British soldiers and civilians had high expectations of their government following World War 1, most of which did not eventuate. The soldiers needed understanding of their suffering and emotional pains of the war, while the British civilians felt that Germany’s reparations were highly important in the short-term. Employment was a significant issue to both groups, with the soldiers arriving home to no jobs whilst the civilians wanted the security of their wartime trade, particularly women. The expectation that men and their families, who had fought in the war, would be looked after by the government through pensions was overwhelming and political support was crucial to this issue.
Understanding of the emotional pain of World War I was important to the British soldiers and expectations of their government at the time of demobilization to do this were unfulfilled. The process of demobilization did nothing to boost the morale of many soldiers, as it was based on how valuable individuals were for their civilian jobs, and ignored how long they had participated in military service. The result of this was a slow and drawn out release throughout 1919 and was not a glorious homecoming expected by both the British soldiers and civilians. There was a desire of the troops to get back to normal life, but dissatisfaction and violent unrest resulted after the selective demobilization and disappointment at home conditions sparked resentment amongst service men.
Men who had suffered expected some recognition and gratitude from those back home but found that others were not interested in war and its tragedies. Author Ernest Hemingway recognised this sacrifice and wrote “I had seen nothing sacred and the things that were glorious had no glory”, referring to the Veterans feelings that they were not understood or appreciated. Unity was achieved within Veteran movements on issues dealing with pensions and belief of gratitude deserved and rekindled the support and brotherhood of the trenches.
The Term Paper on United States War American British
On June 18, 1812, President Madison of the United States and Congress declared war on Great Britain. On June 25, the French emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte led his army in Europe across the Nieman River into Russia. (1) Although these two events were thousands of kilometers apart they were directly connected to each other. To some extent, the Americans declared war in protest against measures that ...
British civilians had expectations of their government following the First World War in relation to employment. The record lows of wartime unemployment led many to want the security of their jobs, particularly women, whilst the threat of Veterans taking their jobs was high. The health of the working population was low and to enhance that standard of living, workers pay levels rose. A further source of income was the placement of women into the workforce during the war. A working-class man observed in 1966 the effect of the wage levels, particularly on women and their expectations – After one customer in the grocery store, who worked in the munitions factory, rudely asks for ‘summat worth chewin’, the old man replies after damning her from the shop “Before the war”, he fumed “that one was grateful for a bit o’ bread and scrape”.
Despite women’s hopes of continuing their working lives, they were discouraged and encouraged to return to the home once the soldiers returned home. Civilians expected job security and an expansion of the role of the government in reconstruction of the workforce, where they expected to play an important role due to their wartime service and employment. They expected to be provided with similar work and wages but Britain’s inability to communicate their ideas of reconstruction to the civilians, unlike the soldiers, resulted in a conservative government not willing to improve the work crisis. A memorandum in T.Wilson’s The Myriad Faces of War: Britain and the Great War 1914-1918 indicates that the government wished to inform the people on the homefront of the advantages of an Entente Peace to “dwell on the democratic development and improvement in the lot of the working classes”, rather than employment reforms. Social reform was abandoned as a result of Britain’s declining world financial position and therefore was only readily concerned with the employment issues striking the returned servicemen.
The Essay on The Soldiers War
Alexander Hamilton once said, “When the sword is once drawn, the passions of men observe no bounds of moderation.” The American Civil War came into being due to these “passions of men”, and the average men, who went into the war with such gusto, got slapped into the harsh reality of war. The Civil War ushered in a new era of fighting, with new tactics, new weapons, and new strategies. However, as ...
Soldiers expected employment once being demobilized from the British government following World War One. At the front, soldiers were lectured on the British government’s plans for minimum wages, housing and education, with an enthusiastic response. Despite large planning, most were not put into place. Due to fears of serious dislocation and unemployment, Slip notes were introduced, a messy and unfair process that was a form of selective demobilization. A returning soldier would approach on their former employer, ask for their job back and if the employer replied with a slip, the two matching forms would release the soldier from duty. This method was unsuccessful, unpopular and not met with much long-lasting employment, due to opportunities seized by those civilians who did not fight in the war. As a result of large debts faced by the government in the post-war period, there was increased unemployment, taxation and the soldiers demobilized first were re-absorbed into the economy, later facing unemployment and begging.
A commander comments on the employment that never eventuated for most soldiers – “In mufti we were no longer heroes, we were simply ‘unemployed’, an unpleasant problem”. Ongoing employment problems aside, many men were unable to work due to injuries sustained from war. No schemes were put into practice for health, education, employment assistance and apprenticeships, and low employment was further fuelled by a housing crisis. Following World War I, soldiers expected employment reforms and more opportunity for work rebuilding the economy in Lloyd George’s ‘Land fit for heroes’. In Lyn Macdonald’s Voices and Images from the Great War an ex-soldier in 1923, Sydney Chaplin, discusses a park full of homeless and starving soldiers. “Men who had fought in the trenches, now unwanted and left to starve, were all huddled together”. British soldiers expected more employment opportunities from the government after the First World War, but these promises never eventuated and resulted in high unemployment.
British soldiers and civilians had a high expectation of their government in relation to pensions following their service in World War One. Unity within Veteran movements was achieved on issues that concerned soldiers – pensions, disability and public perception. The government failed to comprehend their large duty to the returned servicemen. The war separated the soldiers from other British civilians and felt that one another only understood their suffering. A report in the British Special Branch of the Criminal Investigation Department warned that members of ex-servicemen’s associations were “inclining towards the Independent Labour Party for support, as they say that they must have some support to see that their pensions are not reduced”. In late 1919, the government presented the ex-servicemen with a list of reforms – pensions were made a right, schemes were proposed for training of disabled soldiers and Veterans were to be given employment preference.
The Essay on Samuel Adams Government British Colonies
Samuel Adams may have been the most radical person in American history. He is often called the original radical. At first glance, he appeared as a very disorganized and incompetent man. He often wore the same set of clothes for a few days straight without washing them. With further inspection, one would notice that he is a little more than he appears on the outside. Adams was a well-known American ...
Pensions were also supplied to the disabled and to families of those soldiers who had dies as a result of war service. However, there was evident administrative insensitivity when dealing with families ‘not entitled to a pension’. For example, Private Loosemore married his childhood sweetheart after arriving home victorious, but died three years later. The authorities stated that because his wife knew the extent of his health, she was not entitled to a Widow’s pension. Despite success at the release of pensions to soldiers, the British people expected more tolerance and sensitivity in dealing with ex-servicemen, their families and the degree of death, disability and service. The pensions were long awaited following the First World War and the expectation of reforms in conjunction with this right was high.
The British government faced high expectations from soldiers and civilians following World War One, including pensions, employment and emotion pains experienced by soldiers. The returned Veterans felt that they needed understanding from the government and people of Britain in reference to the emotions associated with war. A significant issue to both groups, Employment, saw soldiers arrive home to no jobs whilst the civilians wanted the safety of the income from their wartime work, principally women. The topic of Pensions was notable and through overwhelming and political support, the government included it with their reforms, despite some problems.
The Term Paper on Impact of Wars on Military Society: The Soldiers and their Families
Wars have been part of human history. What shaped the society that is perceived in this time is a result of conflicts and rivalries that occurred in the past. In almost all places on earth, the scars of war and of battle continue to be seen and commemorated. People are divided in this concept of war. For some, it is a way of life and a means of achieving peace and promoting security in the ...
