How were civilians affected by World War 1?

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How were civilians affected by World War 1?

• Aim To revise key details about the British
  Home Front during the First World War

A revision presentation from http//www.mrallsophi
story.com/
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Recruitment

• Womens organisations tried to boost recruitment
• White feathers were given to men as a sign of
  their cowardice
• The Mothers Union urged its members to get their
  sons to join up

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Recruitment

• Initial recruitment used posters, leaflets, etc.
  to build an army quickly
• What is the message of this poster?
• How would this poster encourage men to join the
  army?

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Recruitment

• Initial recruitment used posters, leaflets, etc.
  to build an army quickly
• What is the message of this poster?
• How would this poster encourage men to join the
  army?

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Recruitment

• Initial recruitment used posters, leaflets, etc.
  to build an army quickly
• What is the message of this poster?
• How would this poster encourage men to join the
  army?

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Recruitment
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Conscription

• Voluntary recruitment was decreasing, but the
  demand for troops was increasing
• Voluntary recruitment didnt share the burden
  between all parts of society
• Conscription introduced in 1916
• All men aged 18-40 had to register
• They could be called up to fight at any time

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Conscription

• Conscientious objectors opposed the war for
  political or religious reasons
• They refused to fight, and were imprisoned or
  executed for doing so
• Others helped the war effort, but not through
  military action
• Field hospitals
• Stretched bearers

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DORA

• The Defence of the Realm Act
• Introduced in 1914
• Gave the government powers to control many
  aspects of peoples daily lives
• The priority was to keep industrial production
  high, but other things were affected too

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DORA

• Licensing hours were introduced
• Pubs could only open for 2 hours at lunchtime and
  3 hours in the evening
• This made sure the workforce was awake and sober
  for factory work

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DORA

• Newspapers and radio broadcasts were censored
• The government could control what people heard
  about the war
• This made sure the public continued to support
  the war effort by only hearing good things

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DORA

• Food was rationed
• The government took over land and used it for
  farm production
• This ensured there was enough food to feed the
  public and the army, despite German U-Boat
  attacks

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DORA

• Beer was diluted
• The government allowed publicans to make beer
  weaker
• This ensured the workforce didnt drink so much
  as to make them drunk or hung-over while at work

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DORA

• British Summer Time was introduced
• The government move the clocks forward by an hour
  in the summer
• This ensured factories had maximum daylight,
  meaning they could operate later

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DORA

• Mines and railways were taken over by the
  government
• The government had ultimate control over them
• This meant production of coal, and the movement
  of trains, would be prioritised for the war
  effort

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Rationing

• In April 1917, German U-Boats were sinking one in
  every four British merchant ships
• Britain was running out of food

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Rationing

• In 1917 voluntary rationing began, led by the
  royal family
• In 1918 compulsory rationing began
• Sugar
• Butter
• Meat
• Beer

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Propaganda and Censorship

• All news was tightly controlled (censorship)
• Reports aimed to
• Maintain morale
• Encourage civilians to support the war effort
• Create hatred and suspicion of the enemy
• Newspapers, radio broadcasts, films and even
  board games were used

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Propaganda and Censorship

• The film, The Battle of the Somme, was filmed in
  1916
• The Battle was a disaster for the British Army
• Failed objectives
• Enormous causalities
• What can the film tell an historian about the use
  of propaganda in WW1?
• Watch the clip (will take a couple of minutes to
  download)

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Propaganda and Censorship

• The film, The Battle of the Somme, is seen by
  historians as a propaganda triumph
• People at home felt they could see how their
  efforts were helping the troops
• Although it showed some casualties, it also
  showed advancing troops, helping morale

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Propaganda and Censorship

• The film, Britains Effort, was created in 1917
• What was its purpose?
• Watch the clip (will take a couple of minutes to
  download)

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Propaganda and Censorship

• It is hard to measure how effective propaganda
  was
• BUT
• Support for the war was reasonably constant
• Only really changed with the enormous causalities
  at the Battle of the Somme in 1916
• People read lots of newspapers, and watched the
  films, so they were being exposed to it

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The Brown Familys Four War Christmas

• What is happening in each frame?
• Explain why these things are happening, based on
  what you know about life on the Home Front

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