The Effect of World War One on Civilian Life

The Effect of World War One on Civilian Life

World War one began in 1914 when Great Britain declared war on

Germany, this war was different to all previous wars for several

reasons; it was the first war, which involved so many nations, and

also where people at home were affected very greatly indeed. The war

affected everyone, not just the soldiers, for the first civilians were

killed or injured by German Zeppelins, which were able to fly over to

Britain and actually drop bombs on the country. Propaganda was used

greatly to influence the way that British people thought about the

enemy and it was this key factor, which kept the British people

against the Germans. Despite all the negative aspects and outcomes of

the war, governments knew that to stand a chance of winning the war

they had to invest more money into improving technology and the war

was responsible for many technological and medical advances, these

advances include the mass-production of the wireless and the discovery

of penicillin. As a result of the conflict and the majority of men

going off to fight, the role of women improved dramatically, from

being the typical housewife and being subject and expected of a very

domestic lifestyle, they found that during the war they had to take

over the men's roles, which involved them going out to work in

factories and producing munitions. Throughout this essay I am going to

look at various areas, as to how and what extent the people on the

home front were affected by the war.

Section A is very useful as it delivers various sources, secondary and

primary and tells in detail the initial impact of the war 1914/1915.

Source A1 clear...

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...ar to see that the war had a great impact on the lives of the

people at home. This impact was spread across several areas. Some of

these effects were on women - they gained independence and were the

closest they had ever been to political equality with men, as they

gained the right to vote. The lives of the British people on the home

front were affected greatly by the food rationing and the use of

propaganda influenced the way the people acted and thought towards

German people, Germans living in Britain became the victims of

discrimination and their establishments (such as shops and houses)

were ransacked. To say the least, the greatest impact of the war was

the loss of thousands of men and this impact not only affected the

people on the frontline and the home front but it would effect

countless generations afterwards.