History 445 BRITAIN IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR Dr. M.J. Childs Divinity 28 Telephone: 822-9600 (ext. 2388) e-mail: [email protected] Office Hours: MWF 8:30-9:30, 10.30 - 11.30 MW 1.00 - 2.00, or by mutual agreement This is a seminar course which examines the impact of World War I on the politics, society, culture and economy of Britain. Topics to be studied include military strategy; political leadership and party alignments; conscription and the war economy; labour and the war; the changing roles and experiences of women; the trenches and the trench experience; and the growth and ebb of government intervention. GENERAL INFORMATION Grading The final mark for the course will be determined as follows: Research Paper Research Paper Report Seminar Report Participation

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Research Paper A research paper of 4000-5000 words (18-22 pages) typed and double-spaced, is due Wednesday, December 5. The penalty for late papers is 10% per day. The subject matter should be chosen as early as possible in consultation with me and in no case later than Thanksgiving. The paper must employ the proper scholarly apparatus of footnotes (or endnotes) and bibliography, and should display a familiarity with the relevant primary and secondary sources. A preliminary draft of the paper must be ready for circulation to the class one full week before you are due to give your research paper report. Seminar Report Each member of the class will be expected to give a presentation - of a maximum duration of 20 minutes - based upon the selected readings listed in the course outline. This report should briefly describe the content of the readings, comment on their sources and methodology, and provide a critical assessment of their contribution to the topic under debate. All other members are expected to come to class prepared to engage in subsequent discussion and debate in other words, having read and thought about the common class readings.

Participation Participation - not to be confused with attendance - counts for nearly one third of the mark in the course. The standard to be applied in this section of the course mark is the ability and willingness to contribute informed and critical commentary and discussion to the seminars. It is suggested that students see me a few times during the semester to find out how they are doing and what they might do to improve their participation. Students also are expected to attend regularly, and those who miss more than two sessions without a valid excuse will not have their research paper accepted. Text The text for the course is a selection of readings, photocopied and sold at cost in the Bookstore. Those titles in the additional readings marked with a * are available from me. COURSE OUTLINE Sept. 5: Introduction, course structure and objectives, sources Sept. 10: Edwardian society: Class Reading: P. Thompson, The Edwardians, Ch. 1, 2. Sept. 12: Edwardian politics: Class Reading: P. Thompson, The Edwardians, Ch. 16, 17. [ON RESERVE] Sept. 17: Pre-War Diplomacy and Strategy: Class Reading: Trevor Wilson, The Myriad Faces of War, Ch. 1 D. French, British Strategy and War Aims, Ch. 1 P. Kennedy, Strategy and Diplomacy 1870-1945, Ch. 5. Sept. 19: War Aims and War Strategy: Class Reading: M. Howard, ABritish Grand Strategy in World War I@, in P. Kennedy, ed., Grand Strategies in War and Peace D. French, British Strategy and War Aims, Chs. 4, 6, 9, 13 P. Kennedy, The Realities Behind Diplomacy, Ch. 4.

Sept. 24: High Command 1914-18: Class Reading: Tim Travers, The Killing Ground, Ch. 4; T. Wilson and R. Prior, Passchendaele, Ch. 1 T.H.E. Travers, "The Offensive and the Problem of Innovation in British Military Thought 1870-1915", Journal of Contemporary History, 1978, and -----, "Learning and Decision-Making on the Western Front, 1915-1916: The British Example", Canadian Journal of History, 1983.

*P. Griffith, Battle Tactics of the Western Front, Chs. 4 and 5 Sept. 26: Party alignments and political attitudes: Class Reading: John Turner, ABritish Politics and the Great War@, in J. Turner, ed., Britain and the First World War *A.J.P. Taylor, "Politics in the First World War" in Essays in English History J. Stubbs, "The Impact of the Great War on the Conservative Party", in G. Peele and C. Cook, eds., The Politics of Reappraisal T. Wilson, The Downfall of the Liberal Party, Part I R. McKibbon, The Evolution of the Labour Party, Chs. 5-6 J. Ramsden, The Age of Balfour and Baldwin, Ch. 6. Oct. 1: The trenches - what happened?: Class Reading: D. Winter, Death=s Men, Ch. 6; Section on Somme attack in G. Chapman, Vain Glory J. Keegan, The Face of Battle, Ch. 4 R. Wohl, The Generation of 1914, Ch. 3 J.M. Winter, The Great War and the British People, Ch. 3 or Winter, "Britain's Lost Generation", Population Studies, 1977

Oct. 3: The trenches remembered: Class Reading: P. Fussell, The Great War and Modern Memory, Ch. 5 R. Graves, Goodbye to all That S. Sassoon, Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man or Memoirs of an Infantry Officer E. Blunden, Undertones of War Oct. 10: Organisation for war: Class Reading: C. Wrigley, "The Ministry of Munitions" in K. Burk, ed., War and the State D. French, "The Rise and Fall of 'Business as Usual'", in K. Burk, ed., War and the State *S. Constantine, et. al., The First World War in British History, Ch. 2. T. Wilson, The Myriad Faces of War, Chs. 20 and 21 Oct. 15: Enlistment and Conscription: Class Reading: P. Dewey, "Military Recruitment and The British Labour Force during the First World War", Historical Journal, 27, 1984 J. Winter, The Great War and the British People, Ch. 2. P. Simkins, Kitchener’s Army, Chs. 2 and 3

Oct. 17: Class and status in World War I: Class Reading: B. Waites, "The Effect of the First

World War on Class and Status in England", Journal of Contemporary History, 11, 1976 R. Roberts, The Classic Slum, Ch. 9 E. Leed, "Class and Disillusionment in World War I", Journal of Modern History, 1978 P. Thompson, The Edwardians, Ch. 17. *S. Constantine, et. al., The First World War in British History, Ch. 5. Oct. 22: Labour, trade unions and the war: Class Reading: C. Wrigley, AThe Impact of the First World War on the British Labour Movement@, in M. Dockerill & D. French, Strategy and Intelligence: British Policy during the First World War K. Burgess, The Challenge of Labour, Ch. 5 J. Cronin, ed., Social Conflict and the Political Order in Britain, Ch. 5 A. Reid, "The Impact of the First World War on British Workers", in R. Wall and J. Winter, eds., The Upheaval of War. Oct. 24 and 29: Women and children in WW I: Class Reading, S. Constantine, et. al., First World War in British History, Ch. 6. N.F. Gullace, AWhite Feathers and Wounded Men: Female Patriotism and the Memory of the Great War@, Journal of British Studies, 36, #2, April 1997 D. Thom, "Women and Work in Wartime Britain", in R. Wall and J. Winter, eds. The Upheaval of War J. Gould, AWomen=s Military Services in First World War Britain@, in M. Higonnet, et.al., eds., Behind the Lines *J. Vellacott, "Feminist Consciousness and the First World War", History Workshop, 1987

Oct. 31 and Nov. 5: The postwar period: Class Reading: R. Blake, The Decline of Power, Ch. 4 K. Morgan, Consensus and Disunity: The Lloyd George Coalition, Chs. 2-5 S. Pollard, The Development of the British Economy, Ch.1 J. Cronin, "Coping with Labour...", in Cronin, ed., Social Conflict and the Political Order in Britain. Nov. 7: Britain and the Legacy of the Great War Nov. 12 to Nov. 28: Research Paper Reports

History 445 - Sources The primary sources available to seminar students in British history at Bishop's are rather limited in range and quantity. Nonetheless, for this particular period, they do exist, and should

be used wherever relevant to the topic you choose to explore. You should consult with me after deciding upon your topic, and should do so as early as possible during the term. The following is a brief list of the major types available: MEMOIRS, AUTOBIOGRAPHIES The Library possesses a fair selection of memoirs, usually those of the political and military leadership, e.g. Lord Grey (For. Sect. to 1916), Lloyd George, Sir John French, Sir Douglas Haig (private papers and dispatches). Also available are the many war autobiographies of serving soldiers which appeared in the late 1920s-early 1930s, such as R. Graves, E. Blunden, S. Sassoon, D. Jones, C. Carrington, etc. First hand reportage of experiences in battle can be found in such journals as the English Review. Less numerous are memoirs of ordinary civilians, both men and women, or women in the forces. CONTEMPORARY BOOKS, HISTORIES, SOURCES, ETC. Many publishers with an eye to the market put out serial histories of the war as it progressed, usually within a year of the events being described. The two main ones available are the Times History of the War (D522.T5) and the American History of the Great European War (D522). Punch's History of the War (D526.2.M5 and P81) is also worth a look - often amusing and with very good cartoons. Also useful is the Source Records of the Great War (D521.S6) - an American venture claiming to be an impartial collection of source documents, but in fact a good example of Allied propaganda. JOURNALS These are probably the best and fullest source for most subjects. The main ones for our purposes are: Edinburgh Review Contemporary Review - radical Liberal Fortnightly Review Round Table - a platform for imperialist thought Spectator - short, pithy and generally Tory in outlook: good for temper of the times, ambiance, etc. Illustrated London News - the "Life Magazine" of GB in the early 20th C: great photos and illustrations A random look through these for 1916 furnished the following articles: "The Working Classes under War Conditions", "Imperial Reconstruction after the War", "Our Naval Policy and Position", "The New Parliamentary Register and Votes for Women", "The War and the Liquor Trade", "Problems in the Near East", "The House of Commons and the War", "The Efficacy of the Blockade", etc. Many of these were written by the leading policy makers of the time (politicians could write in those days). All of them except the Illust. London News can best be used with the aid of subject indexes: either (1) Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature, Vols. III and IV (Ref AI3.R48), for Edin R, Contem. R, Fortn. R; or

(2) International Index to Periodicals, Vols. 1 and 2 (Ref. AI3.R49) for Spectator and English Review. MICROFICHE Very little here, except that in the HQ section are various works by the feminist and suffragette leaders of the late 19th and early 20th Cs. Most predate the war, except for Millicent Fawcett's memoirs (1924) and Lady Constance Lytton's Letters (1925). INTERNET This is a huge source of information which is constantly growing. Many sites are the work of amateur hobbyists of uncertain scholarship, which should be used with caution, but there are also some very impressive sites for photographs, maps and primary documents. Some particularly good ones are: www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi which also provides an excellent set of links to other sites of interest. www.firstworldwar.com/ http://vlib.iue.it/history/mil/ww1.html another set of very extensive links www.westernfront.co.uk/ one of the largest associations of amateur historians in the UK, this has material of varying quality, but includes some photos, maps and reminiscences. SECONDARY SOURCES The following is not a comprehensive bibliography of secondary sources on the war, but rather lists some useful works which are in the Library or in my possession. Use should also be made of the works cited in the course outline (some of which are also listed here). Adams, M.C.C., The Great Adventure: Male Desire and the Coming of WWI Adams, R.J., Poirier, P., Conscription Controversy in Britain -----, Bonar Law Aldcroft, D., British Economy between the Wars Ashworth, T., Trench Warfare: the Live and Let Live System Bidwell, S. and Dominick, G., Fire Power: British Army Weapons and Theories of War Bishop, J., A Social History of the First World War Bond, B., First World War and Brit. Military History (Historiography) Coetzee, M and F., World War I and European Society (sources) Cook, C., and Sked, A., Crisis and Controversy Eksteins, M., Rites of spring : the Great War and the birth of the Modern Age Ferguson, N., Pity of War

Field, F., British and French Writers of the First World War French, D., British Strategy and War Aims 1914-16 -----, The Strategy of the Lloyd George Coalition Fuller, J.G., Troop Morale and Popular Culture in British andDominion Armies 1914-18 Fussell, P., The Great War and Modern Memory Graham, J. W., Conscription and Conscience Grayling, C., Land Fit for Heroes Griffith, P., Battle Tactics of the Western Front Gullace, N., The Blood of our Sons: Women, Men and the Renegotiation of Citizenship Harris, S., Out of Control: British Foreign Policy and the UDC Herrmann, D.G., The Arming of Europe and the Making of the First World War Higonet, M., et. al., Behind the Lines: Gender and the Two World Wars Hynes, S., A War Imagined: the First World War and English Culture Kennedy, P., The Rise and Fall of British Naval Mastery Massie, R., Dreadnought McKibbon, R., The Evolution of the Labour Party 1910-24 ------------, The Ideologies of Class Meija, A., and Thompson, J., eds., Edwardian Conservatism Middlebrook, M., The First Day on the Somme Middlemas, K., Politics in Industrial Society Miller, S.E., Military Strategy and the Origins of the First World War Morgan, K.O., Consensus and Disunity: LL. G. Coalition Neilson, K., Britain and the last Tsar ------, Strategy and Supply: the Anglo-Russian Alliance Offer, A., The First World War: An Agrarian Interpretation O'Halpin, E., Decline of the Union (1892-1920) Prior, R. and Wilson, T., Command on the Western Front: The Military Career of Sir Henry Rawlinson -----, Passchendaele: The Untold Story Ramsden, J., Age of Balfour and Baldwin Rawling, B., Surviving Trench Warfare Roberts, R., The Classic Slum Sanders, M., and P. Taylor, British Propaganda during the First World War Simkins, P., Kitchener's Army Smith, H., War and Social Change Stevenson, D., The First World War and International Politics -----, Armaments and the coming of war : Europe, 1904-1914 Strachan, H., The First World War Travers, T., The Killing Ground -----, How the War was Won Turner, J., British Politics and the Great War ----------, ed., Britain and the First World War Waites, B., A Class Society at War Wightman, C., More than Munitions; Women, Work and the Engineering Industries Winter, D., Death's Men Wilson, T., The Downfall of the Liberal Party

Wrigley, C.J., History of British Industrial Relations vol. II: 1914-1939 Recent decades have also seen the publication of a number of extremely good novels about the war: among them, Sebastian Faulks, Birdsong, Sebastian Barry, A Long Long Way, and the Pat Barker trilogy: Regeneration, The Eye in the Door, and The Ghost Road, the last of which won the Booker Prize.