Social Effects of WWI

Social Effects During the War - Disillusionment

Most had gone to war in 1914 believing in heroism and nobility

Trench warfare and the wartime experience changed these feeling to anger and disbelief

A mood of desolation and emptiness prevailed at the end of a war where great sacrifice had brought little gain

Church attendance dropped during and after the war

Social Effects During the War - Disillusionment

The anger of the soldier-poets was directed against those who had sent them to the war, not their enemyGeneration Gap - The generation conflict was also widened by the war as Veterans' disillusionment fed off of anger towards the older generation for sending them to the trenchesBritish poet, Wilfred Owen, who was killed in 1918 was transformed from a young romantic into a powerful denouncer of those who had sent young men off to war

Social Effects During the War –Artillery and DisillusionmentArtillery killed more people than any other weapon between 1914-18. The biggest guns used in the Great War could fire shells as large as a soldierThe troops were terrified of them. Men watched their fellows being blown apart or dreadfully wounded by shrapnelGenerals ordered artillery to bombard enemy trenches for hours on end before sending their own troops 'over the top' to attack. The idea was that the artillery would:

Kill many enemy soldiersTerrify othersDestroy barbed wire defensesDestroy machine gun positions

Social Effects During the War –Artillery and Disillusionment

In fact, enough enemy machine guns usually survived to mow down the infantry when they finally attacked

In many ways, artillery fire made it even harder to attack enemy trenches as it destroyed all cover and created the famous barren landscape of blasted trees and shell holes that was known as 'no man's land’

Many soldiers ended up with Shell Shock

Social Effects During the War – Technology and Disillusionment

Zeppelins and bombers were developed and began dropping bombs on towns, but only 1,500 died from this

Tanks were also being developed, but broke down quite often

Gas warfare was used but was unreliable; caused much fear

Very little damage was done to the homefront since this technology was in its infancy

Social Effects During the War - Schlieffen Plan & Disillusionment

In theory, it would allow Germany avoid a two-front warMost of the fighting would be against France in the beginning, then once they are defeated they would throw all their resources against RussiaThe Germans would go through neutral Belgium to reach France to avoid the Maginot LineGermans officials put all faith into this plan and had no other alternative

MA

GIN

OT LIN

E

Social Effects During the War - Technology and DisillusionmentArms races developed & arms manufacturers became major enterprises

Were too big and imperfect to end the stalemate

Generals were reluctant to discard old ways of thinking (importance of the machine gun and trenches)

All this caused the countries on the defensive to have the advantage

There were many deaths and little gains to be had

Social Effects – Class System

The result of working together for a common goal seemed to be unifying European societies:

All belligerents had enacted some form of a selective service which leveled classes

Wartime scarcities made luxury an impossibility and unfavorable

Reflecting this, clothing became uniform. Europeans would never again dress in fancy, elaborate costumes

Social Effects – Women

Became more of a part of society than ever

They undertook a variety of jobs previously held by men

They were now a part of clerical, secretarial work, and teaching

They were also more widely employed in industrial jobs

Social Effects – WomenBecause of their efforts, it was only a matter of time before women received the right to vote in many belligerent countries

Many restrictions on women disappeared during the war. It became acceptable for young, employed, single middle-class women to:

Have their own apartments

Go out without chaperones

Smoke in public

Women's skirts rose above the ankle permanently

Social Effects - African AmericansOne week of Wilson’s declaration of war, the War Department had to stop accepting black volunteers because the quotas for African Americans were filledBlacks could not serve in the Marines, and could only serve limited and menial positions in the Navy and the Coast GuardBy the end of World War I, African Americans served in cavalry, infantry, signal, medical, engineer, and artillery units, as well as serving as chaplains, surveyors, truck drivers, chemists, and intelligence officersThey introduced their culture, especially jazz, to Europeans, but gained no civil rights

Social/Economic Effects – Labor Unions

Employers fought to keep union organizers out of their plants and armed force was often used against striking workers

The universal rallying of workers towards their country at the beginning of the war led to wider acceptance of unions

A long war was not possible without complete cooperation of the workers with respect to putting in long hours and increasing productivity

Social Effects – Restriction of Rights

Governments took on many new powers in order to fight the total war. War governments fought opposition by increasing police powerAuthoritarian regimes like tsarist Russia had always depended on the threat of force, but now even parliamentary governments felt the necessity to expand police powers and control public opinion

Social Effects – Restriction of Rights in Britain

The Defense of the Realm Act authorized the public authorities to arrest and punish dissidents under martial law if necessaryLater acts grew to include:

Suspending newspapersUse of lights at homeFood rationingBar hours limitedStrikes made illegalRunning of factories and railroads

Police powers tended to grow as the war went on and public opposition increased as well

Social Effects – Restriction of Rights in France and Germany

The government cracked down on:Anyone suspected of supporting a compromise peace, giving military secrets, or airing dangerous opinionsCensorship of newspapersCensorship of personal mail

In Germany, laws were passed requiring males ages 17-60 to work in the factoriesThey also imported workers from occupied France and Belgium

Social Effects – Restrictions of Rights in the U.S.

Espionage Act of 1917 – Made it illegal to make any criticism of the government, interfere with the draft, or to encourage disloyaltyRed Scare of 1919-1920

A strike and 38 mail bombs set off the scareJune 1919 – Palmer’s home was bombedAttorney General A. Mitchell Palmer suspected almost anyone of being communist; many innocent people were deportedMay 1920 – Palmer announced the threat of large Communist riots on May 1st of 1920 (the Socialist Labor Day), but none materialized. This ended the scare

Social Effects - Propaganda

Propaganda tries to force a doctrine on the whole people. They influenced people:

To enlistSupport the war

Plant gardensConserveJoin workforceBuy bonds

Instill fearDon’t tell secretsRation or elseHuns/barbarians

Social Effects During and After WWI - Armenian GenocideIn 1908, the Young Turks led a revolution and seized power from the sultanThe new rulers, who had promoted a platform of equality and constitutionalism, quickly turned to extreme nationalismThey were afraid of conquest by another nation or ethnic group, so they drummed up support for an entirely ethnic Turkish stateThe Armenians were seen as an obstacle to their goal

Social Effects During and After WWI - Armenian Genocide

1915-1923, 1.5 million Armenians were killed

After WWI, 400 Young Turks were arrested and tried

Most were sentenced to death, but fled the country – other countries, including the new Turkish government, did not pursue them

Killings resumed

With the Ottoman Empire being renamed Turkey, a new republic was declared and the Turkish-Armenian issue was forgotten

Encouraged Hitler to start the Holocaust

Social Effects During and After the War - Influenza

In 1918 and 1919, the so-called "Spanish flu" killed an estimated 20-40 million people worldwideThe strain of influenza virus that caused the 1918 global epidemic ("pandemic") was exceptionally aggressiveIt was brought back to the homefront by the soldiers and was spread among civiliansLife expectancy was lowered and caused countries to have further economic problems due to a lack of workers