2M Wars and Welfare: Britain in Transition, 1906–1957 – The impact of war, 1914–1922 — AQA A-Level History
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2M Wars and Welfare: Britain in Transition, 1906–1957 – The impact of war, 1914–1922 explained
The First World War profoundly disrupted British politics, beginning with Asquith's formation of the 1915 coalition to manage wartime pressures.
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By 1916, dissatisfaction led to David Lloyd George replacing Asquith, supported by Conservative leader Andrew Bonar Law. This triggered a bitter Liberal division between Asquith's followers and Lloyd George's supporters. Meanwhile, the Labour Party's influence grew, cemented by its 1918 constitution featuring Clause IV, which committed to nationalisation. The 1918 'Coupon' election resulted in a landslide for the Lloyd George coalition, heavily reliant on Conservative MPs. Despite initial successes in social policies like housing, the coalition faced mounting problems, including economic slumps and the Chanak Crisis. Ultimately, Conservative backbenchers rebelled at the 1922 Carlton Club meeting, causing Lloyd George's dramatic fall from power.
Economic issues: Britain's wartime economy; housing and austerity; trade unions; post-war industrial problems; the position of the staple industries and trade
The First World War required unprecedented state intervention to manage Britain's wartime economy, using temporary state control of key sectors like railways rather than permanent nationalisation. Austerity measures controlled inflation. The war worsened housing shortages, prompting the 1915 Rent Restriction Act. Trade unions grew in membership, collaborating with the government but also engaging in militant action. Following the armistice, Britain faced severe post-war industrial problems, including a brief boom followed by a sharp depression in 1920. The traditional staple industries, such as coal and textiles, suffered structural decline due to lost export markets and foreign competition, severely impacting Britain's global trade.
Social and cultural impact of war: role of women; reform of the franchise; unions and Labour; cultural change; issues of patriotism; conscientious objection; effect of trenches on soldiers; the war poets
The First World War profoundly altered British society. Women entered munitions and transport, accelerating the 1918 Representation of the People Act which reformed the franchise for women over 30 and all men. Trade unions grew in power, while the Labour Party emerged as a major political force with its 1918 constitution. Culturally, rigid class barriers eroded. Initial intense patriotism gave way to complex attitudes, highlighted by the harsh treatment of conscientious objectors at tribunals. The brutal effect of the trenches on soldiers, including shell shock and mass casualties, shattered romanticised views of conflict. This disillusionment was immortalised by the war poets, such as Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, who drove a lasting cultural change in how war was remembered.
Ireland: the Easter Rising; the war of independence and the Anglo-Irish Treaty
The 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, led by figures like Patrick Pearse, initially lacked popular support. However, the British government's harsh response, including the execution of its leaders, radically shifted Irish public opinion towards republicanism and Sinn Féin. This catalyst sparked the brutal War of Independence (1919–1921), characterised by guerrilla tactics from the IRA and severe reprisals by British forces, notably the Black and Tans. The conflict culminated in the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty, negotiated by Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith. The Treaty established the Irish Free State as a dominion within the British Empire and confirmed the partition of Northern Ireland, a controversial compromise that subsequently triggered the Irish Civil War.
Your focus
- Explain the causes and consequences of the Liberal Party split between 1915 and 1918.
- Analyse the factors that led to the rise of the Labour Party and the significance of its 1918 constitution.
- Evaluate the successes and failures of the Lloyd George coalition government from 1918 to 1922.
Show all 12 objectives
- Describe the methods used by the British government to manage the wartime economy and enforce austerity.
- Analyse the impact of the First World War on the power and militancy of trade unions.
- Evaluate the reasons for the decline of Britain's staple industries and trade in the post-war period.
- Analyse the impact of wartime employment on the social and political status of women.
- Evaluate the changes to the franchise, trade unions, and the Labour Party between 1914 and 1918.
- Assess how the experience of trench warfare, conscientious objection, and war poets altered British cultural attitudes and patriotism.
- Explain how the British response to the Easter Rising altered the political landscape in Ireland.
- Analyse the military and political strategies used by both sides during the War of Independence.
- Evaluate the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty and its immediate consequences for Irish unity and British imperial policy.
2M Wars and Welfare: Britain in Transition, 1906–1957 – The impact of war, 1914–1922 exam tips
Marking Points
- Explain the reasons for the formation of the 1915 coalition, focusing on the Shell Crisis and the Gallipoli campaign.
- Analyse the dynamics between Lloyd George and Bonar Law in the 1916 leadership challenge and the subsequent coalition government.
- Evaluate the impact of the Maurice Debate on the permanent division of the Liberal Party.
- Assess the significance of the Labour Party's 1918 constitution in establishing it as a distinct socialist alternative.
- Examine the outcomes of the 1918 election and how the 'coupon' system disproportionately benefited the Conservative Party.
- Discuss the domestic policies and foreign crises that contributed to the downfall of Lloyd George in 1922.
- Detail the extent of state control over Britain's wartime economy, including the creation and role of the Ministry of Munitions.
- Explain the causes of wartime austerity and the government's response to housing shortages, such as rent controls.
- Analyse the changing role and power of trade unions during the war, including the Treasury Agreement and the shop stewards' movement.
- Evaluate the causes of post-war industrial unrest, including the threat posed by the Triple Alliance.
- Assess the structural weaknesses of Britain's staple industries and their struggle to regain pre-war trade levels.
- Evaluate the extent to which the First World War advanced women's social and political status, noting the limitations of the 1918 franchise reform.
- Analyse the growth of trade union membership and the Labour Party's structural changes, such as Clause IV, as a direct consequence of wartime conditions.
- Assess the shifting nature of patriotism, contrasting early war enthusiasm with the later emergence of war weariness and the stigmatisation of conscientious objectors.
- Examine the psychological and physical effects of trench warfare on soldiers, and how war poets shaped the post-war cultural memory of the conflict.
- Analyse the causes of the Easter Rising and evaluate how the British execution of its leaders transformed Irish nationalist sentiment.
- Examine the guerrilla tactics employed by the IRA during the War of Independence and the impact of British counter-measures, such as the deployment of the Black and Tans.
- Assess the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, specifically dominion status and the partition of the six northern counties.
- Evaluate the political consequences of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, including the split within Sinn Féin and the outbreak of the Irish Civil War.
Examiner Tips
- 💡When discussing the Liberal decline, weigh the impact of wartime events against pre-war structural weaknesses.
- 💡Use the 1918 'Coupon' election to demonstrate Lloyd George's dependence on Conservative support, which ultimately proved fatal to his premiership.
- 💡Link the Labour Party's growing influence to its wartime participation in government and its strategic 1918 reorganisation.
- 💡Connect the wartime expansion of trade union membership to the increased industrial militancy seen in the immediate post-war years.
- 💡Use specific examples, such as the coal or cotton industry, to illustrate the structural decline of the staple industries.
- 💡Contrast the government's wartime economic intervention with its rapid attempts to decontrol the economy after 1918.
- 💡Link the role of women in wartime industries directly to the political debates surrounding the 1918 franchise reform.
- 💡Use specific examples of cultural change, such as the decline of domestic service or changing class deference, to support arguments about social transformation.
- 💡When discussing the effect of the trenches, reference both the immediate medical impacts like shell shock and the long-term cultural disillusionment.
- 💡Trace the decline of the moderate Irish Parliamentary Party and the rise of Sinn Féin between 1916 and the 1918 general election.
- 💡Use the actions of the Black and Tans to illustrate the escalation of violence and the alienation of Irish civilians during the War of Independence.
- 💡When evaluating the Anglo-Irish Treaty, explicitly discuss the differing perspectives of Michael Collins (a stepping stone) and Éamon de Valera (a betrayal of the Republic).
Common Mistakes
- Assuming the 1915 coalition was led by Lloyd George; it was formed and led by H.H. Asquith until December 1916.
- Confusing the 1918 Representation of the People Act with the Labour Party's 1918 constitution; the former expanded the national franchise, while the latter reorganised the party and adopted Clause IV.
- Believing Lloyd George fell because he lost a general election; he resigned after the Conservative Party voted to abandon the coalition at the Carlton Club meeting in 1922.
- Error: Stating that the post-war economy immediately collapsed. Correction: Explain there was actually a brief, speculative post-war boom before the severe slump of 1920 to 1921.
- Error: Assuming trade unions were universally suppressed during the war. Correction: Note that union leaders were often integrated into government planning, though grassroots militancy did occur.
- Error: Blaming the decline of staple industries solely on the war. Correction: Clarify that the war accelerated existing structural issues and foreign competition that predated 1914.
- Error: Claiming the government permanently nationalised industries during WWI. Correction: Specify that the government exercised temporary state control and requisitioning (e.g., of railways and coal mines), which were returned to private ownership post-war.
- Claiming the 1918 Representation of the People Act gave all women the vote; correct by specifying it only enfranchised women over 30 who met property qualifications, alongside all men over 21.
- Assuming conscientious objectors were universally imprisoned; correct by noting that many accepted non-combatant roles, while only 'absolutists' faced imprisonment.
- Stating that war poets represented the universal soldier experience at the time; correct by explaining their work gained wider cultural prominence after the war, shaping retrospective views.
- Confusing the Easter Rising with the War of Independence; correct by distinguishing the 1916 rebellion from the sustained guerrilla war of 1919–1921.
- Claiming the Anglo-Irish Treaty created a fully independent Republic of Ireland; correct by stating it created the Irish Free State, which remained a dominion within the British Empire.
- Stating that the Easter Rising was widely supported by the Irish public as it happened; correct by explaining that public sympathy only surged after the British executed the rebel leaders.