Key Terms
- DORA: Defence of the Realm Act (1914) — gave government emergency powers over civilian life
- Conscription: Compulsory military service introduced January 1916 (Military Service Act)
- Shell shock: Psychological trauma from trench warfare (now called PTSD)
- Pals Battalions: Units from same town/workplace — heavy losses hit whole communities at once
- Suffragette: WSPU member using direct action for women's votes (founded 1903)
- Total war: A conflict in which the entire nation's resources — industrial, human, and social — are mobilised; WW1 transformed Britain into a total-war state through DORA, conscription, and industrial conversion
Key Dates
- 1901: Rowntree's York survey — 28% in poverty
- 1903: WSPU founded by Emmeline Pankhurst
- 1906: Free school meals; Liberal landslide election
- 1908: Old Age Pensions — 5 shillings/week for over-70s
- 1911: National Insurance Act (4d + 3d + 2d)
- June 1913: Emily Wilding Davison killed at Epsom Derby
- 4 Aug 1914: Britain declares war on Germany
- Aug 1914: DORA passed; Kitchener recruitment campaign
- Jan 1916: Military Service Act — conscription begins
- 1 Jul 1916: First day of the Somme — 57,000 casualties
- 1917-18: Rationing introduced; women's land army peaks
- 11 Nov 1918: Armistice — end of the war
- 1918: Representation of the People Act — women over 30 get the vote
Key People
- Seebohm Rowntree: York survey 1901 — 28% in poverty; influenced Liberal reforms
- David Lloyd George: Liberal Chancellor; "People's Budget" 1909; architect of Old Age Pensions and National Insurance
- Emmeline Pankhurst: WSPU founder 1903 — "Deeds not Words"
- Emily Wilding Davison: WSPU martyr; died at Epsom Derby, June 1913
- Lord Kitchener: Secretary of State for War; "Your Country Needs YOU" recruitment poster
- Sir Douglas Haig: BEF commander; ordered the Somme offensive (1916)
Must-Know Facts
- Richest 1% owned 70% of national wealth in 1900
- Rowntree: 28% of York in poverty (1901)
- 40% of Boer War volunteers were physically unfit
- Old Age Pension: 5 shillings/week for over-70s (1908)
- National Insurance: 4d + 3d + 2d per week (1911)
- 2.5 million volunteers by February 1916 (before conscription)
- Somme first day: 57,000 casualties; 19,240 dead (1 July 1916)
- Total Somme: ~420,000 British casualties
- Votes for women over 30: Representation of the People Act 1918 — 8.4 million women
- Equal voting rights not until 1928 (Equal Franchise Act)
Common Mistakes
- Saying Franz Ferdinand's assassination caused Britain to go to war: It was the trigger for Austria-Hungary vs Serbia — Britain entered because Germany invaded Belgium, violating the 1839 Treaty of London. Always name Belgium as the decisive factor for Britain.
- Saying women got the vote in 1918 as a simple reward for war service: Always qualify — it was only women over 30 who met a property qualification; full equal voting rights came in 1928. The government also restricted it to avoid women outnumbering men on the electoral register.
- Getting Liberal Reform details wrong in describe questions: The Old Age Pension was 5 shillings (not pounds), for over-70s (not over-65s), paid at the post office (not through the workhouse). All three details are needed for full marks.
- Treating the Liberal reforms and the welfare state as the same thing: The Liberal reforms were the beginning of state welfare — limited in coverage and well below the poverty line. The full welfare state came with Beveridge (1942) and the post-1945 Labour government, thirty years later.
This topic summary covers Knowledge Organiser: Britain in Peace and War, 1900-1918 within Britain in Peace and War, 1900-1918 for GCSE History. Revise Britain in Peace and War, 1900-1918 in Component Group 3 — British Depth Studies for GCSE History with 14 exam-style questions and 18 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 17 of 17 in this topic. Use this topic summary to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Practice questions for Britain in Peace and War, 1900-1918
Describe four features of the wealth and class divide in Edwardian Britain around 1900. [4 marks]
Describe four features of the Liberal reforms introduced between 1906 and 1911. [4 marks]
Quick recall flashcards
How did the National Insurance Act 1911 work?
Workers paid 4d/week, employers 3d, state 2d. Part 1 (health): sick pay and medical treatment for ~13 million workers. Part 2 (unemployment): 7 shillings/week for up to 15 weeks for 2.5 million workers in seasonal trades.
What did the Old Age Pensions Act 1908 provide?
5 shillings per week (7s 6d for a couple) for those aged 70 or over with incomes below £21/year. Paid at the post office — no need to enter the workhouse. Lloyd George called the recipients 'God's children.'