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.mrallsophistory.com/

Recruitment Women’s organisations tried to boost recruitment White feathers were given to men as a sign of their “cowardice” The Mother’s Union urged its members to get their sons to join up

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?

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?

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?

Recruitment

Conscription Voluntary recruitment was decreasing, but the demand for troops was increasing Voluntary recruitment didn’t 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

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

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

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

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

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

DORA Beer was diluted The government allowed publicans to make beer weaker This ensured the workforce didn’t drink so much as to make them drunk or hung-over while at work

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

Propaganda and Censorship The film, Britain’s Effort, was created in 1917 What was its purpose? Watch the clip (will take a couple of minutes to download)

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

The Brown Family’s 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