Defence of the Realm Act ISSUE 2 – The effect of the war on life in Scotland DORA Defence of the Realm Act

What you need to know Exam questions will focus on the following: What DORA was and why some Scots objected to it. What conscription was and why it started. What conscientious objectors were and why they were against conscription. How the war affected women in Scotland. How Scotland coped with the size of its losses in the war.

What was DORA? DORA was the short name for the Defence of the Realm Act. Became law on 8 August 1914. It was a law that allowed the government to pass many new measures to protect the country during the war. Textbook pages 70-75.

Censorship – In August 1914 the British government established the War Office Press Bureau. Newspapers were censored so that enemy spies could not get information, but also so that the British people could not find out about the horrific military defeats. Even letters home from soldiers first passed through a military censor.

Aliens – Many people lived in Britain who were not born here Aliens – Many people lived in Britain who were not born here. If they had been born in an enemy country e.g. Germany, Austria etc and had not become British subjects, they were classed as enemy aliens. Failure to register could result in a fine or imprisonment.

Enemy Aliens Enemy aliens in Scotland were taken to internment camps like Stobs Centre in Hawick. There were cases of violence against foreigners e.g. the anti-German riots following the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915. By 1919 the German community in the UK was 22,000 in 1914 it had been 57,000.

The sale of alcohol – Laws were passed restricting the sale of alcohol and the opening hours of public houses. The price of alcohol was also controlled by the government: By 1916 opening hours had been reduced to 5.5 hours per day (previously 13 hours) and pubs were closed on a Sunday. The strength of beer and whisky was reduced. The buying of rounds (buying more than 2 drinks at a time) was banned.

Curfews – were imposed giving the right to stop and search anyone out at night without proper authority. People were forbidden to enter certain areas e.g. the docks, train stations without a ticket or even buy binoculars without official permission.

Industry – In 1915 there was a crisis because private companies were unable to produce enough munitions. The Munitions of War Act of 1916 gave complete control over war production to Lloyd George. He could settle disputes, forbid strikes, limit profits and send workers where they were needed. Under DORA, the government took control of co-ordinating the supply of materials. It also set up its own munitions factories and took control of the coal industry in 1917.

Conscription – The Military Service Acts of 1916 made all men between 18 and 41 eligible to be called up for war. There were, however, exemptions for some, e.g. for those still in education or training or involved in vital war work such as coal miners, farmers etc. (reserved occupations)

The Highlands and the land question – As the war went on and food supplies in Britain became more of a concern DORA was used to maximise food production within the country. Local councils could take over land that was not being used for food production and grow crops on it. Propaganda to eat less and grow more spread across the country. Local crofting tenants were allowed temporary access to unused farmland to help food production. After the war some tenants refused to return land to owners.

Opposition to DORA At first, people accepted the need for greater security and control. However, as the war progressed many got tired of the restrictions. On one level, people complained of the pettiness of DORA. E.g. some people had to give up homing pigeons when the authorities feared the birds might send messages to Germans or not being able to fly a kite without permission.

Lloyd George made few friends when he blamed problems in munitions factories on the heavy drinking habits of workers in the west of Scotland. Many objected to the restriction of pub opening times and reducing the strength of alcohol in beer. More seriously, people objected to DORA undermining civil liberties that had taken years to achieve e.g. being able to strike to improve working conditions.

Some felt that the government was abusing its powers and silencing legitimate political debate, including anti-war opinion. DORA gave the government the right to imprison people without trial. Legitimate protests were reported in the newspapers as unpatriotic e.g. reporting of strikes on Clydeside in 1915 – the government shut down anti-war newspapers such as Forward while pro-government reporting tried to show the strikers as undermining the war effort and threatening the lives of soldiers on the front line.