How do government powers change during war? (WW1)

Learning Objective: to understand how government powers change during war.

Learning outcome; By the end of the(se) lessons you will be able to explain the need for increased intervention during wartime.

If you were in Government what emergency measures would you put in place at the outbreak of war?

DORA

• During both wars the role and powers of the Government greatly extended.

• The Defence of the Real Act 1914 – gave the government special powers, during WW1 these included the right to take possession of any factory, workshop or piece of land and to censor newspapers.

• What other things do your think people were not allowed to do?

Dora forbade;

•Talk about military affairs in public places •Spreading of rumours about military affairs •The lighting of bonfires or fireworks•The purchase of fireworks •The purchase of whisky or brandy in a railway refreshment rooms •The ringing of church bells •Flying kites •Using invisible ink when writing abroad •The melting down of gold or silver •Trespassing on railway bridges

•As time went on they also •Introduced BST to provide more daylight for work in the evening•Controlled the consumption of alcohol (watered down drink) •Appointed special constables •Made strikes illegal •Prevented workers in certain occupations such as mining and farming ( reserved occupations) to join up

Task

• Consider the list of restrictions issued by DORA what are the reasons for these?

How would this poster encourage men to join up?

Conscientious Objectors

• Some 16,000 men objected to the war because their consciences – in other words, they refused to fight because of their moral or religious beliefs and they had to appear before a military tribunal to prove that they deserve to be exempt from military service. Of these around 9,500 helped the was effort by working behind the lines in non-fighting roles or by doing essential work connected to the armed forces.

Source A – from a Quaker, a member of a religious group who believe in non-violent

behaviour. • It was right at the beginning that I learnt

that the only people from whom I could expect sympathy were soldiers and not civilians. I was waiting in the guardroom when five soldiers under arrest came in. when they asked me what I was in for, I was as simple as possible.' I refused to join the army because I think that was is murder.; ‘Murder,’ one of them whispered. ‘Its bloody murder.’ As they went away they each came up to me and shook me by the hand – ‘Stick to it matey,’ they said, one after the other. Lesson 7

Source B- From an interview in the 1960’s with Percy Wall, who was sent to a prison camp because

he refused to fight in the First World War. • The attitude of the soldiers at the camp

varied. A very small minority told us they would like to see us shot. Others wished to know exactly what were standing for and some of them told us they would be conscientious objectors next time. Another group seemed to think we were simply trying to get out of going to the trenches.

Lesson 7

Source C – Conscientious objectors at a prison camp

Lesson 7

Source D – A letter from the commander of the Military Detention Barracks at Wandsworth to the

Daily Express, 1918. • I had them placed in special rooms,

nude, but with their full army kit for them to put on as soon as they wished. There were no blankets left in the room, which were quite bare. Several of the men held out naked for several hours but they gradually accepted the inevitable. Forty of the conscientious objectors who passed through my hands are now quite willing soldiers. Lesson 7

Source E – From an interview with a conscientious objector in 1928.

• Our ankles were tied together and our arms were tied tightly at the wrists to the cross and we had to remain in that position for two hours. The second evening we were placed with our faces to the barbed wire fence. I found myself drawn so closely to the fence that when I wished o turn my head I did so very carefully to avoid my face being torn. To make matters worse, it came on to rain and a bitterly cold wind blew across the top of the hill. Another man, Jack Gray, was put into a sack, thrown into a pond eight times and pulled out by a rope round his body.

Lesson 7

Task

What can you learn from Sources A and B about attitudes to conscientious Objectors ?

Working in pairs, put together arguments for and against conscientious objectors that people at the time would make. Make a copy of the scales below and add the arguments for to the scales.

Arguments for Arguments Against

‘It took greater courage to be a conscientious objector rather that join up’ Discuss

Cross referencing sources • To answer the following question you need to

cross reference sources to come to a decision come to a decision. This requires you to;

• Think about their content – what they suggest

• Identify support and challenges between the sources (differences and similarities)

• Assess the strength of support or challenge by thinking about the nature of the source – in other words, think about the type of source, who created it? Why?

Planning Grid - Make a copy of the grid to help you answer the question

Support Challenge

Contents B suggests some soldiers wanted to shoot him. In source D they are made to stand naked

Source B suggests sympathy and some support from soldiers. Source D suggests being forced to fight for their country

Nature Both are interviews with conscientious objectors with direct experience of treatment in camps but they could be selective in what they remembered.

Source B was interviewed many years after source E. Possibility of being more objective then E

Now write your answer to the question. For your conclusion you need to make a final judgement on the extent of support between the three sources. In other words you need to allocate a weight to each source.

No support Little support Some support Strong support

Where would you place the sources ?

Include this in your conclusion.

How far do sources C,D and E suggest that conscientious objectors were badly treated? Explain your answer usingeach of the sources.