A Catalyst for Changing Class Structure in Britain - Research Paper Example

The Great War, a Catalyst for Changing Structure in Britain, 1914-1919 The Great War or the First World War is one of the greatest wars that have been witnessed in the world. Briefly, a number of factors, both long-term and short-term factors, triggered the First World War and some of the long-term causes include alliance system1 particularly the long-standing alliances between central powers including Germany and Austria Hungary versus Triple Entente that comprised of Britain, France and Russia. Another long-term cause of the First World War is nationalism whereby, there were rivalries between European countries resulting from colonialism. More so, finally, arms race is also another triggering factor of the Great War because Britain and Germany had the best navies during that period and so naval rivalry between the two countries played a significant role in the emergence of World War 1. In 1914, Britain reigned over a quarter of the world’s population, it was a very powerful country, stratified in a class system, and that individuals were determined by their class ranks. About fourteen million civilians participated in the war and so they played a leading role in changing the class structure of Britain of 1914.2 The First World War changed the social class structure in Britain in many ways, first, it reduced the number of servants employed, increased the number of salaried workers, and increased ownership of the country’s wealth.3 This paper explores how the Great War changed the class structure in Britain covering its effects on the upper, middle and lower classes as well as the role of women in the how and how this change their status in the society. Class is a social category where individuals are grouped together based on their status in the society. It refers to an individual’s position in the social hierarchy based on their accessibility to wealth and power and this implies that those who are wealthy and powerful are ranked high as compared to those who are poor and less powerful. Notably, the nature of the class system is usually known by the distribution of wealth in the country.4 The British life was strictly stratified into a class system; however, during the war the traditional class differences were softened.5 The aristocracy was the wealthiest and most powerful people in Britain during the war, and they had influence because of their wealth and power. The middle or working class who worked hard to earn a living doing jobs like farmers and traders followed them. The British middle class valued education and generally, they work as managers, civil servants, or social workers among others. Members of middle class interact with diverse people and they are very active members of formal associations.6 The working class comprises of those individuals who are presented by the peasants and their chances to succeed in life are limited. Normally, working class individuals work as industrial or manual laborers, and they were known to be involved in crimes. At the bottom of the hierarchy, there were the British lower class individuals who were considered as the homeless and beggars. They were seen as nothing more that individuals who polluted the British way of life and they were the servants who worked for the people in the upper and middle class. The upper and middle class individuals believed that the lower class people were inferior but they never hesitated to employ them as servants. The Great War really changed the class structure of Britain and it changed individuals perceptions of class.7 For instance, how societal members perceived women and their role in the society changed because of the women’s efforts and participation in the war.8 Generally, this war facilitated social change in Britain and advanced the conditions of the poorer classes.9 Before the Great War, the rise of bourgeois revolutions overthrew the traditional feudal aristocracy in Britain, that is, the ranks of aristocracy had been significantly reduced during the war.10 1914 marked the end of feudal ties and subsistence wages on land.11 Moreover, the middle class become more vigorous and more ambitious because of the rapidly changing Britain into an industrial nation. The development of manufacturing implied the rise of industrial proletariat, an exploited working class who crowded in cities and slums and often degraded. Before the war, the unskilled workers lived in poor conditions and their children were subjected to infant mortality rate as compared to those of professionals. This clearly shows the meaning of class in pre-war Britain.12 Agreeably, the post-war British society was very different from its initial state before the First World War. It was more democratic, for instance, the groups that were under presented like women became better organized and more powerful during the war. In addition, the strict class hierarchy in Britain disappeared in the immediate post-war years.13 There were advances for the organized working class in Britain as trade unions emerged and many industrial worked became members.14 In addition, the First World War influenced the political development and changed the voting system of the British people. That is, both female and male voted in the election as opposed to 1910 before the war where only men were allowed to vote. This was because of the representation of the people act of 1918, which gave the vote to all men and women over 21 and 30 respectively with ownership of property and land. Britain changed significantly between 1912 and 1918. The internal issues that affected Britain most included the role of state, women and the class structure. After the First World War, the internal changes in Britain greatly affected individuals of all statures and classes socially, economically and politically. That is, changes such as increased government intervention and control and increased rate of unemployment greatly affected the British population. More so, this war led to a minor redistribution of income because of progressive taxation and flat-rate pay surges for labor-intensive workers, which lessened some pay variances. After the Great War, the disparities broadened again but in families where individuals were employed and earned wages; there was reduced incidence of poverty. Unemployment was a major challenge in the country after the war because of the large loss of life and wounded soldiers who were now unable to work due to their injuries and psychological disorders. By 1921, about two million individuals were unemployed and this really affected the British people. As the war started, trade unions were not common because of the regulations that prevented workers from quitting their jobs, but later on, the workers started seeing the benefits of job security and began forming workers unions and as a result, the trade union membership doubled during the war period. These trade unions had various achievement including better wages and shorter working hours. Notably, the membership of trade union grew from 4 million in 1914 to 6 million at the end of the war and it benefited many industrial workers.15 Notably, the Great War brought about significant changes in Britain’s social structure and some have argued that the participation of the working class in the war led to social leveling. The working class when the war started was larger than after the war and so the class divisions were not that vivid after the war because increased government intervention for the working class and increased taxation on the upper class. Higher taxation was a way of changing distribution of wealth among the British people.16 In addition, the differences within the working class significantly reduced due to the development of skilled workers and the progression of a more consistent pay rate. Moreover, the greater achievements of the trade union activities and increased political awareness within the working class account for the reduced differences within the working class. Both the middle and upper classes experienced a distinct shift in power from being land owners to business and industry owners. Moreover, there was increased taxation for those individuals in the upper class after the war. The noticeable change in the middle class was the large increase in the number of individuals working in the professions, civil service and as managers following the increase of welfare standards and the development of modern industries. More so, some women in the middle class retained their work positions, which they held during the war. Furthermore, there was reduced number of servants after the Great War as the living standards of the middle fell. In addition, many middle class families reduced the number of servants they employed and some families got rid of all servants in the post-war era. In short, there was a decline in the number of servants employed after the Great War,17 and this is because the middle class individuals had low income.18 Agreeably, the participation of the lower classes in the war was very critical in acquiring victory and those in the middle and upper classes felt their efforts.19 More so, women’s role in the society changed, they replaced men in the workforce as men joined the battle as soldiers.20 This is because the country lost many men especially those who participated in the war as soldiers. Following their participation in the war, women had convinced many individuals including men that they deserved to be treated equally. Women are always seen as weak and are designated degrading roles in the society. Women who participated in the war in one way or another proved many individuals and countries wrong regarding the place of a woman in the society. Additionally, there were many lasting gains for women brought by the war. For instance, they experienced increased freedom in their daily lives, and many middle class and professional women joined the workforce. More so, after the war, the electoral reform act extended voting rights to only women aged 30 and above.21 In Britain, there were increased white-collar employment opportunities like managers and administrators for women after the First World War. Women had many gains from the Sex Disqualification Act of 1919, which enabled them to be professionals in various fields and were also allowed to be active in the parliament.22 However, the exceptions that allowed women to have economic power during the war years were not permanent in that, they were forced out of labor market after the war when the ex-soldiers and skilled laborers returned. Men returning from military service were allowed to return to their jobs and this resulted to increased women unemployment immediately after the war ended. Most of them were forced back into domestic service and even the middle class women who retained their position in the workforce, their fortunes and those of the working class women and men was an indication of the traditional pre-war hierarchies. Restricting women from joining the labor market forced women back to the tradition of limited roles outside homes.23 After the war, the labor party belonged to the working class and “it adopted a new policy towards the middle-class women’s movement.”24 Even though the class differences reduced during the war and after the war, class-consciousness is part of individuals’ lives in Britain. According to Waites, the British class structure has continued in spite of the wars. 25 They are always ranking high and low in the society despite the efforts of having equality in the society. In conclusion, the Great War affected individuals of all different professions, classes and genders. This was served as a turning point for political developments and provided the opportunity to help the British population through state intervention. This war changed the social class structure in Britain and it changed how people perceive class in the society. The working class benefited from the trade union membership as their wages were increased. The middle class were greatly affected and most of them were left with low income, which could not even enable them employ servants. On the other hand, the war led to the decline of aristocracy and there was increased taxation for the upper class. Nevertheless, the women played a leading role in the war and as a result, how other societal members perceived them changed. Works Cited “First World War Aftermath: Britain after the War.” National Archives. n.d. Web. 29 Nov 2014. Beckett, Ian F.W. and Keith Simpson. A Nation in Arms. Barnsley : Pen & Sword Military, 2014. Print. Bourke, Joanna. Another Batter Front. The Guardian. 2008. 29 Nov 2014. Dewey, Peter. War and Progress: Britain 1914-1945. London: Routledge, 2014. Print. Graves, Pamela M. Labour Women: Women in British Working-Class Politics, 1918-1939. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994. Print. Grenville, John A. 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Oxford, UK: Blackwell Pub, 2003. Print. Read More