Total War
Total War
Total war was introduced to Britain in May 1915 and was to last until the end of the war in November 1918. Total War put the whole country on a compulsory war footing with the government controlling it.
When war was declared in August 1914, a certain naivety enveloped the whole country. Many did believe that the war would be over by Christmas 1914 - hence the rush by young men to volunteer before the 'fun' ended. This whole belief that the war would be a short and sharp affair with Germany being defeated ended with the Battle of the Marne and the horrors of trench warfare that followed it. With so many men dying at the front - and with the horrors of trench warfare becoming known back in Britain by men returning on leave - the volunteers started to dry up. The May 1915 shell crisis showed that the country was not on a full war footing and with talk of the 'big push' being made with due frequency, the men on the front line had to be suitably equipped. With this in mind, the government introduced 'total war'.
In 1915, the war was not going well for the Allies. The predicted easy victory over the 'Hun' never materialised and even politicians such as David Lloyd George believed that victory was not guaranteed. Even as late as November 1916, Lloyd George told Colonel Maurice Hankey, the secretary to the cabinet's War Committee "We are going to lose this war".
The Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith, was seen by many as not being up for the task of leading the country in war. He responded to a crisis by setting up a committee - one to deal with the Dardanelles, one to deal with administration etc - but none of these committees were given sufficient powers to be effective. Final decisions rested with the Cabinet with Lord Kitchener being given a great deal of authority within it. As Secretary of War, Kitchener wielded much power even if a contemporary saw him "as an ageing ignorant man armed only with a giant's reputation".
The one man who seemed to want a more
Total war was introduced to Britain in May 1915 and was to last until the end of the war in November 1918. Total War put the whole country on a compulsory war footing with the government controlling it.
When war was declared in August 1914, a certain naivety enveloped the whole country. Many did believe that the war would be over by Christmas 1914 - hence the rush by young men to volunteer before the 'fun' ended. This whole belief that the war would be a short and sharp affair with Germany being defeated ended with the Battle of the Marne and the horrors of trench warfare that followed it. With so many men dying at the front - and with the horrors of trench warfare becoming known back in Britain by men returning on leave - the volunteers started to dry up. The May 1915 shell crisis showed that the country was not on a full war footing and with talk of the 'big push' being made with due frequency, the men on the front line had to be suitably equipped. With this in mind, the government introduced 'total war'.
In 1915, the war was not going well for the Allies. The predicted easy victory over the 'Hun' never materialised and even politicians such as David Lloyd George believed that victory was not guaranteed. Even as late as November 1916, Lloyd George told Colonel Maurice Hankey, the secretary to the cabinet's War Committee "We are going to lose this war".
The Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith, was seen by many as not being up for the task of leading the country in war. He responded to a crisis by setting up a committee - one to deal with the Dardanelles, one to deal with administration etc - but none of these committees were given sufficient powers to be effective. Final decisions rested with the Cabinet with Lord Kitchener being given a great deal of authority within it. As Secretary of War, Kitchener wielded much power even if a contemporary saw him "as an ageing ignorant man armed only with a giant's reputation".
The one man who seemed to want a more