C1 - Aspects of WW1 and Britain

Total War

A war that involves or affects all of society, not just the armed forces.

Lord Kitchener

Secretary of State for War and the figurehead of the 1914 recruitment campaign.

Conscription (Date)

Introduced in 1916 for all men aged 18-40.

Reason for Conscription

The number of volunteers was falling, demand for troops was increasing, and the volunteer system was seen as unfair.

Conscientious Objectors

People who refused to fight for religious or political reasons; they had to appear before a tribunal.

DORA (Defence of the Realm Act)

Passed in 1914, it gave the government wide-ranging powers to control daily life, seize land, and control industries.

Munitions Crisis

A national scandal in 1915 caused by a severe shortage of shells, bullets, and weapons on the Western Front.

David Lloyd George

Made Minister of Munitions in 1915 to solve the crisis, then became Prime Minister in 1916.

Women in Munitions Factories

Brought into the workforce to solve the munitions crisis, after the government promised equal pay and job security for returning men.

Women's Land Army

Established in February 1917 to recruit women as farm workers to help feed the country.

German U-boats (April 1917)

By this date, they were sinking one in every four British merchant ships, leaving Britain with only six weeks' supply of wheat.

Voluntary Rationing

Started in May 1917, encouraging people to reduce food use; the royal family led by example.

Compulsory Rationing

Introduced in early 1918 for sugar, butter, meat, and beer, using a system of coupons.

‘The Ninepenny Loaf’

A law introduced in November 1917 to control the price of bread.

Impact of Rationing on Health

By the end of the war, the diet and health of many poorer people had actually improved compared to pre-war days.

Censorship (Examples)

Only good news was reported; the sinking of HMS Audacious (Oct 1914) was not reported; soldiers' letters were censored.

Lord Beaverbrook

Owner of the Daily Express who became Minister for Information (propaganda) in 1918.

Declaration by Authors

A document signed by writers like Arthur Conan Doyle and Rudyard Kipling in support of the war, often producing patriotic work for no payment.

Propaganda in Toys and Comics

Aimed at children, portraying the British 'Tommy' as brave and successful, and the German enemy as cowardly.

‘The Battle of the Somme’ (Film)

A 1916 propaganda film blending real and 'fake' scenes, seen by millions and considered a propaganda triumph.

Ramsay MacDonald

Leader of the Labour Party who had to resign because he did not support the war, while his party did.

Battle of the Somme (Turning Point)

The battle (July-Nov 1916) with half a million casualties changed the public mood from excitement to grim determination.

Siegfried Sassoon

A decorated officer and war poet who wrote a 'soldier's declaration' in 1917, accusing generals of incompetence.

Government Response to Sassoon

He was sent for psychiatric treatment for 'shell-shock' to discredit his declaration.

Public Mood at War's End (Nov 1918)

Greeted as much with relief as with a sense of triumph, due to awareness of the human and financial cost.