The Consequences of the First World War for British People

1973 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Impact of WW1 on social conditions in Britain

The Consequences of the First World War for British People

Britain changed significantly between 1900 and 1918, there are many potential reasons for this however World War One is seen as the biggest. The whole world order changed as the old empires of Russia, Austria - Hungary and the Ottoman Empire collapsed, Germany was recreated as the Weimar Republic and France and Britain were significantly weakened. The USA became the most powerful country in fields such as the industrial economy and trade. The internal factors that affected Britain most were the role of state, women, political parties and the class structure. After the First World War Britain remained still with an empire and the largest navy force in the world, however the changes internally in Britain effected people of all statures and classes socially, economically and politically. Changes such as greater government intervention and control, the rise in unemployment by around 1.5 million and the advancement of democratic progress, all effected the British population.

At the beginning of the war in 1914 the British Empire was globally spread (Appendix 1) and was large in comparison to those of Russia, USA and France, this therefore enabled Britain to cover a large surface area in comparison to the other empires. The British Empire included areas of large population and land area such as Canada and Australia, therefore Britain was enabling itself to emerge as one of the worlds superpowers by claiming that "under the rule of English Offices the Empire is becoming greater and stronger" (Daily Mail article, 1897). This materialization of Britain as a superpower had an effect on the British people as due to the fact that the Empire now covered approximately 20 million sq. miles, the British people were no longer contained to ‘Great Britain' but had expanded across the world and so therefore were seen as a superior race. However the First World War showed how strong other countries were around the world such as the USA.

Show More
Related

  • World War 1 Dbq

    481 Words  | 1 Pages

    Great Britain's empire was growing, mostly taking over countries in South America and some in Africa. According to the graph in Document C, Great Britain had more of a navy than an army, expanding little by little each year. Great Britain was then called the bloodsucker of the world, also causing problems for supplies to get from one country to another. This made it seem as if Great Britain had all the power. World War 1 would have never happened if there was a balance of power in Europe.

    Read More

  • What Are The Pros And Cons Of World War 1

    521 Words  | 2 Pages

    With the United States joining the war it made them look like a strong country. This was because it showed the other countries that the United States must have a good army/navy, and that they must have money...

    Read More

  • British Imperialism in India and China

    740 Words  | 2 Pages

    One country that had imperialism was India. By the mid-1880s, the British East India Company controlled three fifths of India. The cause of British domination was that the land was very diverse and the people could not unite and that the British either paid local princes or used weapons to get control. Positive effects of imperialistic rule in India were that the British set up a stronger economy and more powerful industries. They built roads and railroads. British rule brought peace and order to the countryside. They revised the legal system to promote justice for the Indians regardless of class. Indian landowners and princes, who still owned territory grew rich from exporting cash crops such as cotton and jute. The British introduced the telegraph and the postal system as a means of communication. These improvements and benefits from British rule eventually lead to Indian nationalism. The exposure to European ideas caused an Indian nationalist movement, the people dreamed of ending Imperial ...

    Read More

  • Life In Usa After Wwi

    1171 Words  | 3 Pages

    World War I which was known as a war that ended all the other wars and as the Great War finally came to an end in 1918 changing life in many countries especially in the United States of America either in a negative or positive way. World War I was a war fought from the years 1914 to 1918 in Europe between members of the Triple Alliance and Triple Entente. The triple entente was formed of people from Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, and the United States. The triple alliance on the other hand consisted of members of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria. The Great War brought many changes throughout the whole world. One of the countries that was reshaped after the Great War was the United States. Life in the United States after World War I was no longer the same.

    Read More

  • The Role of National Interest in World War I

    772 Words  | 2 Pages

    World War One was greatly influenced by many factors, and in many ways. National interest ignited the mistrust and insecurities within nations, which in turn led to the creation of strong alliances and immense military forces. The growing suspicion Britain had of Germany only heightened the wariness and uncertainty of nations. The means, by which individual nations dealt with the issues within themselves, and outside of their boundaries, in the years preceding World War One, were irrational and improperly thought through. Nations fell into a strong ultra nationalistic point of view, and acted in a way which expressed interest in themselves only.

    Read More

  • How Americas Views On War Changed Over Time

    1143 Words  | 3 Pages

    We've come a long way since the early styles of warfare seen in the American Revolution and the Civil War. World War I was the first war where the United States proved to the world we were a formidable power. Made up almost entirely of immigrants, America sent to Europe an armed force the fight against the Germans. The war brought a divided nation together as one. It represented pride and unity. The World War I victory portrayed the United States as a world superpower. Americans living in the early 1900s saw the war as a "just cause", and supported our actions abroad. World War II came just 20 years later. This time it was a single attack that drew us into the war. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor led us into World War II. The country furious with the cowardly assault; rallied, and stood behind the President's decision to send troops to the South Pacific and Europe. The American view on the war was very supportive. The country went to work manufacturing equipment offsetting the economic failure of the depression the United States was dealing with previous to the war.

    Read More

  • Tensions Leading up to World War I

    525 Words  | 2 Pages

    Two other countries also practiced imperialism during this time, their actions increased the rivalry between Germany and them as stated by historyonthenet.com. " By 1900 the British empire extended over five continents and France had control of large areas of Africa." "The amount of land owned by Britain and France increased rivalry with Germany. " Imperialism was a major part of the eruption of WWI.

    Read More

  • The Underlying Cause Of World War I

    1238 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ead as these countries journey to take over many other countries and vast amounts of land demonstrated from 1912 through 1918. The amount of land conquered by the end of 1918 was so vast that Britain, France, and Germany had a collective size of forty-four million, seven hundred ninety-five thousand sq. km.

    Read More

  • Social, Political and Economic Effects of WWI

    2176 Words  | 5 Pages

    The society could not support a long war. The First World War left no aspect of European civilization untouched as pre-war governments were transformed to fight total war. The war metamorphed Europe socially, politically, economically, and intellectually. European countries channeled all of their resources into total war, which resulted in enormous social change. The result of working together for a common goal seemed to be unifying European societies.

    Read More

  • The Political And Social Impacts Of World War I

    1007 Words  | 3 Pages

    Several economies such as Germany’s were destroyed and were forced to reconstruct their economy. Opposed to in the United States the war led to the economic industrial boom known as the Roaring Twenties. Countries such as France and Britain initially had some economic struggle but soon stabilized. After several years, The United States suffered and was involved in the catastrophe known as “The Great Depression”, Germany followed under the ruling of Nazi’s. The nations included The Great War were pushed to radical limits; millions were harmed and killed, including politicians, civilians but most of all soldiers serving their country. World War I left all involved uneasy, there was no comfort as the past had already tainted the future. Perhaps, one of the greatest uproars to ever occur leaving people on differing sides of

    Read More

  • Essay On World War 1

    737 Words  | 2 Pages

    The war also had an affect on the way people lived their lives. Before the war the citizens within each country felt a temporary relief from their internal divisions. Many men diliberatley enlisted themselves into the army and the women supporting them every step of the way. During the war foreigners recieved harsh treatments and were forced to do labor for the country they are in. They were also exposed to brutal conditions and were mistreated. There were a limited supply of resources since most of the supplies are being sent to the soldiers in war. Many women had to work in the factories in ord...

    Read More

  • European Imperialism in Africa and Asia

    1516 Words  | 4 Pages

    The epoch of imperialism cannot be defined simply as proliferation of inflated egos tied to the hardened opinions of nationalists, but also a multi-faceted global rivalry with roots of philosophies tainted with racism and Social Darwinism. The technique of each imperialist was specific to the motivations and desires of each combative, predominantly Western power and subsequently impacted the success of each imperialist and its colonies. Driven by industrialization, Europeans were aware of the urgent need for raw materials and new markets to maintain a constant rate of expansion and wealth. Imperialism became a competition; in general, the European countries led with fervor while the non-Western regions deemed likely to be stepped on. Britain was endowed with geographic and political advantages that allowed the country to become the first to unwittingly stumble onto industrialization. Britain was an island, therefore had developed a unique naval strength which subsequently gave Britain leverage when globalization blossomed from expanding maritime trade. Meanwhile, the rest of Europe, including Belgium, trailed behind. Presently, colonized regions still bear the traits and scars from the subjugators of their past.

    Read More

  • World War I (Aftermath)

    2656 Words  | 6 Pages

    On January 8, 1918, Woodrow Wilson went to Congress to announce his ideas regarding the war affairs of America. He created something known as the Fourteen Points, a plan that would determine the foreign affairs of the United States after World War I (Brower). When looking at the points, it is easy to identify how these were similar in nature, allowing them to be grouped. The first group deals with the points one, two, three, four, and five. These points dealt with the idea of how to maintain peace between nations and reduce the chance of imperialism and war. Instantly, the idea of peace is introduced, as the first point begins with “Open covenants of peace” proving the importance of maintaining peace (“Woodrow Wilson”). Moreover, Wilson aimed to unite the nations of the world peacefully by granting nations the “freedom” to navigate seas, removing “economic barriers” that hindered trade, reducing “national armaments” based on the threat a country faces, and allowing “ free, open-minded, and absolutely impartial adjustment of all colonial claims” (“Woodrow Wilson”). These five points came together to guarantee the freedom of each nation, as no nation would have a stronger military or control over the seas. Plus, trade would be less expensive, allowing stronger relations between the countries.

    Read More

  • Benefits Of The First World War

    1030 Words  | 3 Pages

    The United States affected the first major catastrophe of the twentieth century tremendously. The First World War, otherwise known as the “Great War,” was truly a world-wide event that was started in August of 1914 due to a single assassination of the heir to the Austria-Hungarian Empire. All but two of the world’s major powers at the time were in Europe, and all of those powers were in entangling alliances that propelled the continent into war. The United States joined the war as a latecomer in 1917 due mostly to a combination of unrestricted submarine warfare and antagonism from Germany over U.S. borders. The involvement of the United States in the Great War was overall beneficial to the development of itself due to a combination of domestic and international factors that cemented the United States as a major “Great Power.”

    Read More

  • Effects of World War II

    900 Words  | 2 Pages

    World War II had a large effect on America, on how we were regarded in the world, on how our culture would grow and develop, and on how our citizens would develop and settle the land on their return. It brought people together for a while that were later torn apart, and changed the way Americans looked at higher education. Perhaps most importantly, it brought America to the world and served it up to them as something that could grow and become part of their culture, call it the Coca-Colonization of the world (Marling).

    Read More

More about The Consequences of the First World War for British People

Open Document