British Social History

British Social History
Can you name these key people?
Answers at the back!
British Social History
What do I need to know? The exam board expects you to know the answers to these questions:
The Liberal Reforms
How were the social reformers
reacting to the social problems
of the 1890s?
Why did the Liberal
Government introduce reforms
to help the young, old and
unemployed?
Women’s Suffrage
What were the arguments for
and against female suffrage?
How effective were the
activities of the suffragists and
the suffragettes?
Why were some women given
the vote in 1918?
How effective were these
reforms?
World War I
How were civilians affected by
the war?
How effective was
government propaganda
during the war?
How did women contribute to
the war effort?
What was the attitude of the
British people at the end of
the war towards Germany and
Remember, whilst this is a
source paper, you will still
need to know quite a bit of
detail as every question will
rely on your own contextual
knowledge to get full marks!
Make sure you know the
answers to these key
The Liberal Reforms
Why did people start to care about the poor?
What was the problem?
The popular view in Britain was that if you were poor, it was probably your own fault. Poor
people had a reputation for being lazy and wasting money on non-essentials like alcohol and
tobacco. This meant that richer people were reluctant to get involved in helping them out. The
Poor Law provided an escape route to those unable to help themselves by offering them
accommodation and work in workhouses. It was hoped, however, that because the conditions
in the workhouses were so terrible and accepting the offer of charity was so shameful, only
the most desperate would actually go. A lot of wealthy people were against the government
offering direct help to the poor as they viewed the government only as a ruling organisation -
Raising Awareness...
Charles Booth
Seebohm Rowntree
John Galt (who??)
Thought that the problem of
poverty
was
being
exaggerated and so decided
to find out for himself. He
collected information in
London where he lived and
was shocked to find out that
actually studies into poverty
had been underestimating
its scale. As he started his
studies looking to show that
the numbers weren’t
actually that bad, a lot of
people took his work very
seriously. He published 17
volumes of his study which
showed that around 30% of
Londoners lived below what
he called the poverty line
which means they cannot
afford clothing, food and
accommodation. His studies
also showed that laziness or
criminality only accounted
for 1% of London - so 29%
of the poor were honest
poor people! Crucially, his
report concluded that
poverty was the result of low
wages, seasonal work
(contracts that only last for a
certain amount of time, e.g.
shipbuilding),
trade
depressions (when demand
for goods drop off), old age
Was a committed social
reformer (someone who
looks to change the system
to help out the poor). Like
Booth, Rowntree was
wealthy and, because of
this, his studies were taken
seriously as he would have
nothing to gain from arguing
that more help should be
given to the poor. He wrote
Poverty: A study of Town
Life which was based on
research of the poor in his
home town of York. His
findings were shocking as
York was not a big industrial
area like London with big
slums - instead it was a
respectable, average town.
Rowntree concluded that:
- 27% of the population lived
below the poverty line
- The causes of poverty
were unemployment (5%),
death of the wage earner
(10%), illness or old age of
wage earner (5%), low
wages (22%), large family
(52%) and other reasons
(6%)
This showed that poor
people generally weren’t to
blame for their poverty.
Indeed, trade cycles
Not as famous as Booth and
Rowntree but he also
played an important role in
raising awareness of the
problem of poverty. A
deeply religious man and a
keen amateur photographer,
he worked in East London
and helped the poor as best
he could. He used his
photos to show middle-class
people the lives of the
working-class. He used his
images to show that the
majority of the poor lived
incredible hard lives and
that they were not subhuman creatures (as some
critics described them). He
also used his images to
show that, far from being
lazy, the poor worked
incredibly hard at poorly
The Liberal Reforms
How were the social reformers reacting to the social problems of the
Children
The elderly
The Liberal Party came to power in 1906 and
started making changes immediately. The
Free School Meals Act (1906) allowed local
authorities to provide these to the poorest
children so they’d get at least one good meal
a day. By 1914, 150,000 free meals were
being served a day, 14 million in total!
However, only half of the local authorities
agreed to do this - the act didn’t force them.
Free school medical inspections (1907)
was forced upon the local authorities although
treatment was not free until 1912. The
Children and Young Persons Act (1908)
also known as the Children’s Charter, was
designed to protect children and give them
special status as protected people. In the past,
insurance companies gave out money to
parents if a child died, whether their death was
suspicious or not. This had to be addressed.
Children were now protected from neglect,
could not buy tobacco or fireworks, were tried
in children’s courts and sent to young
offenders institutes as called Borstals rather
than adult prisons. It also set the amount of
hours children were allowed to work.
In 1908, David Lloyd George was the
chancellor of the exchequer (the man in
charge of the government’s money). He
i n t ro d u c e d
the
g o v e rn m e n t -f u n d e d
(government pays for it) Old Ages Pensions
Act (1908). A person over the age of 70 with
no other income would receive 5 shillings per
week. Married couples would receive 7s 6d.
Anyone who had an income of over £31 a
year would not qualify for the state
(government) pension. Pensions were not new
- you could pay a sum of money into a private
pension scheme when you worked - but poor
people couldn’t afford to do this. Richer people
did. Whilst the money provided wasn’t great,
its effect on the elderly was enormous. The
state pension made them independent for the
rest of their lives - they wouldn’t have to rely
on their children necessarily. In the first year
some 650,000 people collected pensions. This
was a big turning point in British history for as
it was non-contributory, meaning you didn’t
have to pay into the scheme, meaning it was
the government giving out free money for the
first time to individuals. This was controversial.
The Workers and Unemployed
Reactions to the reforms
The government firstly passed the Labour
Exchanges Act (1909), which tried to make it
easier for people to get jobs by putting them
all into one place. This should make jobhunting more efficient. By 1914, there were
400 exchanges filling a million jobs a year!
The National Insurance Act (1911), looked to
help workers already in jobs by providing sick
pay. All workers earning less than £160 a year
had to sign up and pay 4d a week to the
scheme. The employer added 3d and the
government 2d. In return, the worker received
up to 26 weeks of sick pay a year at 10s a
week. They also received free medical care.
The National Insurance Act Part 2 (1912)
went a step further to help out people in
seasonal (irregular jobs) such as building,
shipbuilding and engineering where
occasional unemployment was common.
Workers had to pay 2.5d, the employer 2.5d
and the government 1.75d into the scheme.
During times of unemployment the worker
would receive 7s a week for up to 15 weeks.
This was only just enough to keep a family
going, which meant the worker would have to
These reforms were incredibly controversial.
The Conservatives were dead against them,
arguing that they were too costly and they
created a ‘nanny state’ in which the
government looks after its people like a nanny!
Some workers resented having to pay money
out of their hard earnings into schemes that
they didn’t feel they needed, particularly the
National Insurance for sick pay. The Labour
Party agreed with the workers and said that it
should be taxes on the rich which pays for the
National Insurance Acts, not from
contributions from the poor. The wealthy were
also against the reforms. Lloyd George’s 1908
Budget, often nicknamed the “People’s
Budget”, demanded that money for the
Pensions Act came from the wealthy which
the rich were dead against. They argued that
pensions would make poor people lazy and
discourage them for saving for their futures
like richer people did. Lloyd George argued
that the rich mostly inherited their wealth and
didn’t actually earn it, therefore they should
help pay for the reforms!
The Liberal Reforms
Why did the Liberal Government introduce reforms to help the young,
old and unemployed?
National Efficiency
The Boer War (1899-1902)
Britain was one of the most powerful
countries in the world but others were
catching up. The United States and
Germany were becoming industrialised
countries and it was quickly becoming
obvious that if Britain was to be able to
compete, it needed to be efficient. To do
this, it would need to ensure that its
workforce were fit and healthy to allow for
more products to be made in the
factories which could be sold for a profit.
A poor and unhealthy workforce was
When war broke out, half of the recruits
were not fit to fight due to their poor
diet, which was directly linked to their
poor living conditions. In some poor
areas, this number increased to 69%!
The army had to reduce the minimum
height entry! This came as a great shock
to politicians who worried that if a great
war was to break out in Europe, Britain's
chances of success would be badly
affected by unhealthy recruits. Something
would have to be done to ensure basic
Political rivalry
New Liberalism
By 1900, half of those who could vote in
England were working-class men. The
Liberals main rivals, the Conservatives
had passed their own reforms during
their last government. The Labour Party
(est 1900) represented the poorest
people in society. This worried the
Liberals that people who usually voted for
them, would turn to Labour instead. To
counter this threat, the Liberals realised
that they would have to introduce
social reforms or risk losing political
Before the 1900s, the Liberal Party
believed in the 'old liberalism' which
limited the amount of interference a
government should make into peoples
lives. By 1906, however, a 'new
liberalism' had emerged which was
supported by influential politicians such
as David Lloyd George, Winston
Churchill and Herbert Asquith. They
argued that the government should
interfere in people's lives to help out
those in desperate need. Lloyd George
The German idea
Local reforms
The leader of Germany, Otto von
Bismarck had been making several
important reforms in Germany which
greatly inspired Lloyd George and
Winston Churchill. Among them was an
early form of sickness insurance which
meant that workers would receive money
if they suddenly became ill. Germany's
economic and military strength was
greatly increasing so other European
countries needed to adapt to keep up.
Bismarck was widely respected in
Reforms had been occurring at local
levels during the late 1800s which were
helping people in particular cities. For
example, the Liberal councillor, Joseph
Chamberlain had transformed the public
health of people in Birmingham with a
series of impressive reforms. For
example, he bought local water
companies to oversee better cleansing of
the water supply which was damaging
health. This helped inspire similar
schemes at a national level (affecting
The Liberal Reforms
How effective were the reforms?
Reform
For
Against
Free school meals By 1914, 150,000 children getting a Only half of the local authorities
good meal a day, 1 million a year!
agreed to the scheme - weren’t
forced to provide this for children.
Pensions
Kept many people out of the
workhouse.
Only available for 500,000 elderly
(British total population = 45m). Had
to be over 70 (many of the very
poor didn’t make 70), and worked
as much as they could during their
life.
Labour
Exchanges
By 1914, 400 exchanges filling 1m
jobs a year
Most of these were temporary or
part-time, the government did not
actually increase the number of
jobs available.
National
Insurance
A vital safety net to help workers
during the hard times. Part 1
(sickness) covered 10m men and
4m women. Part 2 (unemployment)
covered 2.25m workers.
Part 1 (sickness) was restricted to
people who earned less than £160
a year and only covered the wageearner (family could not receive free
medical care). Part 2
(unemployment) only covered
seasonal employment - e.g.
building, shipbuilding and
engineering
Free
Literally
a life-saver
...nowMedical
we want to go
on living
Treatment
forever, because we give them
[his son’s family] our pension
and it pays them to have us
along with them. I never thought
we should be able to pay the
boy back for all his goodness to
An old man talks about his pension, 1912
A letter to The Times
about the Old Age
Pensions Bill (1908)
How can any sensible man
regard the situation [the
introduction of pensions] without
dismay? The strength of this
kingdom has been its wealth
and the independent nature of
its people. The bill which is
being pushed through the
House of Commons [the
Pensions Act] will destroy both
t he se st re n gth s. I t will
encourage people not to rely on
Only for wage-earner, not for their
Most historians agree that the
family.
Liberal Reforms were extremely
significant. They marked a
change from past attitudes. Here
is how historian professor Eric
Hopkins described them in
1979.
“an impressive body of social
legislation, the greatest ever
passed by any one government
up to that time… A radical new
plan of campaign had been
developed to meet the most
Women’s Suffrage
What were the arguments for and against women getting the vote?
In the 1800s women were very much considered second-class citizens. However, most men
and women probably thought that it was perfectly reasonable that women earned less than
men, had fewer legal rights, and lost even more of these rights when they married. However,
some people did challenge this view and campaigned passionately to provide women with
more rights and ultimately try and secure them the ultimate prize - suffrage (the right to vote).
Parliament’s decisions affect men and women, so
women should have the
Some wealthy women pay
taxes just like men. That
money pays for laws.
Many uneducated men
can vote but educated
women cannot vote - fair?
Women were becoming
more and more involved
in politics, with tax
payers being able to
vote in local elections,
and some women were
involved in campaigning
for better conditions in
workhouses, and Annie
Besant led a strike over
pay and conditions for
match-makers.
Giving respectful women
the vote will also
encourage them to
develop their careers and
neglect their children.
Only the undesirable
classes will have
Giving the vote to women
will mean giving the vote
to all men - including
layabouts and the riffraff!
Women can vote in local
elections, can serve on
local government bodies.
They have proved they
can be trusted with a vote.
By 1914, women can
vote in parts of the USA
and Australia, in New
Zealand and even in the
Isle of Man. If Britain is a
proper democracy,
women should have a
Why worry about the
vote? There are far more
pressing concerns such
as Ireland, the trade
unions (there were strikes
in 1910-12), and the
Women do not fight in
wars for their country. So
they should not have a
say in whether the country
should go to war or not.
Women are not rational.
They are too emotional to
be trusted with the vote.
Many women did not want the vote. The
Anti-Suffrage League was created in
1908. A postcard poll, of 200 postcards
sent out, only 40 were returned by ladies
Men and women
have different
interests and
responsibilities.
Women are homemakers and mothers.
It is the role of men to
It is mainly middleclass women who
are campaigning for
the vote. They will
have little interest in
laws to help the
working class
people.
Women’s Suffrage
How effective were the activities of the suffragists and the suffragettes?
Nickname
Proper Name
Created by
Tactics
Other information
Suffragists
Suffragettes
National Union of Women Suffrage
Societies (NUWSS)
Women’s Social and Political Union
(WPSU)
Millicent Fawcett (1897)
Emmeline Pankhurst (1903)
Peaceful - NUWSS almost spells
WUSS
Violent and Peaceful - WSPU almost
spells WASP which stings!
Emmeline Pankhurst was in the suffragists but grew frustrated at the lack of
progress. Created the WSPU as an alternative, more radical group.
NUWSS and WSPU work together until 1908 when they split as
NUWSS feel the WSPU activities (e.g. being arrested) is making the
government hostile to Women’s Suffrage
Propaganda
Meetings and demonstrations
Both WPSU and NUWSS were good at
this. The WSPU published newspaper
called Votes for Women which gave
them greater publicity. By 1914, had a
circulation of 40,000. Also had a range of
merchandise with their colours - purple,
white and green - including dolls, clothing
Both WSPU and NUWSS held many
public meetings. Demonstrations could get
quite large with 20,000 people or over.
The NUWSS Women’s Pilgrimage in
1913 was very successful with
thousands of women taking part and
positive coverage from the newspapers as
Putting pressure on Parliament
Civil Disobedience
Most efforts had to be aimed at MPs as
they had the power to vote on the issue.
NUWSS were keen petitioners - a petition
in 1910 supporting the Conciliation Bill
which offers women the right to vote.
Women met with MPs to try and sway
them to support their cause - women
One argument was that, as you could only
vote if you paid taxes, those who couldn’t
vote shouldn’t have to pay taxes, so many
women refused to pay. Some also
boycotted (refused to take part in) the
1911 census, saying that if they couldn’t
vote they wouldn’t be part of the official
Attacking Property
Attacking people
The WSPU started window-smashing
started in response in 1908 when a
proposed bill to allow women the vote ran
out of time in parliament. Arson began in
1913 when Emily Davison planted a bomb
at Lloyd George’s house (odd as he
supported women’s right to vote). Also
WPSU sometimes targeted people for
attack - a doctor who did not criticise
force-feeding of female prisoners was
whipped. Women spat at policemen and in
1912, Mary Leigh (a suffragette) threw
an axe at the carriage with Prime
Minister Asquith in, which only narrowly
Hunger strikes
When arrested, the suffragettes expected to be treated as political prisoners not regular
criminals. The advantage of this is that you get extra privileges. However, the government
refused so women went on hunger-strike, which brought them sympathy from the public.
Accounts of force-feeding were published in Votes for Women which caused outrage and led to
Women’s Suffrage
How effective were the activities of the suffragists and the suffragettes?
Were we successful?
Some historians (e.g. Harold Smith and Sandra Holton)
argue that the suffragists were more effective than the
suffragettes. By 1914, NUWSS had 500 branches and
around 100,000 members. It was far larger than the
WSPU. They used posters, leaflets and marches - some of
which were filmed. Film shows were very popular and
would have increased interest in their cause. In many
respects, they got a lot of respect because, whilst people
heard about the issue due to the WSPU, the NUWSS
became popular as they were not using violence! The
suffragists were also good at rallying members of the
political parties to support them. Worryingly for Asquith, this
included Labour candidates who were competing with
Liberals. That said, a lot of suffragists felt that they could
Were we successful?
Undoubtedly brilliant propagandists - achieved maximum
publicity for their cause. The suffragette magazine Votes
for Women had a circulation of (sold) 40,000 copies.
Also managed to get their message on the packaging of a
brand of bread! In 1908, they sailed a boat down the
Thames with their flags and posters on display past
Parliament. Their violent campaigns made it impossible to
ignore the issue. When they were roughly treated by the
police, male opponents, and prison guards, they gained
sympathy. However, despite this sympathy as individuals, it
did not gain great support for their cause. Their increasing
use of violence from 1911 onwards turned people against
them. They weren’t massively popular - at their peak they
only had 2,000 members. As it was mainly middle-class,
by 1914 they were mainly campaigning for votes for women
with property rather than all women! The government now
couldn’t be seen to be giving in to terrorism (if they did, it
would encourage other groups to use violence to get their
way). From 1911 onwards, more and more MPs
Suffragists
Suffragists
Shhh ladies, my turn! Most would agree that the suffragettes did a
great deal of work getting the issue in the newspapers and keeping
people, including the politicians, talking about it! However, some
would argue that, had the suffragettes not used violence, women
may have gotten the vote eventually through peaceful methods.
Either way, some historians argue that, actually, it was the
women’s contribution in World War I that actually scored them the
World War I
How were civilians affected by the war?
Volunteering
Conscription
Britain only had a small
army of 250,000 and Lord
Kitchener, the Secretary of
State for War told the
government he needed 1m.
Enthusiasm for war was high
due to patriotic speeches by
MPs, posters and the sense
of adventure. 500,000
volunteered in the first
month and by March 1916,
2.5m men had volunteered.
Pals Battalions were set up
when enthusiasm dropped
where friends could sign up
together and would be
allowed to fight alongside
each other rather than be
split up. Orchestras, football
In 1915, as the death toll
and injury rates increased,
getting volunteers to get
involved proved more
difficult. The Derby Scheme
was trialled in which men
were asked to promise that
they would fight if the
government asked them to.
Less than half the men of
military age were willing to
make the promise. This
showed that voluntary
service was no longer an
option. In Jan 1916, the
Conscription
Act
was
passed in which single men
aged 18-41 would have to
fight if called upon. In April,
World War I was a
total war meaning
that all parts of
society were affected
by the war someway
Conscientious objectors
Attacks on Britain
Some men argued that for
religious or humanitarian
reasons, they could not kill
another man. They had to
convince a tribunal that
there beliefs were honest
ones. If they succeeded,
that could be sent to do
non-violent work such as
driving ambulances on
the frontline, or working
in the mines at home. If
they refused to have
anything to do with the war,
they would be imprisoned
or sent to a labour camp. If
they went to war but
refused to follow orders,
they could face a court
martial (military arrest) and
This
was
the
first
international war that saw
attacks on the British
mainland. In December
1914, German battleships
sh e lle d S c a rb o ro u gh ,
Whitby, and Hartlepool,
killing 119 men, women and
children. In January 1915,
huge German airships
called Zepplins began
bombing raids on Britain.
Starting in Great Yarmouth
and Kings Lynn (East
Anglia), in total the Zepplins
made 57 raids of British
towns killing 564 people. In
May 1917, German Gotha
bombers (planes) raided
Folkestone killing 95
people. In total, 27 bomber
raids on Britain resulted in
Rationing
DORA had introduced the
‘Land Army’ to try and grow
more food in Britain as
much of this came from
abroad. By April 1917,
German
ships
were
sinking 1 in 4 merchant
ships (carrying supplies
into Britain). Wages barely
increased during the war
but the price of food shot up
as there were shortages. In
South Wales, there were
serious strikes due to
poverty-like conditions. The
government agreed to
increase wages and started
voluntary rationing in 1917,
backed by the royal family.
By 1918, compulsory
rationing of sugar, butter,
What did the Defence of the Realm Act (DORA) do?
On the 4th August 1914 Britain declared war on Germany. On the 8th August, parliament agreed to
the Defence of the Realm Act giving the government more power to interfere in people’s lives.
Controlling censorship
At the start of the war, the government was
very strict on what it would let newspapers
report. For example, no newspaper was allowed
to report the sinking of HMS Audacious.
Audacious The
government decided that it would allow
specially-selected war reporters, (called
accredited correspondents)
correspondents such as Philip Gibbs
and Herbert Russell,
Russell on the frontline who
would write reports for the newspapers home.
There reports had to be checked before they
could be published to make sure they weren’t
going to turn people against the war. Anti-war
newspapers such as the pacifist Tribunal were
closed down.
Controlling industry
The government was allowed to take over
companies that in DORA. Firstly, the
government took control of mining to make
sure coal could go directly to the factories.
Miners were protected from conscription to
ensure they could carry on their vital role. The
government took control of the railways as
they were vital to ensure troops could be
moved from training camps to barracks and to
ports when they shipped out to France.
Shipping was also taken over by the
government to make sure that replacement
merchant (trade) boats were being replaced - in
Spring 1917, Germans sank 3.7m tons of ships.
Controlling munitions
In April 1915, the Daily Mail published the
munitions crisis story. Recruits had to practise
with sticks as there were not enough rifles to go
around, artillery could not fire enough shells,
and some reports suggested that soldiers were
restricted in the amount of shots they could
fire a day. Lloyd George became minister of
munitions and the government took over
factories and forced munitions workers to stay
in their jobs rather than look for better paid
ones. This led to strikes and the government
had to increase wages. Lloyd George also
organised women into the factories but had to
promise soldiers would get their jobs back.
Controlling food
Government needed to deal with food supplies
as Britain imported 80% of its wheat.
wheat German
boats would stop this! DORA allowed the
government to take over land and turn it into
fields for farming. However, by 1917, German
U-boats were sinking 1 in 4 merchant (trade)
ships with supplies. By April 1917, Britain down
to just 9 weeks supply of wheat. In response the
government created the Women’s Land Army
to help grow more food. Shortages led to
higher prices and workers went on strike as they
could not afford these. The government
cheapened the price of bread but by 1918 had to
introduce rationing to deal with shortages.
Controlling propaganda
In the first year of the war, between 2-5m
copies of 110 different posters were printed,
mainly encouraging recruitment. None showed
the true horrors of war. Newspapers printed
cartoons showing Germans acting cruelly. In
1916, Britain used 4 official photographers and
artists to portray the war. 240 war films were
made between 1915-1918, most not even made
by the government, rather British film makers.
In August 1916, the government released the
graphic but popular film Battle of the Somme
which sold 20m tickets in two months.
Did the public support the war effort?
There was some anti-war feeling at the start of
the war. An anti-war leaflet called Common
Sense about the War (1914) sold 25,000 copies
though and Ramsay Macdonald,
Macdonald the Labour
leader, resigned in protest against the war. 50
Liberal MPs voted against conscription.
However, the vast majority of people supported
the war - of 8m people affected by
conscription, only 16,000 refused to fight.
fight
Criticism against the army leaders after the
Battle of the Somme did not damage people’s
desire to see the job through and win the war.
How far did Women contribute to the war effort?
On the 4th August 1914 Britain declared war on Germany. On the 8th August, parliament agreed to
the Defence of the Realm Act giving the government more power to interfere in people’s lives.
We suffragists and the suffragettes stopped our campaigning and instead
focused on the war. We suffragists used our propaganda skills to create
posters encouraging men to fight and Emmeline Pankhurst organised a
march to get women into the factories. Right at the start of the war, all the
suffragettes were released from prison to help. The Order of the White
Feather was an organisation that arranged for men to receive white feathers
(sign of cowardice) for not signing up. The Mothers Union published posters
encouraging mothers to get their sons to sign up to fight.
By early 1916, Britain had up to 2m fewer workers than needed.
needed We
quickly replaced men in offices and by 1918, there were 700,000
new female workers in offices.
We trade unions don’t want women in the factories. If women go
into the factories, the employers will pay them less wages than men. If
they then do a really good job, the soldiers who were fighting for our
country might well return home and lose their jobs to women! That is
unacceptable!
The Munitions Crisis made the government see sense. They needed
women in the factories so agreed to force the employers to pay the
women the same as men and allow the soldiers to keep their jobs once
they returned. Working in the munitions factories were dangerous
though. For example, in January 1917 there was an explosion at
Silvertown in East End London and the TNT caused illnesses!
Area of
work
Women in
1914
Women in
1918
Women
replacing
men
Metals
170,000
594,000
195,000
Chemicals
40,000
104,000
35,000
Food and
Drink
196,000
235,000
60,000
Timber
44,000
79,000
23,000
Transport
18,000
117,000
42,000
Government
2,000
225,000
197,000
Women took on roles never previously open to
them - it was like a mini-revolution! Some 1.6m
women took part in war work. Their jobs ranged
from grave-digging, postal work, bus drivers and
even a Women’s Voluntary Police Service in the
bigger cities. All their work was changing
attitudes about women and their roles in society.
However, we shouldn’t get too carried away! For
example, in 1914 there were 5m women at work.
By then end of the war this figure rose to only
just over 6m. The Women’s Land Army only
recruited 16,000 women - most of the farming
in the country was done by female labourers
anyway
How to answer the questions
Below are some sample questions and information on how to go about answering them!
What is the message of this cartoon? Use details of the source and your own knowledge to explain
your answer [6 marks]
Rich Fare
The Giant LloydGorgibuster:
Fee Fi Fo Fat,
I smell the blood of a
plutocrat,
Be he alive or be he dead,
I’ll grind his bones to
make
my bread.’
Remember:
•
Message
•
Source
•
Contextual Knowledge
•
Message reworded!
The message of this source is
that Lloyd George is unfairly
targeting rich people to pay
for his liberal reforms.
Lloyd George received some criticism from
his 1909 Budget (nicknamed the People’s
Budget) as the wealthy argued that they were
being unfairly targeted in having to fund the
Old Age Pensions Act which gave poor
people over the age of 70 a free pension.
This is shown in the source as the artist has decided to
draw Lloyd George as the giant from Jack and the
Beanstalk is ready to use his club, labelled ‘budget’, to
smash up the rich plutocrat who hides on the floor.
When Lloyd George says “I’ll grind his bones to make
by bread”, his bread almost certainly refers to the
payouts the poor will receive from the Liberal Reforms.
So the message of this source is that
the rich are being forced to pay for
Lloyd George’s liberal reforms and the
artist clearly believes that this is wrong
by showing Lloyd George as a
threatening giant.
How to answer the questions...
Comparison questions
You need to evaluate each of the
sources to get full marks and answer
the question. You will need to
consider purpose,
purpose the tone or
language that the source uses, cross
reference to another source, or use
your own knowledge.
knowledge The more of
these you consider, the better position
you will be in.
Who was the author of the source and
what was their purpose?
purpose Always look at
the italics before you read the source this will help you discover the purpose.
Was it a rallying speech at a public
event - in which case the purpose of
the speech might be to persuade
people rather than tell the full facts.
Was it a private memo? It should be
more trustworthy if the author didn’t
expect the public to read it.
Comparison Questions
E.g.
Do you trust Source B or Source C more about the role of
propaganda in WWI? [8 marks]
Study Sources F and G.
Is one of these sources more useful than the other in
explaining why the Liberal Government passed the
Pensions Act [8 marks]
What tone or language is the author using?
This will affect the usefulness and reliability
of a source. For example, a WWI
recruitment poster might use emotionallycharged words to describe the enemy e.g.
Barbarians, murderers, butchers, evil to
demonise them and encourage people to
sign up to deal with them. Bare in mind that
propaganda is usually crammed emotive and
persuasive language to try and convince
people of their message.
If the source suggests that the reason why
the liberal government introduced reforms
was mainly due to the Labour Party, use
your own knowledge to show that this is
not quite the case and that it fails to
mention the role of Rowntree and Booth.
Or, if you agree, use your own knowledge of
the threat Labour posed to back it up. If
another source contradicts what it says,
crosscross-reference it by quoting it!
How to answer the questions...
Purpose
Why was this source published in 1917? Use details of the source and your own knowledge to explain
your answer [6 marks]
This source is not asking what the
message is so you don’t need to worry
about that! Instead the question is
asking - why was this published in 1917 so you need to explain the purpose of
it!
Remember:
•
Purpose
•
Source
•
Contextual Knowledge
•
Purpose reworded
The source was published to
try and convince women to
join the Women’s Land
Army and help grow food for
Britain.
Before the war, Britain imported 80% of her wheat. By
1917, German U-boats were sinking 1 in 4 British
merchant ships with supplies such as food on. By April
1917 Britain only had enough wheat to survive for 9
weeks. It needed women to go into the countryside to
help grow food so that Britain became less reliant on
imports from overseas. 16,000 women joined.
This is shown in the source by a
women working on the farm
ploughing up ground in which wheat
can be sown. The “God speed” of the
poster is blessing the women who help
grow food for Britain. At the bottom
of the poster it directs you your
“nearest post office” for sign up sheets.
The rising sun in the background
suggests that this is a new dawn for
women by taking on more roles to
help in the war effort.
This poster was published in
1917 as increased German Uboat attacks meant that the
government needed to
convince more women to join
the Women’s Land Army to
grow more food.
How to answer the questions...
The Final Question
Final Question
E.g.
A super easy way to
get a whopping 12
marks! By the end
of the paper you
will know the
sources inside out!
Follow these three
easy steps to get
‘People welcomed the Liberal welfare reforms.’
Or
The government took control over people’s lives during
the war because of the need to feed the people.’
How far do the sources in this paper support this
statement? Use details from the
sources and your knowledge to explain your answer.
Remember to identify the sources you use
[12 marks]
Step 1 (5-7 marks):
Find two or three sources that agree with the statement and quote them to prove it.
For example: Source B agrees with the statement because it describes how an elderly couple
were “close to tears of joy” when they received their first pension. Clearly some old people
welcomed the Liberal Reforms.
Step 2 (8-10 marks):
Find two or three sources that disagree with the statement and quote them to prove it.
For example: Source D disagrees with the statement as it is an interview with a shipbuilder who
resents having to pay national insurance as he says “I barely have enough to pay for my family
even before this tax was introduced.” Clearly he is against the reforms for financial reasons.
Step 3 (10-12 marks):
In your conclusion (or earlier if you like), you evaluate the sources as well. This can be
through the tone or language the source uses, cross-referencing with other sources or your
own knowledge.
For example: In conclusion, the sources in this paper generally disagree with the statement.
Most opposition to the reforms seemed to be about funding for them. For example, Source D
disagrees with the reforms as he has to pay for them. This source is reliable as it was a common
complaint amongst the workers and the Labour Party supported them by criticising the
government for the funding of the scheme Source B suggests that some people supported the
reforms as it describes an elderly couple’s reaction to the pensions act. But its worth
remembering that the pensions act only affected half a million people when Britain had a
population of 45m so this source only provides us with the views of a small minority
(evaluation
evaluation with contextual knowledge).
knowledge Likewise, David Lloyd George is Source E appears to
support the statement but he was talking to a crowd at a rally and so the purpose of his speech
is to encourage people to support his party who introduced the reforms. He use of emotive
language such as “national shame” and “disgust” highlights the fact that he is trying to win the
crowd over to his view (evaluation
evaluation with language and purpose)
purpose
Answers for front page: PM Herbert Asquith, Milicent Fawcett, John Bull (symbol for Britain), Lord Kitchener (Minister of War), Charles Booth,
Emmeline Pankhurst, Emily Davison, General Haig, David Lloyd George.