DORA - Defence of the Realm Act
- The Defence of the Realm Act Introduced in 1914
- Gave the government powers to control many aspects of people’s daily lives
- The priority was to keep industrial production high, but other things were affected too
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- Licensing hours were introduced Pubs could only open for 2 hours at lunchtime and 3 hours in the evening
- This made sure the workforce was awake and sober for factory work
- Newspapers and radio broadcasts were censored
- The government could control what people heard about the war
- This made sure the public continued to support the war effort by only hearing good things
- Food was rationed
- The government took over land and used it for farm production
- This ensured there was enough food to feed the public and the army, despite German U-Boat attacks
- Beer was diluted
- The government allowed publicans to make beer weaker
- This ensured the workforce didn’t drink so much as to make them drunk or hung-over while at work
- British Summer Time was introduced
- The government move the clocks forward by an hour in the summer
- This ensured factories had maximum daylight, meaning they could operate later
- Mines and railways were taken over by the government
- The government had ultimate control over them
- This meant production of coal, and the movement of trains, would be prioritised for the war effort
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