Negativity in Post-War Life

Abstract

The conclusion of the First World War left Britain in a state of nullity. Four years of conflict had resulted in an unprecedented strain on resources, coupled with an immense number of casualties, both from the forces of Britain immediately involved and from those of her allies. The cultural effects were even greater. Tendencies noted in earlier chapters as beginning to emerge now resumed at breakneck speed. Industrialists found that activities introduced to assist the war effort could now be further developed in assisting extended production. The movement for freedom in Ireland gained in momentum, with the implications for the British army that they were accompanied by increasing tension north and south of the border. Above all, the movement for emancipation of women, which was now seen as more acceptable—largely, perhaps, as their contribution to the war effort was recognized—was now rewarded with the advancing of limited female suffrage.