Compare And Contrast Of The First And Second World War
Changes in Britain as a result of the First and Second World Wars
War is a state of armed hostility between nations or parties within a nation and usually occurs as a result of a disagreement. It is a locomotive of history because it is a catalyst to change, forcing people to adjust their daily routines and lifestyles in the short term and quite usually in the long term too, as well as innovating technology and weaponry.
After the Second World War, between 1945 and 1951, Clement Attlee of the Labour Government became prime minister and passed a series of measures, which helped the period become known as the welfare state. These included social reforms addressed by Sir William Beveridge in his report of December 1942 and which were called the Five Giants (Want, Disease, Squalor, Ignorance and Idleness). In 1948, the government introduced the NHS (National Health Service) to provide free healthcare to British citizens. This led to prescriptions rising from 7 million per month before the NHS to 13.5 million per month in September 1948 while costing £358 million per year. The NHS was only introduced by the government because post war, the people wanted reform and change in the country, and this new, radical idea was hugely popular. …show more content…
Every large-scale war, especially ones involving powerful countries on both sides, brings something new to the art of warfare.
The changes in the weaponry, equipment and the way the armed forces were used were unprecedented in their extent and impact; it had a profound effect on tactics and strategy. World War II was a war of incredibly fast maneuvering, with the media even coining the term "blitzkrieg" (lightning war), to describe it. In particular, RADAR, radios, and SONAR/ASDIC made significant impacts and the tank and other armored vehicles saw armies become more mechanized and mobile. Even the First World War, which first saw extensive use of warplanes, submarines and tanks, had not brought about as significant a
change.
Many consider the end of the Second World War the beginning of a new era. This may be because of the change in attitudes and the mutual need for a better post-war society; no one wanted a repeat of the awful times of hardship and social division the war caused. When the men left for war, they left a huge position in society that needed to be filled. Women who were left behind took up factory jobs, clerical work, driving etc. and it was the most responsibility most of them had ever taken on. The needs of war production brought women of all countries into industrial jobs, and gave them an insight of the independence that could be gained by employment. This helped to alter the outdated concept of a woman 's role in society, and encouraged many of them to pursue equality. World War II swept aside many of these traditional beliefs, and accelerated a social revolution that had begun in the early 20th century. After the War, even when the men came back and resumed their old roles, attitudes towards women had still changed. Divorce and employment rates for women went up because they felt more freedom in their marriages.
After WWI, in 1919, The League of Nations was set up and included the great powers such as Britain, France, and Belgium etc. although the United States refused to join. It perhaps had one of the most influential roles in causing WWII due to its inability to effectively deal with situations such as the Abyssinian Crisis and in 1945, after Germany and Japan had surrendered, the United Nations was set up in its place. Without the war, the United Nations may not have been set up and they would not have been around to diffuse the tension between USA and USSR over The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 or succeed in averting the Arab-Israel war in 1967. This shows that the war was a locomotive of change as it forced the world to re evaluate the importance of a system to stop wars between countries, and to provide a platform for dialogue that was effective to prevent history from repeating itself.
Overall, I believe that War did cause and accelerate significant changes in Britain that wouldn’t have happened without it, making it a locomotive of history.
Bibliography: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1096238 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090207165430AAoIyuK
War is a state of armed hostility between nations or parties within a nation and usually occurs as a result of a disagreement. It is a locomotive of history because it is a catalyst to change, forcing people to adjust their daily routines and lifestyles in the short term and quite usually in the long term too, as well as innovating technology and weaponry.
After the Second World War, between 1945 and 1951, Clement Attlee of the Labour Government became prime minister and passed a series of measures, which helped the period become known as the welfare state. These included social reforms addressed by Sir William Beveridge in his report of December 1942 and which were called the Five Giants (Want, Disease, Squalor, Ignorance and Idleness). In 1948, the government introduced the NHS (National Health Service) to provide free healthcare to British citizens. This led to prescriptions rising from 7 million per month before the NHS to 13.5 million per month in September 1948 while costing £358 million per year. The NHS was only introduced by the government because post war, the people wanted reform and change in the country, and this new, radical idea was hugely popular. …show more content…
Every large-scale war, especially ones involving powerful countries on both sides, brings something new to the art of warfare.
The changes in the weaponry, equipment and the way the armed forces were used were unprecedented in their extent and impact; it had a profound effect on tactics and strategy. World War II was a war of incredibly fast maneuvering, with the media even coining the term "blitzkrieg" (lightning war), to describe it. In particular, RADAR, radios, and SONAR/ASDIC made significant impacts and the tank and other armored vehicles saw armies become more mechanized and mobile. Even the First World War, which first saw extensive use of warplanes, submarines and tanks, had not brought about as significant a
change.
Many consider the end of the Second World War the beginning of a new era. This may be because of the change in attitudes and the mutual need for a better post-war society; no one wanted a repeat of the awful times of hardship and social division the war caused. When the men left for war, they left a huge position in society that needed to be filled. Women who were left behind took up factory jobs, clerical work, driving etc. and it was the most responsibility most of them had ever taken on. The needs of war production brought women of all countries into industrial jobs, and gave them an insight of the independence that could be gained by employment. This helped to alter the outdated concept of a woman 's role in society, and encouraged many of them to pursue equality. World War II swept aside many of these traditional beliefs, and accelerated a social revolution that had begun in the early 20th century. After the War, even when the men came back and resumed their old roles, attitudes towards women had still changed. Divorce and employment rates for women went up because they felt more freedom in their marriages.
After WWI, in 1919, The League of Nations was set up and included the great powers such as Britain, France, and Belgium etc. although the United States refused to join. It perhaps had one of the most influential roles in causing WWII due to its inability to effectively deal with situations such as the Abyssinian Crisis and in 1945, after Germany and Japan had surrendered, the United Nations was set up in its place. Without the war, the United Nations may not have been set up and they would not have been around to diffuse the tension between USA and USSR over The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 or succeed in averting the Arab-Israel war in 1967. This shows that the war was a locomotive of change as it forced the world to re evaluate the importance of a system to stop wars between countries, and to provide a platform for dialogue that was effective to prevent history from repeating itself.
Overall, I believe that War did cause and accelerate significant changes in Britain that wouldn’t have happened without it, making it a locomotive of history.
Bibliography: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1096238 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090207165430AAoIyuK