How did the war change Britain?

Political effects of the War

• Arguments over how to conduct the war effort split the Liberal Party in two - weakened

• Arguments over whether to support the war divided the Labour party but, overall, it gained respectability from its contribution to war effort

• The Conservatives’ core values of patriotism and imperialism made it easier for them to accept the need for “war socialism” - strengthened

• During the war, Irish politics polarised

Irish politics

• The Irish Nationalists lost out to Sinn Fein, the party of Irish independence

• Go to bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain-wwone/ireland-wwone to find out why

• In 1918, Sinn Fein won 73 out of the 108 Irish seats at Westminster but refused to sit in the UK parliament.

Politicians out; politicians in

• Asquith had to resign as PM in 1916

• Lloyd George became PM in 1916

• Bonar Law gave LG his full support

• The Labour leader Ramsay MacDonald resigned

• But Arthur Henderson was the first ever Labour cabinet minister

Policy of “war socialism”

• The state took many new powers in the interests of winning the war

• Defence of the Realm Act (rule by decree)

• Conscription

• Ministry of Munitions

• Dilution agreements in industry

• Restrictions on people’s freedoms

How was the economy affected?

• One economist estimated that the war cost Britain £4m per day!

• Government spending in 1913 = £200m• Government spending in 1918 = £2,600m• Also trade was affected; the cost of

imports increased and Britain could export less.

• Government debt and loss of trade affected post-war Britain badly

How did the government pay for the war?

• Borrowed from the USA

• Borrowed from the British – look at the posters advertising war bonds at: http://firstworldwar.com/posters/uk.htm

• Increased income tax from 5p to 30p in the £

How far did the war change the roles of men and women?

• Men served as soldiers, but their peacetime jobs were guaranteed

• The number of working women increased but more significant was the shift to different types of work

• And, women were expected to give up their jobs after the war

• Go to bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain-wwone/women_employment

How far did people become more equal? More questioning?

• Domestic service declined for ever• Overall the classes became more respectful of

each other• Divisions within the working class broke down

the most• There was a big gulf still between the working

and middle/upper classes• Church attendance went down• The idea of votes for women became acceptable• Working men who had suffered as soldiers

demanded a bigger share in Britain’s prosperity

The biggest long-term effects?

• The national debt• Declining trade• Trade Union unrest• Widows, children and wounded soldiers needed

state support• Decline of the Liberals; from now on it was Cons

v Labour• Civil war in Ireland• Contributed to long-term process of social and

gender equality