced interference from military when trying to get War Board to overrsee production- (trying to control industry)

• Not as successful as Britain

• Russia’s borrowing led to inflation

• Ger planned to pay for war through victory treaties- when they lost they were shocked and BANKRUPT

Military mobilisation

Both used full arsenal at disposal- eg Ger with unrestricted U-boat production

Both broke international agreements

Growth of government power

Both poured effort into wartime propaganda

• morale

• justification

• reinforced nationalist sentiment

• Helped encourage homefront and battlefront

Allies:

• Br created a Ministry of Information with propaganda as its key policy- organised + prioritised

• Ger invasion of neutral Belgium, as for many other things, helped to antagonise them in eyes of Brit propaganda