Effects of 3 20th Century Wars on British Society

This research paper traces the impact of the three major wars of the 20th century on the British political and social order, the Boer War (1899-1902), the First World War (1914-1918) and the Second World War (1939-1945). The impact of these wars, especially the two world wars, on British society while great was highly variable, causing want, privation and suffering to some segments of society and producing political, economic and social gains, some transitory and others more permanent, for others. Their one common thread was enhancement of the unity of the nation and the power of the state, which proved to be a mixed blessing in some of its long run manifestations.

The Boer War was fought on distant battlefields in South Africa at relatively small cost in killed and wounded and minimum disruption to the British economy. It was largely fought by the professional army with the help of about 200,000 volunteers. It was popular among the upper and middle classes but was largely regarded by workingmen as an expression of capitalism. The extensive coverage given to it by the press contributed to overall public support to imperialism and the growth of nationalistic sentiment among all classes.

The war drew attention to weaknesses in British society. According to Pope, "revelations about the numbers of volunteers unable to meet the standards required by the army (one in three overall, three out of five in a city

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anning of the economy, controlling the flow of raw materials and the movement of industry, allocating scarce foreign exchange and managing many aspects of society which had heretofore not been considered to be the business of government. The war spurred the pace of social reforms which had begun before the war in areas such as improving infant mortality, maternal care (such as by introducing canteens at factories), free meals for school children, broader educational opportunities (only minor steps taken in 1918) and clearing the slums to build "habitations fit for the heroes who have won the war," in Lloyd George's phrase. Second World War British casualties in World War II were less than in 1914-1918. Army casualties were much lower, 144,000 killed in action, but naval, merchant marine, air and civilian casualties (due to bombing) were much higher. World War II was a longer and much more of a total war, requiring complete mobilization of the civilian population and considerable civilian sacrifices. It was also a war for survival against an utterly merciless foe, which required the government to spend a considerable effort on war propaganda and on defining its war aims for public consumption. State controls over society and
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Approximate Word count = 1904
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

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