In what ways did World War I affect the lives of civilians in Britain and Germany? Refer to the war effort in Britain and Germany, the concept of Total War and the impact of censorship and propaganda?

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In what ways did World War I affect the lives of civilians in Britain and Germany? Refer to the war effort in Britain and Germany, the concept of Total War and the impact of censorship and propaganda?

As both Britain and Germany were forced to direct all efforts of the nation’s people and resources into the war, the war was no longer fought only on the battlefield – a new front was created. The home front. The lives of civilians were greatly affected as their countries economies and supplies suffered and the government extended their powers to control almost every aspect of their lives. As they experienced food shortages, a failing economy and deteriorating living and working conditions, the government also enforced harsh restrictions on their lives as well as introducing censorship and propaganda.

Britain’s war time slogan ‘Business as usual’ rested on the belief that the war would be a decisive victory that would be over by the end of 1914. Leaders, however, did not anticipate the turn of the war – and were ultimately fairly unprepared. Compared with that of Germany, the British industrial system in 1914 was out of date and inefficient; therefore, an enormous effort was required to prepare for effective war production. Britain’s expected victory was a victory designed for a war of movement, and by 1915 they had realized that without the large supplies of artillery and ammunition needed for trench warfare, effective offensive battles would not be possible.

As Britain geared up for Total War – channeling all activities of civilians and industry into the war effort, a growing demand for munitions, men, and machinery forced the government to intervene more and more in the management of the economy. Historian Arthur Marwick sums up the changes in this way – ‘Old economic theories were abandoned, indelible outlines for future social reform drawn, yet (during 1917 and 1918) working- class discontent and industrial unrest reached a peak.’

The Defence of Realm Act (DORA) gave the government almost unlimited powers to introduce any regulations it considered necessary for the war effort. The new laws imposed forced British citizens to live under strict controls – suspending civil rights for the duration of the war.  Privately- owned railway companies and dockyards came under military control, police could arrest without a warrant, and workers could be directed to specific jobs.

By 1917, the British citizens were aware of the huge increase in the number of rules and regulations that controlled their lives. Under the Defence of Realm Act, civilians were not permitted on railway property without authorization, to buy binoculars without official permission, to fly kites that could be used for signaling, to send letters abroad written in invisible ink or give bread to animals.

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The Ministry of Munitions was established in June of 1915 with the aim of organize British industry so that factories and workers could be ‘coordinated into a gigantic arsenal for the paramount task of producing the guns and shells sufficient to meet the voracious and ever- growing demands of the battlefront’.

The first Munitions Act to be passed was the unpopular Leaving Certificate. Men or women in munitions factories were unable to leave their jobs unless first they obtained a Leaving Certificate. Without this they could not get work for six weeks.

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