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Impact of Ww1 on Britain

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IMPACT OF WW1 ON BRITAIN The effect that World War I had upon civilians was devastating. WWI was a war that affected civilians on an unprecedented scale. Civilians became a military target. The economic impact of WWI meant that there were shortages of all produce, most importantly food. Consequently, rationing of bread, tea, sugar and meat was introduced in 1918. This was widely welcomed by the British public, as a voluntary rationing system had been introduced a year before, and people were eager to see their neighbours taking part as they were. Living standards plummeted, and the post-war economic state of Europe was at mid 19th century levels. During the war, 8 to 10 million soldiers were killed in battle, and 22 million were …show more content…

* the government introduced British Summer Time to give more daylight for extra work * opening hours in pubs were cut * beer was watered down * customers in pubs were not allowed to buy a round of drinks DORA also allowed the internment of hostile forces (basically anyone suspected of being a spy) without trial as a method of protecting the country from hostile infiltration. Railways In August 1914, one of the initial acts of the government was to seize control of the railways to allow for troop movements. However the government did not take full control, they allowed the railway managers to continue running the railways however dictated routes for their troops, in return for which the railways managers wages were guaranteed to an extent. Conscription: In 5th August 1914 fresh recruiting attempts begun when the army was allowed a further 500,000 troops. This number was attained through the use of propaganda such as the infamous Kitchener posters. Actual

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