Women and the war effort in Britain

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History Coursework: Women and the war effort in Britain, 1914-1918        Jatin Gumbhir

Source A is very useful for understanding the importance of women in Britain during the First World War. Source A portrays the significance of women during First World War in many various ways.

        Source A is a pictorial source of a monthly magazine entitled “The War-Worker”. This magazine was produced in June of 1917, as indicated in the top right of the magazine. This is a crucial time in England, as Britain was fighting in the First World War at the time, and the war was drawing to an end. At this time, there would have been many men conscripted into the army, due to conscription laws passed in parliament for the very first time, in January 1916. This brought 2.3 million conscripts enlisted before the end of the war in November, 1918. Due to that reason, there would have been many vacant positions in the industry, and so many women undertook roles in the industry, providing support in the form of equipment for the male soldiers fighting at the war front.

        The fact that Source A has the price of “one penny” makes it apparent that the intended audience of the monthly magazine is for everybody to read, because it is affordable for all classes. One possible reason for this choice is so that it can be used as propaganda, to promote a special cause; in this instance it would be to promote the hard work of the British population in supporting the war effort, on the front line, and back at home.

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        Source A compares several aspects of women and men in various ways. The source can be said to have two parts to it, a foreground and a background.

        One aspect in the foreground of Source A is a woman is stood to the left and a male soldier is stood to the right. The woman on the left is a munitionette worker dressed in masculine clothing, such as trousers and boots, this type of clothing that the woman is wearing could be described as militaristic. The woman in this source represents all the women at home that are supporting ...

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