Women in World War I Societal Impacts

World War Is impact on womens roles in society was immense. Women were conscripted to fill empty jobs left behind by the male servicemen, and as such, they were both idealized as symbols of the home front under attack and viewed with suspicion as their temporary freedom made them open to moral decay. Even if the jobs they held during the war were taken away from the women after demobilization, during the years between 1914 and 1918, women learned skills and independence, and, in most Allied countries, gained the vote within a few years of the wars end. The role of women in the First World War has become the focus of many devoted historians in the past few decades, especially as it relates to their social progress in the years that followed. Women’s Reactions to World War I Women, like men, were divided in their reactions to war, with some championing the cause and others worried by it. Some, like the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) and the Womens Social and Political Union (WSPU), simply put political activity largely on hold for the duration of the war. In 1915, the WSPU held its only demonstration, demanding that women be given a right to serve. Suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughter Christabel  eventually turned to recruiting soldiers for the war effort, and their actions echoed across Europe. Many women and suffragette groups who spoke out against the war faced suspicion and imprisonment, even in countries supposedly guaranteeing free speech, but Christabels sister Sylvia Pankhurst, who had been arrested for suffrage protests, remained opposed to the war and refused to help, as did other suffrage groups. In Germany, socialist thinker and later revolutionary Rosa Luxembourg was imprisoned for much of the war because of her opposition to it, and In 1915, an international meeting of antiwar women met in Holland, campaigning for a negotiated peace; the European press reacted with scorn. The U.S. women, too, took part in the Holland meeting, and by the time the United States entered the War in 1917, they had already begun organizing into clubs like the  General Federation of Womens Clubs (GFWC) and the National Association of Colored Women (NACW), hoping to give themselves stronger voices in the politics of the day. American women already had the right to vote in several states by 1917, but the federal suffrage movement continued throughout the war, and just a few years later in 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, giving women the right to vote across America. Women and Employment The execution of â€Å"total war† across Europe demanded the mobilization of entire nations. When millions of men were sent into the military, the drain on the labor pool created a need for new workers, a need that only women could fill. Suddenly, women were able to break into jobs in truly significant numbers, some of which were ones they had previously been frozen out of, like heavy industry, munitions, and police work. This opportunity was recognized as temporary during the war and not sustained when the war came to a close. Women were frequently forced out of jobs that were given to returning soldiers, and the wages women had been paid were always lower than those of men. Even before the War, women in the United States were becoming more vocal about their right to be an equal part of the workforce, and in 1903, the National Womens Trade Union League was founded to help protect women workers. During the War, though, women in the States were given positions generally reserved for men and entered into clerical positions, sales, and garment and textile factories for the first time. Women and Propaganda Images of women were used in propaganda beginning early in the war. Posters (and later cinema) were vital tools for the state to promote a vision of the war as one in which soldiers were shown defending women, children, and their homeland. British and French reports of the German â€Å"Rape of Belgium† included descriptions of mass executions and burning of cities, casting Belgian women in the role of defenseless victims, needing to be saved and avenged. One poster used in Ireland featured a woman standing with a rifle in front of a burning Belgium with the heading â€Å"Will you go or must I?† Women were often presented on recruiting posters applying moral and sexual pressure on men to join up or else be diminished. Britain’s white feather campaigns encouraged women to give feathers as symbols of cowardice to nonuniformed men. These actions and women’s involvement as recruiters for the armed forces were tools designed to â€Å"persuade† men into the armed forces. Furthermore, some posters presented young and sexually attractive women as rewards for soldiers doing their patriotic duty. For instance, the U.S. Navys I Want You poster by Howard Chandler Christy, which implies that the girl in the image wants the soldier for herself (even though the poster says ...for the Navy. Women were also the targets of propaganda. At the start of the war, posters encouraged them to remain calm, content, and proud while their menfolk went off to fight; later the posters demanded the same obedience that was expected of men to do what was necessary to support the nation. Women also became a representation of the nation: Britain and France had characters known as Britannia and Marianne, respectively, tall, beautiful, and strong goddesses as political shorthand for the countries now at war. Women in the Armed Forces and the Front Line Few women served on the front lines fighting, but there were exceptions. Flora Sandes was a British woman who fought with Serbian forces, attaining the rank of captain by the war’s end, and Ecaterina Teodoroiu fought in the Romanian army. There are stories of women fighting in the Russian army throughout the war, and after the February Revolution of 1917, an all-female unit was formed with government support: the Russian Women’s Battalion of Death. While there were several battalions, only one actively fought in the war and captured enemy soldiers. Armed combat was typically restricted to men, but women were near and sometimes on the front lines, acting as nurses caring for the considerable number of wounded, or as drivers, particularly of ambulances. While Russian nurses were supposed to have been kept away from the battlefront, a significant number died from enemy fire, as did nurses of all nationalities. In the United States, women were allowed to serve in military hospitals domestically and abroad and were even able to enlist to work in clerical positions in the United States to free up men to go to the front. Over 21,000 female Army nurses and 1,400 Navy nurses served during World War I for the United States, and over 13,000 were enlisted to work on active duty with the same rank, responsibility, and pay as men who were sent off to war. Noncombatant Military Roles The role of women in nursing didn’t break as many boundaries as in other professions. There was still a general feeling that nurses were subservient to doctors, playing out the era’s perceived gender roles. But nursing did see major growth in numbers, and many women from lower classes were able to receive a medical education, albeit a quick one, and contribute to the war effort. These nurses saw the horrors of war firsthand  and were able to return to their normal lives with that information and skill set. Women also worked in noncombatant roles in several militaries, filling administrative positions and allowing more men to go to the front lines. In Britain, where women were largely refused training with weapons, 80,000 of them served in the three armed forces (Army, Navy, Air) in forms such as the Women’s Royal Air Force Service. In the U.S., over 30,000 women worked in the military, mostly in nursing corps, U.S. Army Signal Corps, and as naval and marine yeomen. Women also held a vast variety of positions supporting the French military, but the government refused to recognize their contribution as military service. Women also played leading roles in many volunteer groups. The Tensions of War One impact of war not typically discussed is the emotional cost of loss and worry felt by the tens of millions of women who saw family members, men and women both, travel abroad to fight and get close to the combat. By the war’s close in 1918, France had 600,000 war widows, Germany half a million. During the war, women also came under suspicion from more conservative elements of society and government. Women who took new jobs also had more freedom and were thought to be prey to moral decay since they lacked a male presence to sustain them. Women were accused of drinking and smoking more and in public, premarital or adulterous sex, and the use of â€Å"male† language and more provocative dress. Governments were paranoid about the spread of venereal disease, which they feared would undermine the troops. Targeted media campaigns accused women of being the cause of such spreads in blunt terms. While men were only subjected to media campaigns about avoiding â€Å"immorality,† in Britain, Regulation 40D of the Defence of the Realm Act made it illegal for a woman with a venereal disease to have, or try to have, sex with a soldier; a small number of women were actually imprisoned as a result. Many women were refugees who fled ahead of invading armies, or who remained in their homes and found themselves in occupied territories, where they almost always suffered reduced living conditions. Germany may not have used much formalized female labor, but they did force occupied men and women into laboring jobs as the war progressed. In France the fear of German soldiers raping French women—and rapes did occur—stimulated an argument over loosening abortion laws to deal with any resultant offspring; in the end, no action was taken. Postwar Effects and the Vote As a result of the war, in general, and depending on class, nation, color, and age, European women gained new social and economic options, and stronger political voices, even if they were still viewed by most governments as mothers first. Perhaps the most famous consequence of wider women’s employment and involvement in World War I in the popular imagination as well as in history books is the widening enfranchisement of women as a direct result of recognizing their wartime contribution. This is most apparent in Britain, where, in 1918 the vote was given to property-owning women over the age of 30, the year the war ended, and Women in Germany got the vote shortly after the war. All the newly created central and eastern European nations gave women the vote except Yugoslavia, and of the major Allied nations only France did not extend the right to vote to women before World War II. Clearly, the wartime role of women advanced their cause to a great extent. That and the pressure exerted by suffrage groups had a major effect on politicians, as did a fear that millions of empowered women would all subscribe to the more militant branch of women’s rights if ignored. As  Millicent Fawcett, leader of the National Union of Womens Suffrage Societies, said of World War I and women, It found them serfs and left them free. The Larger Picture In her 1999 book An Intimate History of Killing, historian Joanna Bourke has a more jaded view of British societal changes. In 1917 it became apparent to the British government that a change in the laws governing elections was needed: the law, as it stood, only allowed men who had been resident in England for the previous 12 months to vote, ruling out a large group of soldiers. This wasn’t acceptable, so the law had to be changed; in this atmosphere of rewriting, Millicent Fawcett and other suffrage leaders were able to apply their pressure and have some women brought into the system. Women under 30, whom Bourke identifies as having taken much of the wartime employment, still had to wait longer for the vote. By contrast, in Germany wartime conditions are often described as having helped radicalize women, as they took roles in food riots which turned into broader demonstrations, contributing to the  political upheavals  that occurred at the end and after the war, leading to a German republic. Sources: Bourke, J. 1996. Dismembering the Male: Mens Bodies, Britain and the Great War. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Grayzel, SR. 1999. Womens Identities at War. Gender, Motherhood, and Politics in Britain and France during the First World War. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.Thom, D. 1998. Nice Girls and Rude Girls. Women Workers in World War I. London: I.B. Tauris.

A Study On Rites Of Passage - 1803 Words

The purpose of this document is to support and underpin the corresponding year eight scheme of work on rites of passage, noting the process of creation from start to completion. It will detail what I have taken into account when choosing the content and learning outcomes; address the incorporation of key skills such as ICT, numeracy and literacy; clarify why some of the learning activities and resources I have utilised were chosen; illustrate how I intend to embrace differentiation; explain how assessment will encourage and monitor learning development. It was essential to begin the process of creating the scheme of work by researching the syllabus requirements at key stage three, giving consideration to the learning that should have taken place at key stage two. It says: â€Å"Spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical developments are essential aspects of religious education and should be clearly identifiable† (Welsh Assembly Government, 2008, 10). Alongside these aspects of religion, the syllabus also demands learners are given opportunities to develop a skills range by engaging with the world, human experience and a search for meaning (Welsh Assembly Government, 2008, 20-21). I was able to provide opportunities to develop this skills range through inclusion of the essential aspects. Learners are provided with opportunities to cultivate an appreciation of the world through physical, mental and cultural means. They are given chances to explore human experience throughShow MoreRelatedA Research Study On Howling Ritual By Van Gennep s Theory On Rites Of Passage1987 Words   |  8 Pagestradition, that takes place on the night of the first full moon of every school year. It is organized by the second years. 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The Influence and Legacy of Western Civilization in the Development of Modern Singapore free essay sample

In the Discovery Channel documentary The History of Singapore, it has been said that the city-state has for many years intrigued Western imagination, being both a â€Å"modern and Westernized society on the outside, yet undeniably Asian on the other. † Once known as the â€Å"crown jewel† of the British Empire in Asia, the Republic of Singapore has not only embraced Western economic thought, but has improved on it, currently boasting one of the highest standards of living not just in Asia, but in the world. The fascination by Western thinkers on the city-state is quite notable: as shall be seen in this paper, modern Singapore today is the offspring of the traditional and resource-rich East, and the progressive and enterprising West. Thanks to its strategic location at the straits of Malacca, the English-speaking country is also a bustling global hub for tourism, industry, manufacturing, logistics, financial services, and many others; Its modern array of skyscrapers and tower blocks are home to almost 5 million people from different races. It comes as no surprise that for many years; foreign influence has played a pivotal role in the affairs and historical development of the island. Mr. Goh Keng Swee, former Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, once said â€Å"It was the Western trader and the Western administrator who introduced modern ideas, modern systems of government, modern education and modern techniques of communications and production into traditional Asia. † Historical evidence helps us understand the truth behind Mr. Goh’s remarks. 1. 1 Asian Civilizations and Ancient Singapore Even with the image of European civilization as modern and enlightened one, Asian civilizations back in the 14th and 15th centuries were by no means backward. The Chinese, Japanese, Indians, Malays, and others possessed advanced nation states. The existence of these states facilitated the establishment of sea and land trading routes across the Eurasian landmass, connecting Asian traders with European ones over the famed Silk route. Inter-asian, sea-based trade also flourished, and Straits of Malacca, located between the Malayan peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra, became an important route connecting Western Asia with the East Asian nations located in the Pacific coast. (Abshire, 22) Singapore has been a trading port for most of its history. In a time when groups tended to migrate a lot in search of resources, having a large, sedentary settlement on an island with few natural resources seemed counterproductive considering its resource-rich geographical neighborhood. However, its location has undoubtedly played a part in attracting development to the island. Ancient Singapore traces its roots from early Malay settlement of the island, personified in the legend of Sang Nila Utama and his mythical â€Å"founding† of Singapore around 1299. The settlement he founded, called Temasek, or as it would be known later, Singapura (Lion City), was an important trading post. This ancient city of Temasek, destroyed later on, is not the same entity that later evolved into the British colony of Singapore. (Abshire, 23) When the British came, they were basically given a blank slate, with little, if any civic structures in place. The Western World enters Asia The 16th century. Coupled with a desire to look for resources and a China-bound trade route that does not pass through the Arab-controlled Middle East, Western explorers such as Vasco da Gama and Magellan crossed oceans and heralded the beginning of Western colonialism. Perhaps one testament to the great British influence in Singapore is the fact that its founding father is a British colonial official. In 1819, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles arrived in a diamond-shaped island, roughly 30 miles across. (Lee, 16-18) Despite legends of an ancient settlement called Temasek, or Singapura, in the island, by the time of Raffles’ arrival all he saw were a few hundred Malay fishermen and some Chinese traders. Raffles, an officer of the British East India Company, is said to have â€Å"single-handedly presented Britain with Singapore,† foreseeing how it would be, one day, one of the most valuable possessions of the British Empire. Raffles believes that with the loss of Java after its return to the Dutch, Britain would have to find a new center of trade by which it will control the Malacca strait. Far from just being an influence in Singapore’s eventual development, it is the British who first established modern Singapore. (Federal Research Division) 2. Western Legacy in Singapore 2. 1 Physical Infrastructure The first years of British colonization were marked by a transformation of the island, thanks to the construction of the island’s first western infrastructure. The Malay villages began to give way to a small, if prosperous European town. Soon after colonizing the island, Raffles began developing Singapore by first building a small fortification and improving the port area. In 1822, his plan helped transform the southern part of the island into a Western-style town. Raffles’ plan provided for an â€Å"orderly and scientifically laid out town†, as roads and bridges were built in the area, together with brick-and-tile commercial buildings, spaces for shipyards, markets, churches, theaters, police stations, and a botanical garden. Raffles himself had a wooden bungalow built on Government Hill. Racial separation also marked the Raffles plan: with each racial group being given its own enclave (e. g. the Chinese in Chinatown, although the rich Asians can live with the Europeans in the â€Å"town. † Raffles’ immediate  successor, John Crawford, used revenue from gambling dens to finance â€Å"street widening, bridge building, and other civic projects. † (Federal Research Division) In the years that followed saw the continued modernization of Singapore. In 1871, the John Pender’s China Submarine Company laid out a Hon gkong-Singapore telegraph line, connecting the island to the rest of Asia. (Atlantic Cable) Singapore’s status as a port also paved the way for the introduction of electricity in 1878, when the Tanjong Pagar Dock Company installed electric generators to extend the dock’s operation well into the night. (EMA) Just one year later, Mr. Bennet Pell started a telephone exchange, making Singapore became one of the first cities in Asia to have telephone services just three years after its inventor, Alexander Graham Bell, patented the technology. (SingTel) Because of its growing importance as a port and colony, the British colonizers (in later years) also constructed overland links: a railway system was built in 1903 and a direct link to Johor, the Causeway, was built in 1923. (Federal Research Division) 2. 2 Legal System and Government Having effectively a â€Å"blank slate† when getting the island, Singapore at first did not have a legal code. In 1823, Raffles promulgated a series of administrative regulations that laid the foundations for Singapore’s legal system. While the other promulgations were mostly with regard to land ownership and other basic administrative needs, one of them provided for the adoption of English common law to be the island’s standard. With provision for local legislation, English common law was adopted in the island, and continued to be the main basis of law of the Singapore legal system after independence. Raffles also abolished slavery in the island, although with limited success as immigrants were often exploited in slave-like conditions (i.\  e. debt bondage. ) Singapore’s parliamentary legislature is also of British origin, although the island’s one-party dominant politics effectively mixed the British model with an Asian tradition of stability. And while Singapore was already effectively independent when the British were establishing a welfare state in the 1950s , this British idea still influenced the Singaporean government with regards to providing social security to the citizens. While â€Å"refraining from establishing a welfare state† 1955 saw the creation of a centralized savings system: the Central Provident Fund or CPF. (CPF) 2. 3 Economics One of the most important Western influences in Singapore is Raffles’ implementation of free-market economics in the island. Indeed, at that historical era, this can be said to have been an anomaly of sorts as most colonial economies of the time were monopolistic, mercantilist, or both. Raffles was an early believer in free-market capitalism, which came out of the ideas of Adam Smith and David Ricardo in 18th century Britain. Upon establishing the island colony, one of his earliest declarations is that Singapore will â€Å"long and always remain a free port. † This policy has undoubtedly encouraged the growth of the port, as traders from across the region flocked to a place where they could trade unabated and untaxed. This early, pioneering experience of free-market capitalism on the island is one of the foundations for the growth it was to experience in many years to come. Razeen Sally of the ECIPE1 said that while â€Å"Lee Kuan Yew’s Singapore differs from Raffles’ in many ways,† the island â€Å"still practices free trade, open to the world’s goods, services, investment, and [most importantly] people. † In the early years of Singapore’s development into an industrialized economy, Finance Minister Goh Keng Swee laid out an economic development and trade plan that echoed Raffles’ early policy, including low taxation rates and tax holidays for many industries. Today, Singapore continues to attract many westerners, bringing their expertise and experience to the island’s economy. (Sally) The development of the island’s early financial infrastructure was also an important British influence, growing primarily to support its large trading activity. By 1905, British banks were joined by Indian, Australian, American, Chinese, and French-owned banks – a precursor to Singapore’s later development as a major financial hub. 2. 4 Society, Culture, and Education One of the most evident legacies of the British in Singapore is their language. The island’s proficiency in English, which it kept along with linguistic and cultural ties to Asia, has helped Singapore establish itself as a â€Å"first and essential Asian base†, an important cultural and economic bridge between East and West. This made marketing the island much easier. (ESC) It must be noted that in the early days, only the affluent among Singapore’s Chinese community adopted western education, customs, and pastimes. Sons of prominent businessmen were often sent to Britain for higher education, while Western-style theatre, social etiquette, architecture, social clubs, sports, and clothing, was seen as a sign of wealth among the wealthy colonials. (Federal Research Division) A tragic effect of adopting Western-style economics is also adopting its shortfall: a growing gap between rich and poor. This was also seen in education: while the rich were sending their children to Europe or at the very least English-language schools, the middle-class mostly went to schools of poorer quality, frequently teaching in the races’ mother tongue. It was not until the 20th century that Chinese-language schools were modernized. The British policy of non-forced assimilation (contrast for example with the Spanish or Japanese) has left most elements of local culture, cuisine, and religion intact. However, later in its history, Singapore has adopted (and in some ways, surpassed) western standards in health, education, and other services. (Lee) 3. 0 Conclusions Raffles’ prediction for the island did come about. Today, Singapore is indeed a place of great economic importance – a first-world country that practically mixes the prosperity of the West with the traditions and values of the East. This balance is a very notable achievement of Singapore. Despite its adoption, and perhaps even improvement, of Western ideas, its commitment to preserving multiculturalism is a sign that the people of the country have not and will not give up their Asian identity. Western influence on the island has mostly been a force for good, and it can be said that both his British compatriots and the later rulers of the island realized Raffles’ vision for the island. In today’s globalized world, Singapore stands to continue adopting the best of the east with the best of the west – a truly global hub. (ESC)