The First World War required the mobilisation of entire societies, regardless of age or gender. The phrase 'home front' was itself a product of the war with parts of Britain literally a war front, coming under enemy attack from the sea and increasingly the air. However, the home front also conveyed the war's impact on almost every aspect of British life, economic, social and domestic. In the fullest account to-date, leading historians show how the war blurred the division between what was military and not, and how it made many conscious of their national identities for the first time. They reveal how its impact changed Britain for ever, transforming the monarchy, promoting systematic cabinet government, and prompting state intervention in a country which prided itself on its liberalism and its support for free trade. In many respects we still live with the consequences.
Edited by:
Hew Strachan
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: New edition
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 36mm
Weight: 1.006kg
ISBN: 9781009012324
ISBN 10: 1009012320
Pages: 495
Publication Date: 02 March 2023
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction Hew Strachan; 1. The United Kingdom in 1914 Catriona Pennell; Part I. Government: 2. The monarchy Heather Jones; 3. The growth of cabinet government George Peden; 4. The defence of the realm act G. R. Rubin; 5. Local Government: The experience of Essex Stuart Hallifax; 6. The clergy and cultural mobilisation Edward Madigan; Part II. Resources: 7. Iron and steel Peter Claughton; 8. Timber Rob Newman; 9. Fishing Robb Robinson; 10. Agriculture Keith Grieves; 11. Coal David Howell; 12. Finance Jonathan Boff; Part III. People: 13. Labour, the labour party and the trades unions Chris Wrigley; 14. Enlistment and conscription Ian Beckett; 15. Charities Peter Grant; 16. Refugees Pierre Purseigle; 17. Prisoners of war and internees Panikos Panayi; Part IV. Production: 18. Munitions Gerard Charmley; 19. Clothing and uniforms Krisztina Robert; 20. Shipbuilding and ship repair Hugh Murphy; 21. Railways Christopher Phillips; 22. Seaborne trade and merchant shipping Martin Wilcox and David J. Starkey; 23. Food Mary Elisabeth Cox; Part V. Social Impacts: 24. Press and propaganda David Monger; 25. Pacifism Martin Ceadel; 26. Homes and families Maggie Andrews; 27. Crime and policing Louise A. Jackson; 28. Children Rosie Kennedy; 29. The home front as war front Susan R. Grayzel; 30. The United Kingdom in 1919 Martin Daunton.
Sir Hew Strachan is Wardlaw Professor of International Relations at the University of St Andrews, Life Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and Emeritus Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. His publications include To Arms (2001), the first of a three-volume history of the First World War, and The First World War (2003) which accompanied a 10-part television series.
Reviews for The British Home Front and the First World War
'This is the most comprehensive reassessment of the 'Home Front' in the United Kingdom that has been published for a generation. It will provide an indispensable starting point for future scholars of the war and helpful and enlightening reading to those who have a general interest in Britain and Ireland during this period.' Adrian Gregory, author of The Last Great War: British Society and the First World War 'In the fullest study in a generation, leading historians use social, economic, cultural, and political history to shine new light on Britain's home front in the Great War. They show why civilians were central to a 'total war' and integrate Ireland as part of the United Kingdom of the period.' John Horne, editor of A Companion to World War I 'This collection makes a vital contribution to the political, economic and social history of the First World War. Drawing on the expertise of leading scholars in their fields, it provides a comprehensive study of the British Home Front. It forms an essential addition to the historical literature of the war.' Jessica Meyer, author of Men of War: Masculinity and the First World War in Britain 'Hew Strachan's edited volume adds a strong scholarly voice to the chorus of commemoration still echoing from the centenary of the Great War. Here is a book which respects local identities and imperial loyalties, and shows how British initiatives in the management of manpower, production and finance underwrote victory in the 1914-18 war.' Jay Winter, author of Sites of Memory, Sites of Mourning: The Great War in European Cultural History
