World War One; A Limited & Total War

by brianadick (student)

Word Count: 850 World War One Paper 2 Briana Dick

21May12

Mod 1A

World War I was both a limited war and total war, but, most of the information given and used to back up this statement, indicates that World War I was majorly a total war dealing with three different aspects of our lives: the economy, social standards, and political issues. At the start of the war in Great Britain, the government takes charge of the War Policy, which is still considered limited war at this point (Packet). When war was declared in August of 1914, many men thought of war as something to honor their country by, so when the government asked for at least 100,000 men to volunteer being a soldier (Packet). So many men volunteered for those positions, there ended up being around 750,000 volunteer soldiers (Packet). At this time, the war was still limited due to lack of Government interference, but, once word got out about how bad the war conditions were, there was a lot less men who volunteered to serve (Packet). The government still needed men to help with the cause, so Great Britain took action. Since the government took control of a lot more than the War policy, that turned the war more total by drafting men from the ages 18-41, later also expanding their drafting pool to men from the ages 18-51 (Packet). This shows that as the war continues, even from the earlier stages, that the war was mostly total, and not so much limited.

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As the volunteers and draftees are a very vital part of the war, so are the resources of the people at home and abroad. Great Britain’s economy was slowly becoming more government owned. In 1914, the government took over the all the railroad industries in order to transport more materials for the war effort (Packet). This sufficed up until around December 1916, when the coal fields were taken over in Southern Whales (Packet). Almost two years later in April 1918, the government also took over the flour mills to increase food production for the soldiers and the residents of Great Britain (Packet). A good many of the factories, more specifically 218 factories, were government claimed and run by the end of the war (Packet). The factories hours were extended, some up to about 18 hours or more, making the accident rate go up tremendously considering there were about 1500 Civilian casualties due to munitions accidents (Packet). This also proves that the government gained power throughout the war, causing World War I to be mostly a total war, not a limited war.

The social standards were turned upside down due to the men being drafted into the war. Since they were not there to help the women maintain the traditional image of the man providing for his wife and kids, the women have to take his place and provide for their kids and themselves (Packet). Since the women have to take the men’s places in the munitions factories and cannot stay home with their children any more, people have to build day cares and nurseries for the children, which also provides more jobs (Packet). Many of the citizens fear that women are losing their femininity due to not dressing as they would have if they did not have to go to work in the munitions factories (Packet). Women did not do their make-up, wear dressy-dresses, or spend time doing their hair for it all to get dirty and messy in the factories. As women gain the rights to vote (if over the age of 30 in 1925), the civilian causality rate goes up due to the Zeppelins that the German’s used in order to bomb London, which killed 7 London civilians and caused 18,000 pounds of damage (Packet), which is $28,447.20 in US currency (Google).

As an effort to make all the communication to the enemies halt, the government intervenes with the personal lives of the civilians, controlling what the newspapers print, controlling what civilians say, and what they even think (Packet)! Since DORA was instated, the government limited pub hours, the freedom of press were limited, and the freedom/rights of the people were also restricted (Packet). DORA (The Defense of the Realm Consolidation Act) had

many laws restricting people from writing letters to their family and friends in invisible ink to not being allowed to spread rumors (Packet). All the laws passed in addition to DORA was to preserve the war image, but costed the civilians their individual rights, making this another example for World War I to be considered a total war.

Granted, World War I at the very beginning was a limited war due to the lack of government involvement in the economy, lack of laws being altered, changed or added, and the impact at home was at most pride to serve. But as the war effort continues to drag on, so many aspects of everyday life changes, and makes people change their lifestyles – and even traditions. Women go to work in the munitions factories, men are drafted in the war, and laws are passed that limit people’s rights by the government. Considering that the government involvement in World War I was extreme, World War I is considered a mostly total war, not limited.

Bibliography

Google. https://www.google.com/#hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=pounds+to+dollars&oq=pounds+to+&aq=1&aqi=g4&aql=&gs_l=hp.3.1.0l4.691.5498.0.6448.25.14.7.3.3.1.334.1858.6j6j1j1.14.0...0.0.T3RZhdfrpIY&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=7e9c96079ae75ebf&biw=128. 16 May 2012. 18 May 2012.

Smith, Gretchen. "Total War Packet." Total War. Hagerstown, 10 May 2012.