1. The Defence of the Realm Act
The Home Front
The Defence of the Realm Act

2. Aims: Identify the purpose of the Defence of the Realm Act.
Examine some of the restrictions placed on peoples’ lives during the war.

3. The Home Front During the First World War, Britain was
‘fighting’ a war on two fronts:
On the Western Front, soldiers were directly involved in fighting the war from the trenches.
On the Home Front, ordinary British people (civilians) also had an important role to play.

4. The Home Front During the course of the war peoples’ lives
changed dramatically as the whole country
worked together to win the war:
DORA
Food Shortages
Propaganda
The Home
Front
Censorship
Women At War
Conscription

5. The Defence of the Realm Act 1914
This was a law passed in August 1914 and gave the government new powers to introduce whatever restrictions were necessary to protect the country.
DORA immediately changed people lives in a number of ways

6. The Effects of DORA DORA allowed the government to
introduce various restrictions:
direct labour (tell people to work in certain vital industries)
order a blackout at night
censor the press

7. Think… No-one was allowed to give bread to horses or chickens
Why would the government believe that the following
restrictions were necessary?
Discuss your thoughts with the person(s) beside you
No-one was allowed to give bread to horses or chickens
No-one was allowed to use invisible ink when writing abroad
No-one was allowed to light bonfires or fireworks
The government introduced British Summer Time to give more daylight for extra work
Opening hours in pubs were cut, beer was watered down and customers in pubs were not allowed to buy a round of drinks
No one could own homing pigeons without permission.

8. The Effects of DORA If you had been a British civilian
during the First World War which
restriction would you have disliked
the most?
Remember to give a reason for your
answer!!

9. Managing Weapons Production
The British government had to ensure that there were enough munitions being produced in the UK to keep the war effort going.
It the early stages of the war there were huge shortages of shells which was effecting the armies ability to fight.
In response to this shortage THE MINISTRY OF MUNITIONS was created to oversee wartime production.

10. Managing Weapons Production
David Lloyd George was the
new Minister of Munitions. He
had the power to:
Take over factories
Set up new factories
Take over land to build new factories.
Control supplies of coal
Control the railways

11. The Munitions Industry