Social Impact Ww1

Britain

Social Impact
> Quality of Life
• Period of reduction to spatial inequality
o Decline in portion of population considered destitute
• Fewer people claimed relief from poor law, children required subsidised school meals
• Primary poverty had fallen by more than half
• Improvement in overall standard of health
o Characterised by:
• Increase in life expectancy
• Reduction to digestive disorders, illnesses w improved nutrition due to rationing
• Fall in infant mortality
• Improvement of 5% annually by 1918
o Due to:
• Rise in average household income due to increase in average wage, increase in receipt of welfare
• Increase in concern for maternal and infant health
• New value placed on human life w immense loss on WF, declining birth rate
• Maternal health scheme introduced in 1916
o Training for midwives extended (1916)
o Maternal and infant welfare centres introduced (1918)
• Short supply of labour
• Increase concern for health of workers (eg canteens subsidised)
• Scientific development encouraged safer workplace practices
• Gov attempts to reduce dissent (eg official control of rent in 1915, rationing introduced in 1917)
• Reduction to consumption of alcohol
• Pub licensing hours reduced, alcohol content of beer reduced, high tax on spirits
o Not due to:
• Improvement of health system w increased strain on existing health system
• Increase in overall consumption
• Fall in consumption of 20% (7% due to fall in expenditure on alcohol)
• Excess demand for housing in urban areas led to:
o Inflation of rent
• Due to:
• Increase in D for housing w migration of rural workers to urban areas (eg shortage of 100,000 to 150,000 houses within first yr of war)
• Decrease in S of housing w shortage of building material, labour
• Attempts to control rent by gov
• Rent Restriction Act of 1915
o Not enforced, continually violated due to adverse effect on landlords
• Implications:
• Reduction to morale of HF
• Increase in...