The impact of War on the home front was in my opinion the biggest change in the lives of people in England and Wales. For the first time the war was not just about the armed forces anymore it was a total war and the whole country was affected . It not only improved the lives of the industrial working class ,it set the precedent of a greater Government intervention in the lives of the seriously poor . The war changed the governments perception of sectors of the public that were previously not paid much attention i.e. the industrial working class. The working class which formed the majority of the population in England and Wales benefited hugely from the war as working and living conditions were improved to increase productivity . Wages double ,working weeks were shorted by 7 hours and food rationing meant the previously under privileged of the population could now afford meat for the first time . The war also had secondary impacts on the working class as the Government sought to reward them for their work . Lloyd George began the idea of “ Homes for Heroes” which saw the Housing act of 1919 introduced and with it 213 000 council houses were
built around the country . A secondary impact of the War was the introduction of the Education act in 1918 by H.Fisher who believed the Working Class deserved a better education as a result of their contributions to the war .The success of the men at war depended on civilians back home to do their part for their country .This meant movements like the Suffragettes had to be put on the backburner as everyone supported their government towards a single goal .With the war effort requiring more conscripts ,men left their jobs and it was up to the women to fill the massive whole in industries around Britain and its for this reason I came to the conclusion that the war was the most important as I believe it led directly to the changing role of Women .
As a result of men leaving for war ,women began to play a greater role back on the home front , mainly in the munitions industry . In can be argued that the most important change in Women’s lives was the First World War as they gained the most during this period . Previously women were limited to performing the traditional roles of mother and housekeeper and the more professional women were secretaries and other similar jobs . Women were never in any position of power and weren’t even allowed to vote from 1880 till 1918 . When the war started the working men in Britain left and the hole in industry they left behind had to be filled somehow and that began the changing role of women . Women in work rose from 4.93 million in 1913 to 6million in 1918 . And they weren’t just limited to factories jobs but also to Transport ,some joined the armed forces as nurses and clerics . The Munitions act of 1915 was introduced and women began working in the 20 000 munitions factories in Britain . The end of the war saw men changing their perception of women , especially politicians who began considering enfranchising women . They had previously been reluctant too as a result of the sometimes aggressive campaigning of the Suffragettes movement which involved at one point bombing the Chancellor of the Exchequer David Lloyd George’s house . He became Prime Minister in 1918 and his coalition government was the first to give women the vote though the criteria required “although it was only women over 30 who occupied premises of a yearly value of not less than £5" that were given the vote” . This criteria excluded the young women who were involved in the munitions industry and eventually 3 yrs later all women above the age of 21 where given the vote .
While the war brought much need change and improvement for women and the working class in General it also signalled the end of the Golden Years of British Trade. The four great staple industries (textiles, coal, iron and steel, and shipbuilding) had dominated Britain’s exports before 1914 and during the short-lived boom after 1918. Limited investment was made to help their revival. Moreover, staple exports were no longer in such great demand following abandonment of most exports during the War and establishment of severe competition in the pre-war markets. Furthermore the return to the Gold Standard under Winston Churchill meant British exports were higher than their competitors and predictably they collapsed .Coal exports and coal miners in particular were heavily affected as the Ruhr in Germany was mass producing cheaper coal further damaging Britains Coal Trade . Prices began raising while wages were stagnant and this caused several hundred strikes from 1919 to 1920 . The Russian Revolution had publicised government control and nationalisation of mines and the Government feared the strikes could turn even worse . This decline heavily impacted the industrial workforce especially miners who had now threatened to go on strike 6 hour days and 30% increases in wages .Lloyd George compromised and gave them 7 hours a day and continued government control of the mines . By 1921 over 2 million people were unemployed and in a bid to prevent a revolution David Lloyd George introduced the Unemployment Insurance Act which covered those who earned less than two hundred and fifty pounds . However the government could not cope with the rise in unemployment and the rising expenditure yet they could not abandon the system at such a crucial time .The problems in the coal industry were never sorted out and the government handed back the coal mines to private owners who promptly dropped wages as exports had also dropped. This set the ball in motion for the General Strike as the miners threatened a National strike together with the railway men and the transport workers creating the Triple Alliance .Fortunately for the government the strike was averted but a bigger strike was inevitable .
The unrest continued till it led to the General Strike of May 1926. This had come about after coal owners proposed to cut miners wages again ,The miners The Conservative government under Stanley Baldwin decided to intervene, declaring that they would provide a nine-month subsidy to maintain the miners' wages and that a Royal Commission under the chairmanship of Sir Herbert Samuel would look into the problems of the mining industry. This decision became known as "Red Friday" because it was seen as a victory for working-class solidarity and Socialism. In practice, the subsidy gave the mine owners and the government time to prepare for a major labour dispute. On the 30th of April the Mine owners announced a pay cut and in the miners threated a strike the next day .On the 3rd of May 1929 the TUC called a General Strike which involved railwaymen, transport workers, printers, Dockers and ironworkers and steelworkers. This strike was pivotal in the lives of the public as it was the first of its kind and the Governments response would determine whether any similar strikes were possible in the future . Over 1 ½ Million workers went on strike for 9 days but the government which had prepared for this by bringing in 200 000 special constables and the army were called to keep power stations open ,help the police and escort food supplies from the docks .The Government would not budge and in the end on the 12th the TUC called of the unsuccessful strike although the miners refused until November where they returned to lower wages and longer hours .TUC membership fell as a result and the Trade Disputes Act was passed banning future General Strikes .The General strike was unsuccessful and naturally it was not as important as other events during this period as it brought about no real changes than those that were already planned leading up to it .
In conclusion the Liberal Reforms were to some extent pivotal in the lives of People in England and Wales during the time 1880-1929 as they brought about a lot of changes in Government policy as did the Decline of Staple industries ,the General Strike and the Changing role of women which all played a part .However as declared by Leon Trosky “ War is the locomotive of History” and indeed it was as the First World War bought about the biggest and most influential changes in the lives of people living during this period and it was therefore the most important change in the lives of people in England and Wales in the period 1880-1929 .
