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The Impact of World War One

RecruitmentAt the start of the war the army was the BEF (Brish expedionary force) a small professional army

It needed to recruit volunteers as the German army was much larger This led to a recruitment campaign:

1) Pals baalions for example Glasgow Corporaon Tramways, The Accrington Pals men could join up with thei r pals and ght alongside them.

2) Kitchener poster was the most famous poster it emphasised duty. Other posters focussed on patriosm and others hang the GermansHalf a million men recruited in rst 6 weeks. Many desperate to join as they thought it would be over by Christmas.These campaigns were so successful that by the end of 1915 2.5 million men had joined the army.

PropagandaIt was important to make sure people supported war eort Propaganda focussed on hang the Germans (stories about invasion of Belgium) and a sense of duty (Kitchener poser and

John Bull).

Department of informaon set up later in the war to provide material to shape opinion at home and abroad. Supervised

material for cinemas. Gathered polical intelligence from abroad and censored and controlled war news released in newspa-

pers. March 1918 became Ministry of informaon

ConscriponMany of the soldiers who joined up at the start of the war were soon killed or wounded. By spring 1915 clear that number of men volunteering was not enough. Naonal Registraon Act 1915rst step to conscripon, all men and women between 15 and 65 were registered. Therefore the government knew who they

could call up if conscripon introduced.Derby schemeOctober 1915invited men to promise to join up if they were asked to do so less than half those of military age were prepared to do so. Military service Acts 1916 Two acts brought in conscripon for all men of military age 18 41, the rst was for unmarried men the second was for all men of military age.

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Women at warSuragees and Suragists abandoned campaign for vote to support war eort. Pressure put on men to join up by the Acve Service League, The Moth-

ers Union and the Order of the White Feather.Increased role aer conscripon was introduced in 1916. Worked in Munions factories, buses and railways, surface work at coal mines, gasworks, engi-

neering ,agriculture and near the balefront and at home as nurses and had greater independence.An extra 2.5 million acres of land ploughed to keep Britain fed. This work was done by the Womens Land Army by 1918 16,000 had joined.

DoraIncrease government intervenon this was very dierent from the atude of laissez faire which the government had followed at the start of the century. Total war.All news had to be approved by the government press oceCensor of newspapers so it could control how the war was reported in newspapers, the government wanted people to be lieve it was going well.Introduced raoning (see feeding the naon) The government had power to take any property it needed for the war eort (e.g. factories, land) in 1917 the government ordered an extra 2.5 million

acres of land to be ploughed for growing food and power to force workers to stay in jobs which were important1916 munions crisis.Dora stopped people from talking about military maers in public places, buying binoculars, trespassing on railways and bridges, ringing church bells.Feeding the NaonShortages of food were caused by German u boats aacking convoys bringing food to Britain,

By 1917 food was increasingly in short supply so the government introduced a

scheme ofvoluntary rationing. The Royal family announced it would cut its food

consumption by a quarter as an example to others. This did not work. Rationing

introduced for sugar by the end of 1917. During

1918 rationing extended to other goods meat, tea

and butter. Recipe books with recipes which used less

flour.

During the war rising wages for many led to them actu-

ally having an improved diet.

BombingCivilian casuales: in 1914 towns like Scar-

borough and Hartlepool were shelled. 119

killed.Later in the war Germans sent Zeppelins(airships) to bomb towns in the south east.