## Learning Outcomes

- Recall the main trigger and background causes of the First World War (1914–18)
- Identify how government powers and daily life changed on the WWI home front
- Know key political changes after WWI, including voting reform in 1918
- Understand major interwar challenges, including industrial decline, unemployment, and the Great Depression
- Recognise key interwar events and ideas, such as the General Strike (1926) and appeasement

## Life in the UK Test Syllabus

For the Life in the UK Test, you are expected to understand how World War I and the interwar years changed Britain, with a focus on the following syllabus points:

- Know that the First World War lasted from 1914 to 1918 and was triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28 June 1914
- Identify the longer-term causes of war: nationalism, militarism, imperial rivalry, and the division of Europe into alliances
- Understand key wartime changes on the home front, including DORA (1914) and conscription introduced in 1916
- Recall the Representation of the People Act 1918 and what it changed for voting rights (men 21+, and some women 30+ with qualifications)
- Know the basic facts about the General Strike of 1926 and why it happened
- Understand how unemployment and the Great Depression (from 1929) affected different parts of Britain, and know what “appeasement” means in the 1930s

## Test Your Knowledge

_Attempt these questions before reading this article. If you find some difficult or cannot remember the answers, look more closely at that area during your revision._

1. What event on 28 June 1914 helped trigger the First World War?
2. What was DORA, and what kinds of powers did it give the government during World War I?
3. In which year did Britain introduce conscription in World War I?
4. What did the Representation of the People Act 1918 change about who could vote?
5. What was the main cause of the General Strike in 1926?

## Introduction

In the early 1900s, Britain was a major world power with a large Empire, strong industry, and a respected navy. There were also important social reforms, such as support for the unemployed, old-age pensions, and improvements to working conditions. This period of confidence was cut short by World War I (1914–18), which affected almost every community in the UK.

After the war ended, Britain faced new problems: economic difficulty, industrial decline in some regions, high unemployment, and political tension. Understanding the key events of World War I and interwar Britain (1918–39) is a regular part of Life in the UK Test preparation.

> **Key Term: Home front**
> The civilian population and daily life in Britain during wartime, including work, food supply, public order, and government control.

### Why World War I began (1914) and what Britain faced

The First World War began after a crisis in Europe that escalated quickly. The immediate trigger was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on 28 June 1914. His death led to rising tension between countries and then war, as alliances drew states into conflict.

However, the assassination was not the only reason the war began. By 1914, Europe was already unstable because of several long-term pressures:

- **Nationalism**: strong national feeling in many states, especially in areas where different ethnic groups wanted their own countries.
- **Militarism**: many countries had built up their armies and navies and developed war plans.
- **Imperial rivalry**: competition for colonies and influence overseas increased suspicion between powers.
- **Alliances**: European powers were divided into rival groups, so a conflict involving one country could quickly involve many others.

For the Life in the UK Test, you do not need detailed battle knowledge, but you should remember that World War I lasted from **1914 to 1918** and involved mass mobilisation and heavy casualties. Britain’s war effort depended not only on the armed forces but also on the home front: industry, transport, and food supply.

> **Test Tip:** Many questions focus on simple anchors: the date range (1914–18) and the trigger (28 June 1914). Learn these first, then add the “background causes” list.

### The WWI home front: government control, DORA, and conscription

World War I changed the relationship between the public and the state. The government needed to secure the country, maintain production, and manage shortages. This led to emergency laws and much greater state involvement in daily life.

> **Key Term: DORA (Defence of the Country Act)**
> A wartime law passed in 1914 that gave the government wide powers to protect the country and support the war effort, including control of information and public order.

DORA was passed on **8 August 1914**, shortly after war began. It allowed the government to introduce regulations to support the war effort. These regulations changed everyday life in several ways:

- **Censorship and information control**: limiting what could be published and reducing the spread of rumours that might damage security or morale.
- **Public order measures**: including controls that affected daily routines, such as restrictions on pub opening hours.
- **Controls on industry and resources**: to ensure that factories, transport, and supplies could meet wartime needs.
- **Security measures**: including restrictions on those seen as a threat to national security, such as “enemy aliens”.

As casualties increased and voluntary enlistment was no longer enough, Britain introduced compulsory military service.

> **Key Term: Conscription**
> Compulsory military service ordered by the government.

Conscription was introduced through the **Military Service Acts (1916)**. This was a major change, as Britain had initially relied on volunteers. Some men could apply for exemption, for example on the basis of essential work, hardship, or conscientious objection.

> **Key Term: Conscientious objector**
> A person who refuses to take part in war or military service because of moral or religious beliefs.

Conscientious objectors were handled through tribunals and could be directed to non-combatant roles or other forms of service; some were imprisoned if they refused to comply. The key point for the test is that conscription began in **1916**, and that not everyone served by choice.

World War I also changed work patterns. With many men away fighting, women played a larger role in paid work, including in munitions and other industries. This shift did not immediately create full equality, but it helped support later political change.

> **Test Tip:** Do not mix up DORA and conscription. DORA is the broad emergency law from 1914; conscription is compulsory service introduced in 1916.

### Votes and politics after WWI: the 1918 reforms and their limits

World War I was followed by strong public pressure for political and social change. The right to vote expanded significantly in 1918, but it did not become fully equal between men and women at that point.

> **Key Term: Representation of the People Act 1918**
> An Act of Parliament that greatly expanded the electorate by giving the vote to most men aged 21 and over and to some women aged 30 and over who met property or other qualifications.

This Act is important for two reasons:

1. **It expanded democracy for men**: most men aged **21+** could vote (and in some cases men aged **19** who had served).
2. **It gave some women the vote for the first time in UK general elections**: women aged **30+** could vote if they met certain qualifications (such as property-related requirements).

Women also gained the right to stand for Parliament in the same year:

- **Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918**: allowed women to become MPs.

These changes reflected a mixture of factors, including the role women had played in the war economy and the growing acceptance that the political system needed to represent a wider public.

Even with reforms, Britain still faced post-war economic disruption. The country had to move from wartime production to peacetime industry and trade. Some older industries struggled to compete internationally, and unemployment remained a major issue in parts of the UK well before the global crash of 1929.

> **Test Tip:** A common exam trap is to assume “women got the vote in 1918” means equality. In 1918 it was only some women (30+ with qualifications). Equality came later.

### Interwar Britain (1918–39): unemployment, the General Strike, and appeasement

The interwar period is often tested through a small number of named events and clear themes: economic difficulty, labour disputes, and foreign policy choices in the 1930s.

#### Unemployment and industrial decline

In the 1920s and early 1930s, Britain experienced persistent unemployment, especially in traditional heavy industries. Areas that depended heavily on these industries were hit hardest:

- **coal**
- **shipbuilding**
- **iron and steel**
- **textiles**

Unemployment was often worse in **Northern England, Scotland, and Wales** than in London and parts of the South, where newer industries expanded. This regional difference is a useful simple point to remember: some areas had long-term hardship, while other areas saw more growth.

#### The General Strike (1926)

The most famous labour dispute of the interwar period was the General Strike.

- **Dates:** 3–12 May **1926**
- **Main cause:** a dispute in the **coal industry**, where mine owners wanted miners to accept longer hours and lower pay.
- **What happened:** the Trades Union Congress (**TUC**) called a strike to support miners, and many workers in key services stopped work.

The strike lasted nine days. The government resisted the strike, and the TUC called it off. The miners later returned to work on worse terms. For the test, you should know the broad reason (coal dispute) and that it was a major national strike in **1926**.

> **Key Term: General Strike**
> A large-scale strike across many industries; in Britain, the best-known example is the nine-day General Strike in May 1926, called in support of coal miners.

#### The Great Depression (from 1929)

The world economic downturn that began in **1929** made Britain’s problems worse. Demand for goods fell, and unemployment increased, especially in places already struggling. The Depression is a key background factor for understanding why social and political tensions increased across Europe in the 1930s.

In Britain, government support for unemployed people could involve a “means test”, where a person’s resources were assessed before receiving help.

> **Key Term: Means test**
> An assessment of income and savings used to decide whether someone qualifies for financial support and how much they will receive.

One well-known protest against unemployment was the Jarrow March in 1936 (from the town of Jarrow to London), which became a symbol of hardship in areas where jobs had disappeared.

#### Appeasement in the 1930s

Foreign policy in the 1930s was shaped by the fear of another war like 1914–18. Many people supported a policy of trying to avoid war by negotiation and compromise with aggressive states, especially Nazi Germany.

> **Key Term: Appeasement**
> The policy in the 1930s of trying to avoid war by making concessions to aggressive states, especially Nazi Germany.

Appeasement was linked to the belief that another major war would be disastrous, and also to the fact that Britain was not fully prepared for war. The policy is strongly associated with Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and events leading up to the outbreak of World War II in September 1939.

For Life in the UK revision, the key point is the definition: appeasement was an attempt to keep peace through concessions, but it failed to prevent war.

## Key Point Checklist

_This article has covered the following key knowledge points:_

- Britain entered World War I in the period 1914–18, after tensions in Europe escalated
- Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated on 28 June 1914, helping trigger the war
- Longer-term causes of the war included nationalism, militarism, imperial rivalry, and alliance systems
- The home front is the civilian side of wartime life, including work and government control
- DORA (Defence of the Country Act) was passed in 1914 and gave the government wide emergency powers
- Conscription (compulsory military service) was introduced in Britain in 1916 through the Military Service Acts
- The Representation of the People Act 1918 expanded the vote to most men aged 21+ and some women aged 30+ with qualifications
- The 1926 General Strike (3–12 May) was mainly caused by a coal industry dispute and was called to support miners
- The Great Depression began in 1929 and increased unemployment, especially in older industrial areas
- A means test assessed income and savings to decide eligibility for unemployment support
- Appeasement in the 1930s aimed to avoid war by making concessions, especially to Nazi Germany

## Key Terms and Concepts

- Home front
- DORA (Defence of the Country Act)
- Conscription
- Conscientious objector
- Representation of the People Act 1918
- General Strike
- Means test
- Appeasement


Twentieth century and after - World War I and interwar Britain