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1	War and the Home Front: Devon in the First World War, 1914-1918 White, Bonnie 10 1900 (has links) <p>This investigation contributes to the existing scholarship on Britain and the First World War by examining the war's impact on the county of Devon in southwest England. More specifically, this study pays particular attention to how communities, families, and individuals responded to the pressures of war and to what extent social unity was achieved at the county level. By exploring the relationship between the state and its citizens, this dissertation questions the extent to which Devonians were passive and accepting of the sacrifices and hardships that the government required from them, how their experiences were informed, and to what extent class, gender, and religious differences limited public support for the war? While this dissertation argues that Devonians were generally supportive of British participation in the war, that support was provisional and based on the perception of 'equality of sacrifice' - the expectation that the burdens of war would be shared equally throughout the county and across all segments of society. This study reveals that the inequalities of sacrifice and inconsistencies of government policies burdened some groups more than others and led to social disaffection. Rather than promoting solidarity, the war often exacerbated rural/urban tensions, highlighted the social and economic divisions that characterized relations between the communities of northern and southern Devon, and led to frequent and public criticisms of the government's management of the war.</p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
2	From Governors to Grocers: How Profiteering Changed English-Canadian Perspectives of Liberalism in the Great War of 1914-1918 Targa, RYAN 20 September 2013 (has links) The war against Germany was perceived by the majority of English Canadians as a necessity to defend the British Empire, democracy and justice. However, it became increasingly evident to the public that some individuals were being permitted to prosper, while others — particularly those of the working class — endured immense hardship. These individuals who prospered at a level judged excessive became known as "profiteers." Initial criticisms of profiteering were connected to graft, jobbery and patronage apparent in government military purchases. However, as public sacrifices intensified, the morally acceptable extent to which individuals and businesses could profit came to be more narrowly defined. Criticisms of profiteering expanded to challenge the mainstream liberal notions of private wealth and laissez-faire policies as being inequitable and undemocratic. The federal government's unwillingness to seriously implement measures against profiteering led to rising discontent. Consequently, working-class English Canadians aspired to form a 'new democracy' that was worth the sacrifices of the war. / Thesis (Master, History) -- Queen's University, 2013-09-19 19:02:13.077 food controller world war one military contracts scandals 1914-1918 inflation profit liberalism patronage corruption profiteers profiteer conscription big interests income tax great war income war tax business profits war tax liberal order taxation conscription of wealth combines graft jobbery first world war english canada patriotism working class equality equality of sacrifice regulation shell committee imperial munitions board profiteering liberal trusts great war veterans association laissez-faire democracy board of commerce canada food board

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War and the Home Front: Devon in the First World War, 1914-1918

From Governors to Grocers: How Profiteering Changed English-Canadian Perspectives of Liberalism in the Great War of 1914-1918