The third cause of WW1 is that of the arms race / militarism. By the end of the 19th, beginning 20th century, all of the Great Powers of Europe increased military spending drastically. By 1914, Germany had the greatest increase in military buildup. With this, Germany was able to challenge Great Britain’s naval supremacy. Additionally, there had been a great deal of technological advancements in weaponry, such as: new artillery, battleships, airplanes, submarines, etc. The utilization of these new weapons led to bloodier war.
In regard to mobilization plans (Act of War), all countries maintained the belief that this war would be offensive in nature and short in duration. However, the opposite occurred. With the introduction of trench warfare, there is a shift into a dirty, bloody battle. This introduction led to the slaughter of thousands of troops due to the fact that generals maintained the above-mentioned belief in regards to the war.
This can be seen in Germany’s Schlieffen Plan. It was Germany’s plan to knock-out France within six weeks which was the time that Russia would need to mobilize its troops and then move eastward.
The trigger of WW1 is the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian-Hungarian empire on the hands of a Serbian extremist group called the Black Hand. This led to Austria-Hungary declaring war against Serbia. Russia, thinking of itself as the protector of Orthodox Christianity, joined on the Serbian side. Also, with Germany lending its support to Austria-Hungary, France joins on the side of the Serbian–Russian side. Belgium declares its neutrality, which Germany ignores by invading. Great Britain joins this war as a result. This is a domino effect, which is a direct result of the alliance systems.
Due to the Industrial Revolution, you have companies capable of mass production. Governments believed that if they were able to take-over companies / restrict their production so as to focus on military advancement, they would be able to overwhelm the enemy. As a consequence, there was a restriction on human rights as well as on the freedom of industries. However, governments attempted to justify these actions by asserting that this war was unlike any other seen before, it was industrial-based and global in scale. This is one meaning behind the words ‘Total War’.
The other is the removal of able men from the work force so as to send them to the battlefronts. In addition, some countries employed: rationing, government run propaganda, etc.
Question #4 → outline the traditional perceptions and roles of women before WW1. How did the necessities of war change their roles in society? In the end, did women’s place in society really change after the soldiers returned home?
For a time that seems to span ‘forever’, women have been deemed the lesser important / weaker sex. When reflecting back on Medieval times, it is plain to see that when it came to women and their rights –or rather lack there of- not much has changed. Although the categorization of women as either saint (virgin) or sinner (whore) was not as present, little to no advancements in regards to their rights were seen.
The role of women remained one of domesticity; wife, mother, a nameless nobody tied to a man. However, there were a few examples of strong, historical, female characters such as Queen Elizabeth 1. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on your view, these women often ‘masculated’ themselves so as to escape the feebleness that is woman.
With the arrival of the Industrial Revolution, the lives of women began to change, women began to do ‘work’. This not only allowed women to leave the home but, also to join the working class, thus becoming an important part of the economy and their families became dependent on them to bring in monetary sources for survival.
Their employment was predominantly textiles, domestic services as well as coalmines. With independent wages, women experienced a better sense of living. The fact that women gained employment is a rejection of the notion that women were safer within the confines of the home.
Additionally, the Industrial Revolution saw a rise in education, leading to the establishment of salons such as Mary Wollstonecraft’s (1792 Vindication of the Right of Women). This is a preamble for women to come. During the 20th century, the situation of women was already better than in the past. Women received property rights, better education and more jobs aside from teaching or nursing.
It is at this time that women turn to socialism. They do such so as to find a more radical understanding of equality. At the end of it all, the party promised for emancipation of women in their reformed society. It is this promise that lead to the suffragette movement.
The suffragettes maintained the belief that if they acquired the right to vote, that other steps in the quest for political equality will follow and that they will be able to issue social change. It is with these demands for political rights that the suffragette movement turns militant, with the destruction of / attack on private property. A famous martyred suffragette is Emily Wilding Davison. Her martyring actions resulted in worldwide publicity. Emmeline Pankhurst equated this fight for political rights to a civil war.
Due to the fact that the women within the suffragette movement kept on getting arrested and did hunger strikes, in 1913, the Temporary Discharger of Ill Health Act was passed. In this, women who were deemed to be too sick by doctor’s, would be let out / released but would often, if not always return. This resulted in the humiliation of women through beating, forced feedings, etc. At the same time, there was a satirizing of women within society -propaganda.
When WW1 comes around and the male population is sent to fight, it is the women who are left to work the jobs left behind. Women worked in industries (due to necessity not due to the receiving of employment equality). However, when the men returned from their service, despite the acquired taste of equality, women were pushed back into the homes.
This can be seen with the Persons Case wherein British female subjects were permitted to vote provincially but were barred from joining the Senate. This is due to the fact that women were only considered ‘persons’ on regards to pains and penalties, not rights as well as privileges such as being part of the Senate. However, on October 18th 1929, the Supreme Court of Canada declared that under section 24 of the BNA, women were indeed ‘persons’.
It is important to note that although the road had been paved for political equality for women, it took a long time for equal voting rights to be established and is still a battle. A few examples of countries that would later extend the right to vote to women is: who in 1893, became the first nation to extend the right to vote to all adult women, France in 1944, Germany in 1918, etc.
Looking solely at WW1, it may not appear that there were long lasting advancements in women’s rights. However, when referring to the combination of the Industrial Revolution and WW1, it is plain to see that the era laid the groundwork permitting future generations to keep up the fight towards complete equality.
