England on the eve of the First World War. The mystery of England's entry into the first world war. Terms of the Armistice of Compiegne
Results of the First World War The British Empire expanded at the expense of the German colonies in Africa and the territories annexed by Turkey. In 1914 -1918, new industries were developed that produced military products - automobile, aviation, chemical. As a result of the war, it was seriously weakened, having lost a third of its national wealth. Industrial production fell by 20%.
Consequences of the First World War for Great Britain During the First World War Great Britain was part of the military-political bloc of the Entente; continuously developing, the country achieved its goal, defeating the bloc of the Central Powers (German Empire, Austria. Hungary, Ottoman Empire and Bulgarian kingdom).
Implications of the First World War for Great Britain Positive aspects Import almost doubled, for which payment was required loans from abroad. Negative aspects The export of British goods during the war was almost halved. England began to be ousted in the foreign market. In 1914 - 1918. New industries were developed, producing military products. Steel smelting has increased. Production in old industries (coal mining, shipbuilding, etc.) has declined significantly. Imbalances in industry hampered the development of the economy, for a long time British industry remained uncompetitive.
Consequences of the First World War for Great Britain Positive aspects Negative aspects Due to the German colonies in Africa and the territories taken from Turkey, the British colonial empire expanded. Industrial production fell by 20%. England accounted for a significant part of the reparations that Germany undertook to pay under the Treaty of Versailles. The financial and economic positions of Great Britain were seriously weakened as a result of the war. The United States ousted England in the foreign market. England's rivals in Europe were France, in Asia - Japan.
Liberals are representatives of an ideological and socio-political trend that unites supporters of representative government and individual freedom, and in the economy - freedom of entrepreneurship.
Conservatives 1) an adherent of conservative views, an opponent of progress and transformation. 2) In Great Britain and a number of other countries, a member of the Conservative Party.
Arthur Neville Chamberlain statesman of Great Britain, leader of the Conservative Party. In 1923-1924 and 1931 -1937. Chancellor of the Exchequer. Prime Minister of Great Britain 1937-1940. He adhered to the pro-German position. She was closely associated with German financial and industrial magnates and advocated cooperation with Germany.
George Frederick Ernest Albert King of Great Britain from the Windsor dynasty, who ruled 1910-1936. He received a naval education and served in the navy. During World War I, George V changed the name of the royal house from Saxe-Coburg. Gotha to Windsor. During the economic crisis in 1931, he accelerated protracted negotiations between party leaders and nominated MacDonald as head of the coalition government.
MacDonald James Ramsay is a British politician and statesman. One of the leaders and founders of the Labor Party. During the Great Depression (1931-1935), he formed a government with the Conservatives, giving the latter most of the seats in the cabinet, for which he was expelled from the Labor Party.
David Lloyd George British politician, last British Prime Minister from the Liberal Party (1916-1922).
CONCLUSION: Great Britain had a huge colonial empire. She tried to solve her economic problems through the British Cooperation and to rally the empire. Unlike the United States, England did not have programs of large, cheap construction and public works, but important measures were taken to expand social insurance and assistance to the unemployed. Britain has traditionally refrained from participating in coalitions with the countries of Eastern Europe. But at the same time, since 1939, Britain has announced guarantees of independence for Poland, Romania and Greece.
Early XX century the British Empire occupied a leading place in the world economy and politics, was the largest colonial empire. the first world war radically changed the European alignment.
As a result of the war, four empires collapsed. The role of the United States in world politics and economy has increased.
What changes have occurred in the greatest empire in the world?
UK in 20- e years XX century
According to the results 1 World War, Great Britain found itself in the camp of the victorious countries.
It seemed that she had solved all the goals set before the war: the main rival in the European and world arena, Germany, was defeated, the autocracy was overthrown in Russia (another rival) and the country plunged into a maelstrom of revolutions and civil war.
But the war was not in vain for Britain either. Large casualties (about 760 thousand), the economy also suffered significant damage (at the level 1913 Great Britain came out only to 1929 g.). Britain's national debt has grown (the US financial circles have become the main borrower).
Due to the need to increase the output of military products, a number of industries were opened in the colonies and dominions, which led to an increase in their economic independence from the metropolis.
During the war, an association of British industrial and financial circles was formed - the Federation of British Industry, which became the largest monopoly and strived for complete control over the government.
Attempts to shift the difficulties of economic recovery onto the shoulders of workers led to massive protests and strikes. The importance and number of trade unions has grown.
In the wake of the protests, the political weight of the Labor Party increased.
Changes in the British political system
During this period, the authority of the liberal party (which was in power practically 100 years), its place in the bipartisan system of the main parties was taken by the Laborites, thus the main parties leading the struggle were: the Conservative and the Labor.
The Conservative Party expresses the interests, first of all, of big business and landowners.
The Labor Party is a party of the social democratic direction, relies on trade unions (trade unions), expresses the interests of workers without changing the political system of the country.
IN 30 Over the years, the role of the head of government (prime minister) has increased and the powers of the monarch are increasingly reduced to representative functions.
The right of the monarch to appoint the chairman of the government was limited by the fact that now he could appoint him from the ranks of the party that won the elections to the lower house of parliament - the House of Commons. The monarch's right to dissolve parliament is leveled by the fact that he is unable to dissolve the government.
IN 1918 d. all male population older than 21 years and women older 30 years old.
IN 1929 d. during the period of labor in power, women were equal in rights with men.
Domestic and foreign policy in the interwar period
In the period between the world wars, the contradictions between the dominions (in fact, independent states within the British Empire) and the central government intensified. The economy of the dominions, which had grown during the war, allowed them to demand more independence.
Taking advantage of Britain's weakening in 1919 in Ireland, the war of independence broke out, which ended in 1921 d. the creation of the Irish free state, which received the rights of dominion, and Ulster (or Northern Ireland), which remained part of the British state.
IN 1926 d. dominions (Canada, the Australian Union, New Zealand, the Union of South Africa) by an act of the government gained independence in the conduct of domestic and foreign policy, while maintaining the recognition of the power of the British crown.
IN 1931 d. the actual independence of the dominions was enshrined in the Westminster Statute, which recognized their right to sovereignty, but also enshrined their duty to protect the metropolis.
The first to abandon dominion status in 1939 The country became Ireland, which adopted a Constitution that established a presidential republic.
IN 20 -30 years a movement for independence was born in India.
And although maintaining influence in the main controlled territories was the main task of the governments, Great Britain continued to play a major role in the European and Asian theaters.
Since 1917 by 1941 g. one of the leading directions of British policy was the opposition to the spread of socialism and the influence of the USSR in Europe and Asia.
Great Britain and its dominions sent their military forces to the Russian north, the Baltic, the Transcaucasus. Direct military confrontation lasted until july 1920 The second area of \u200b\u200bintervention in the affairs of Russia was the direction of military assistance to the White Guard forces, the Basmachi units in Central Asia.
The failure in the military confrontation, as well as an attempt to return the Russian market, led to the conclusion of 1921 d. trade agreement.
IN 1923 In 2000, there was a clash of interests between Great Britain and the Soviet Union in Central Asia, which led to the sending of a note by the British government to the USSR, known as the Curzon note. The Soviet government made a number of concessions, and although this did not suit Great Britain, the British government did not aggravate relations. IN 1924 g. diplomatic relations were established between the USSR and Great Britain.
Subsequently, English-Soviet relations went through several crises:
IN 1927 g. - the severance of diplomatic relations (restored in 1929 g);
in 1939 g - England supported Finland in the Soviet-Finnish military conflict.
The global economic crisis has begun 30- during the 1980s, the gradual weakening of the position of the metropolis in the colonial empire did not allow an active policy to counter the strengthening of Nazi Germany.
Since 1933 by 1939 yy the British government did not oppose the change in the status of the Rhineland demilitarized zone, the German armament program.
As a result, when Nazi Germany annexed Austria, the British ruling circles began to pursue a policy of concessions to the Nazis. This was facilitated by the support of Germany by a number of representatives of the British political elites.
The pinnacle of the concessions was the recognition of the annexation of a number of Czechoslovak lands to Germany, and then the complete dismemberment of Czechoslovakia in 1938 g.
3 september 1939 d. after Germany attacked Poland, Great Britain declared war on Germany. From that moment on, the military conflict between the two countries grew into a world one.
IN 1940 W. Churchill, who became a symbol of the struggle of the British people against the aggressor, took the post of British Prime Minister.
Thus, in the period after 1 World War, the role of Great Britain in world politics and economy has weakened. In fact, these years were the years of Britain's transformation from a superpower into an ordinary country, leading its policy in line with the policy of the new superpower - the United States.
- Foreign policy
- Economy
- Social instability
After the end of the First World War, Great Britain, in short, found itself among the victorious countries and received significant profits from the world conflict. However, upon closer examination, it becomes clear that the result is not at all as unambiguous as it seems at first glance.
Foreign policy
After the revolution in Russia, the "fear of Bolshevism" and the desire to exterminate it firmly settled in the hearts and minds of the governments of many countries. Including Great Britain. With the aim of combating it, England organized an intervention against Soviet Russia.
After the collapse of the Entente and the withdrawal of Russia from the war, England considered all agreements, in particular on the division of spheres of influence in Central Asia, concluded between her and the Russian side as invalid. Countries from allies again turned into adversaries, whose interests overlapped in several regions at once.
Economy
After the First World War, in short, Great Britain became the owner of new colonial possessions. At the same time, industrial production increased in the old ones.
But at the same time, the country suffered significant human losses. As a result of the hostilities, the output of products fell sharply, and the construction of housing stock was practically stopped.
At the same time, during the war years and the first post-war years, the process of capitalist monopolization sharply intensified. The largest monopoly that wanted to completely subjugate the government and the state apparatus was the Federation of British Industry.
During the war years, new industrial sectors developed in the country. At the same time, the old ones have decreased significantly. Government subsidies were allocated to support enterprises operating on outdated technologies, which hampered their further development. In addition, coal mining and pig iron production dropped sharply. Even shipbuilding began to decline. Foreign trade has also undergone changes. Moreover, not for the better. England is in huge debt.
Against the background of all this, taxes in the country were raised almost to the limit, and prices for everything, even for essential goods, were steadily rising, which led to the discontent of the working class.
Social instability
On the one hand, the growth of industrial production in the colonies had a beneficial effect on the country's economy. But, at the same time, in the countries dependent on Britain, the number of the proletariat increased significantly, the local bourgeoisie grew stronger. And ... as a result, anti-British protests became more frequent. The growth and strengthening of the national liberation movement, in short, drove Britain into crisis after World War I.
After an unsuccessful operation to intervene in Russia, Great Britain decided to throw all its forces into suppressing rebellions and uprisings in the colonies. However, all these measures were only temporary.
And in the country itself it was restless. The workers demanded a shorter working week and higher wages, as well as the nationalization of certain industries. One of the largest strikes was the strike of industrial workers in Scotland.
At the end of September 1919, the movement intensified even more, which led to a general strike of the railway workers. The government tried to suppress the rebellion with the support of the military, but this did not help. The troops refused to oppose their own.
As a result, the workers did not achieve higher wages, but they felt the strength of their unity. Soon the British proletariat began to speak out in defense of Soviet Russia, demanding that the authorities stop its intervention.
The government took many different measures to resolve the situation, which led to the fact that the movement of workers gradually began to decline, but the echoes of the turbulent post-war years were still heard for a long time.
Thus, from an economic point of view, the main problem of Great Britain in the post-war period was the transition from a war economy to a peaceful one. However, this process actually turned out to be much more complicated and time-consuming than initially imagined.
Other equally important issues that needed to be resolved, and immediately, were improving the social status of the common population, resolving differences with the colonies, etc.
Great Britain after the First World War.
Great Britain achieved many of its policy goals during the Entente victory. Germany is not dangerous for a while. England captured many of its former colonies. Positions were strengthened in Africa and the Middle East. But there are many casualties, + damage to the host. Falling production output. Termination of housing construction. The state of foreign trade has worsened. Marginal tax increases. Huge state. debt. England is a debtor to US banks. Loss of industrial monopoly and fin. predominance. + Signs of a crisis in the British colonial empire grew. Weakening imperial trade and economics. ties in the war led to the expansion of the industry. production in the colonies, caused the growth of the working class and the strengthening of the positions of the local bourgeoisie, which strengthened the centrifugal tendencies in the empire. In Ireland, India, Egypt and others, a powerful wave of national liberation struggle rose. The crisis tendencies helped to rally the ruling class of England in conservative positions. The transition from war to peace - the reconversion of households and the demobilization of society ("reconstruction"), was now seen by him as a more complete and quick return to the pre-war situation "Back to 1914." The fear of Bolshevism "and the desire to stop its spread in England and the world became long-term factors in the formation of domestic and foreign policy. From March 1918, Lloyd George's government led an armed intervention against Soviet Russia, and after the war began to suppress the national liberation struggle in the colonies. In England, 4 years of military tests and real experience of the state. regulation of households and society in emergency conditions contributed to the activation of the masses and the general leftward movement of the population. Compiegne truce November 11, 1918, but political. the situation is difficult. Since December 1916, a coalition government, Prime Minister Lloyd George, has been in power, uniting representatives of the Conservative, Liberal and Labor parties. The government was dominated by Conservatives, and the Liberal Party split: a small part led by Lloyd George entered the government (coalition liberals), and the main part, leader Asquith, refused to participate and became the official opposition (non-coalition liberals). No parliamentary elections were held during the war. The war involved in an active household, public and polit. life of huge masses \u003d\u003e democratization of the electoral system. By law in February 1918, military personnel and women over 30 years old received the right to vote in general elections. In post-war conditions, Lloyd George proposed to keep the coalition, and he was supported by the Conservatives. The Conservative Party, which had strengthened its position, lacked a leader, and Lloyd George, who did not have many supporters in parliament, had the aura of a politician who led the country to victory. The candidates nominated by the Liberal Conservative coalition were sent special messages signed by Lloyd George and the Conservative leader Bonar Lowe, which the newspapermen immediately dubbed "coupons" (elections by coupons). The decision to leave the coalition was made by the Laborites, since independent participation in elections opened up broader prospects for parties. Under the influence of the real experience of the state. regulation of the military economy and in the context of the growth of socio-political. the activity of the masses in 1918 the Laborites adopted 2 program documents. In Feb, the Labor Party Charter (LPV Constitution) was approved. Given the expansion of the electorate, the Charter introduced, along with the collective, and individual membership in the party. + The charter determined the ultimate goals of the party, the fourth point was the achievement of "public ownership of the means of production and the best system of public administration and control in every branch of industry and type of services." This 4 point was defined by the socialist. the nature of the Labor Party. Another document is the program “Labor and the New Social Order”, with the subtitle “Report on Reconstruction”. It contains a program of post-war reform of the country based on the state. regulation of the economy, social transformations and the democratization of public life. Short pre-election campaign ahead of the December parliamentary elections. The Labor Manifesto "Labor and the New Social Order" is based on the August Labor "reconstruction" program of the same name. It was a call to carry out reconstruction with the broad participation of the state, with the nationalization of the leading sectors of the economy and the introduction of "democratic control" over production. + With cardinal reform projects, the Labor Party platform provided for a series of democratic reforms: the establishment of a national minimum wage, changes in tax legislation in order to transfer the main burden of taxation to persons with large incomes, and further expansion of social legislation. The liberal-conservative coalition took part in the elections of 1918 with the program “economic. and social reconstruction ", the goal of which, according to Lloyd George," to make England worthy of heroes returning from the battlefields. " The program offered: 1. to demobilized soldiers - employment, and before getting a job - payment of state. unemployment benefits. 2.Population - state. housing assistance and compulsory schooling for children under 14. Lloyd George laid the foundations for the social responsibility of the state. Active anti-German propaganda. \u003d\u003e Victory of the conservative-liberal coalition. Lloyd George again headed the government, key posts in which were received by the leaders of the Conservatives Bonar Lowe, Lord Curzon, and the liberal Churchill. The elections confirmed the deepening of the party-political crisis. systems. Officer. the opposition is the Labor Party.
Domestic policy. After the war, there was a short-term recovery caused by a sharp increase in demand for consumer goods in the domestic market and an improvement in the foreign trade situation. Speculative boom. Rising prices for everything. The profits of the capitalists rose, who demanded to be freed from the restrictions of the war period. Lloyd George's government met entrepreneurs halfway. In 1919, almost all state institutions were liquidated. control bodies created during the war. The dismantling of the military mechanism of the state is almost complete. regulation of the economy. During the war, largely due to the regulatory activities of the state, the concentration and monopolization of production and capital sharply increased, which made a new expansion of the state inevitable. intervention in the economy. After the refusal in 1919 from the gold standard of the pound sterling, the state is the only controller of the issue of paper money. Having abolished control over the railway, the government was forced to partially restore it in 1921, uniting the railway companies into 4 regional groups. Ministry of Transport established. The Ministry of Health was established in 1919. The beginning of the implementation of the 1st state. housing programs. The formation of the social system. responsibility of the state. The paying capacity of the population is very low, the economic growth is short-lived: in the fall of 1920, the 1st post-war economy. a crisis. By the end of the year, the crisis had been largely overcome, but there was no new upsurge, and in 1922-1923 the economy was stagnant.
Post-war rise of the labor movement. The struggle of the working class has reached a fever pitch. The workers' demands are higher wages and a shorter working week. + There was a demand for the nationalization of a number of industries. The strikes of this period were short-lived, but they were massive and with a fighting spirit of the strikers. In January 1919, workers in the industrial area of \u200b\u200bthe Clyde Valley in Scotland went on strike, demanding a 40-hour work week. The strike was led by a committee of shop-spoards - factory chiefs. The government sent troops against the strikers. The right-wing leaders of the trade union of machine builders refused to provide the participants in the strike with material assistance from the trade union. Termination of the strike after 2 weeks. Spring / summer performances all over the country. The general strike of railways that took place at the end of September is important. The workers demanded higher wages, and the government tried to cut them. In order to split the unity of the railways, it satisfied the demands of the machinists and stokers, and the rest made a demand for a reduction in wages. But the machinists and stokers supported the comrades' performance. + An attempt to use the troops failed - the soldiers fraternized with the workers. The government canceled its demand. The wages did not rise, but the strike showed the workers the strength of their unity. In this labor movement, the struggle for the needs of the working people and deeper social changes were closely linked with the struggle against anti-Soviet intervention and the suppression of the national liberation movement of the peoples of the colonies. From the beginning of 1919, under the slogan "Hands off Russia", committees were created, the decision to prepare a general strike for the withdrawal of troops from Russia. In September 1919, the creation of the National. Committee "Hands off Russia!", headed by Labor leaders, who tried to limit its activities by spreading information about the Soviet country and agitation for the development of trade with it. But the movement grew stronger. To the workers + soldiers and sailors of England and outside, in Murmansk, Arkhangelsk. They sought to return to their homeland and the abolition of military service. The government quickly demobilized the main ground forces. With the formation of the Comintern, the ideas of communism won a solid position in the leftist organizations of the English slave. class, the aspiration of the left-wing radical forces for unity of action intensified. In October 1919, the British Socialist withdrew from the Second International and joined the Comintern. the consignment. Close to her are the Socialist Labor Party in Scotland, the Labor Socialist. federation headed by the suffragist S. Pankhurst. Ultra-left positions are strong everywhere. Everyone (except the BSP) is against joining the Labor Party. The founding congress of the Communist Party of Great Britain in London 1920. At the second congress of the party in January 1921, it was joined by Com, which was supported by the shop stewards movement. workers' party led by William Gallagher et al. group, in April - the left wing of the Independent Labor Party. The work of the 1st Congress of the CPV coincided with the point of the workers' struggle against anti-Soviet policies. Following the ultimatum of 3 August 1920, which threatened the Soviet Republic with Britain's action on the side of Poland, the whole country was engulfed in workers' rallies. On Aug 9, an Action Council was created, led by Labor leaders. Under pressure from the working people, the council presented the government with a "workers ultimatum" demanding a refusal to intervene under the threat of general polit. strikes. On Aug 16, Lloyd George announced that the cabinet did not intend to start a war with Russia. Economy start. crisis of 1920-1921. The gov't is preparing to confront the slave movement in earnest. In October, Parliament passed an “Emergency Powers” \u200b\u200blaw that allowed the government to impose a state of siege in peacetime and use troops to quell “unrest”. The battle arena is the coal industry. The miners are the most united and largest contingents of the British proletariat. Since 1917, the Triple Alliance - about the unity of action of the Federation of Miners with the trade unions of railway and transport workers. Preventing joint action by the union has become a constant concern of the government. Implementation of the government's course to eliminate state. control depended on success in confronting the miners. Introducing in 1918 the state. control over coal mining, the government pledged to pay the owners of the mines compensation, with reimbursement of production costs, the cost of salaries of miners. Termination of state subsidies, the mine owners openly announced their intention in this case to reduce the wages of workers by 1/3. But the miners sought to nationalize the mines and introduce workers' control over them. The government, having accumulated coal reserves, prepared an extensive organization of strikebreakers and concentrated troops in the coal mining areas, announced the termination of control of the industry ahead of schedule - March 31. On April 1, the mine owners, in response to the miners' refusal to agree to a reduction in wages, announced a lockout. On April 15, 1921, the efforts of the right-wing trade union leadership thwarted the tripartite union solidarity strike \u003d\u003e Black Friday. Recession of the struggle. Outwardly, the social situation in the country has stabilized. England overcame the economy. crisis, with the elimination of the min-va of armaments and min-va of foodstuffs in the summer, the dismantling of the mechanism of state. control of the economy and the transfer of households on a peaceful track. Maintaining a coalition with Lloyd George's liberals now seemed superfluous to the ruling circles. In October 1922, at a meeting at the Carlton Club, the leadership of the Conservative Party decided to break the coalition. Having won the elections, the Conservatives formed the 1st party cabinet, which was headed by Bonar Lowe, from May 1923 - Stanley Baldwin. But the differences in the hands of the Conservative Party, which arose due to the breakdown of the coalition, have not been overcome. Baldwin tried to rally the party on the basis of the struggle for the introduction of protectionist tariffs, in order to sharply oppose it to the Liberal Party, which fought under the flag of free trade in the early elections of 1923. It succeeded, but the opposition also rallied: the Liberal Party went to the elections with a united front, and the Laborites actively opposed the Conservative course.
Plan
Introduction
1 Government
2 Monarchy
3 Kingdom Defense Act
4 British Armed Forces
4.1 British Army
4.2 Royal Navy
4.3 Royal Air Corps
5 Recruitment and mobilization
5.1 The 1918 draft crisis
5.2 Refuseniks
6 Sea and air raids
6.1 Raid on Yarmouth
6.2 Raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby
6.3 Shelling Yarmouth and Lowestoft
6.4 Air raids
7 Media
7.1 Advocacy
7.2 Newspapers
7.3 News logs
7.4 Music
7.5 War poets
8 Consumption level
9 Industry
10 Changes in society
11 Losses
12 Consequences
List of references
Introduction
British propaganda poster.
“The empire needs men!
Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand
All answer the call.
With the help of young lions, the old lion challenges his enemies "
Through the First World War, Great Britain passed as part of the military-political bloc of the Entente, continuously developing, the country achieved its goal, defeating the bloc of the Central Powers (the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and the Bulgarian Kingdom). The British armed forces underwent a major reorganization (the war marked the creation of the Royal Air Force) and increased in size, for the first time in the history of the country resorting to a forced draft. With the outbreak of war, patriotic sentiments swept across the country, and it has been argued that the many boundaries and boundaries between social classes in Edwardian England were reduced during this period.
To achieve victory over the enemy, significant sacrifices had to be made. Fearing shortages of food and labor, the government passed legislation to protect the kingdom, giving itself additional powers to ensure the safety of its citizens. During the war, there was a change in attitude towards it from the policy of the first years "Hushing up difficulties" (and maintaining the pre-war status quo) under the cabinet of Herbert Henry Asquith to the regime total war (the impact of the state on all spheres of public life) at the premiere of David Lloyd George, which was first observed in Britain. British cities were the first targets of aerial bombardment.
Morality in society was maintained at a fairly high level largely thanks to the mass media; newspapers flourished during wartime. Centralized government propaganda reached the populace in large numbers through journalists such as Charles Masterman and newspaper publishers such as Lord Beaverbrook. Adjusting to demographic changes in the workforce (this process was called Erosion of labor), war-related industries grew rapidly, and production increased by involving a disproportionate number of people. In addition, for the first time, the massive use of female labor was noted, which subsequently forced politicians to grant a significant number of women the right to vote in 1918.
During the war, the British royal family, led by George V, severed ties with their Germanic relatives and renamed their dynasty from the German-sonorous Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor. The country also faced other difficulties. Attempts to save the royal relatives in Russia, together with Nicholas II, failed. Due to food shortages and the Spanish flu epidemic that hit the country in 1918, the death rate rose. Estimated military casualties exceeded 850,000. It is also believed that the war served to increase national consciousness in countries such as Canada and Australia, which already then preferred to act in their own way on the battlefields, but were then still part of the British Empire, which ultimately ended with the collapse of the latter. On the other hand, after the conclusion of peace treaties and thus summarizing the war, the empire reached the zenith of its power.
1. Government
A closer look at the topic: Causes of the First World War
Great Britain entered World War I with Liberal Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith. At 11 pm on August 4, 1914, after the ultimatum had expired, Asquith declared war on the German Empire, in response to German demands from Belgium to grant free passage to French territory. The British reasons for declaring war were complex. Under the Treaty of London of 1839, the United Kingdom acted as the guarantor of Belgium's neutrality and independence in the event of an invasion, although the Foreign Office ruled that these obligations were not acceptable. The moral duty to France was another reason - extensive secret negotiations between the countries lasted from 1905, although most of the members of Asquith's cabinet were not initiated into them until 1911. Lack of evidence of the inevitability of war was the core of divisions within the government as early as July 31st.
By the beginning of the war, the policy of the British government, formulated by the ruling party, was far from state intervention in private business, which was in line with the historical position of the Liberals as supporters of the principles of government non-interference. This policy "Inertial business"as Winston Churchill described it in November 1914, it was necessary to change in the course of the war. In May 1915, Asquith's military cabinet was forced to resign due to the crisis in the production of artillery shells and the defeat in the Gallipoli campaign in the Dardanelles. Unwilling to go to early elections, Asquith reluctantly agrees on May 25 to form a new coalition government made up of his own Liberal Party and Conservatives.
This coalition remained in power until 1916, when Conservatives began to express dissatisfaction with the cooperation with Asquith and the behavior of the liberals, in part as a result of the Battle of the Somme. The government collapsed as a result of the political maneuvers of Andrew Bonar Lowe (the leader of the Conservatives), Sir Edward Carson (the leader of the Ulster Unionists) and David Lloyd George (then the Minister of War for the government). Lowe did not have enough support within his party to create a new coalition. On the other hand, liberal David Lloyd George, who had many more supporters, was able to properly form a new coalition government. After becoming prime minister, Lloyd George assembled a cabinet with even more Conservative representatives than his own party. In the first 235 days of its existence, this wartime cabinet met 200 times. Much smaller than the Asquith government, this cabinet created by Lloyd George was organized to take full responsibility for the course of the war. Its creation marked the transition of government politics to a state of total war - in which every man, woman, and child must fulfill a role in helping the front. Moreover, according to kingdom defense law it was decided to concentrate all levers of control over military-economic activities under government control. For the first time, the government was able to react to events quickly, without an endless bureaucratic apparatus that fetters its actions, having modern comprehensive statistics, including the results of the activities of the merchant fleet and agriculture. The success of Lloyd George's government stems, among other things, from the reluctance to hold elections and the virtual lack of dissent that results from them.
After the war, the Representation Act of 1918 gave a much broader spectrum of the public a voice to vote: all adult male homeowners over the age of 21 and all married women over the age of 30. Ultimately, this contributed to the collapse of the Liberals and the rise of the Labor Party in the 1920s. This became apparent in the 1918 general election, when the Labor Party's approval rating rose sharply from 6.4% in 1910 to over 20%, due to the division of the Liberal vote between supporters and opponents of the continued operation of the coalition government.
2. Monarchy
During the First World War, the British royal house faced a serious problem due to blood ties with the ruling family in Germany - the main enemy of Great Britain in the war. Before the war, the British royal family was known as the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha dynasty. In 1910, after the death of his father, Edward VII, George V ascended the throne, and remained king throughout the war. His cousin was the German Kaiser Wilhelm II, who personified all the horrors of war for British society. Queen Mary, being British like her mother, was the daughter of the Prince of Teck, a descendant of the Royal House of Württemberg. During the war period, H.G. Wells wrote about the royal family: "Alien and not inspiring yard", to which George V replied: "I may not inspire, but I'll be damned if I'm a stranger".
To appease the feelings of his patriotic subjects, on July 17, 1917, George V issued a special law according to which the British royal family began to be called Windsor instead of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He changed the surname to Windsor to all descendants of Queen Victoria who at that time lived in Great Britain, except for women who were married to representatives of other surnames and their descendants. The king and his relatives - British subjects abandoned all German titles and adopted English surnames. Georg made some of his male relatives British peers as compensation. So, his cousin Prince Ludwig Alexander von Battenberg became Louis Alexander Mountbatten the next morning, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven, and the king's brother-in-law, Duke of Teck became Adolph Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge. Others, such as Princess Maria Louise of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, simply stopped using their territorial designations. The royal family title system has also been simplified. Members of the British royal family who fought on the side of Germany were simply excluded; their belonging to British peers was suspended in 1919 by a special law, according to the conditions Titles Deprivation Act 1917.
