Scarica il 20 ° secolo: - Il contesto storico e più Appunti in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! The Twentieth Century Part One: The Historical Background. UP TO WW1 • Higher taxes on the land of the rich • Old age pensions introduced • Health and Insurance Act (protect workers when they were sick or unemployed) • A period of great industrial unrest (coal mining, iron, steel and ship building) WW1 • Threat of war and GB needed allies (France and Russia) • Recruitment and war declared 4th Aug 1914 • Sophisticated weapons introduced • 1918 Germany defeated • 9 million dead and 25 million injured (aged mainly between 18-25) • 1919 Peace Treaty and League of Nations established but Russia did not join POST WAR in UK • Financial and industrial problems • Dissatisfaction; General Strike 1926 • Labour Party became official opposition party to the Conservative Party • Labour Government formed in 1924 SUFFRAGETTE MOVEMENT • 1918 British women over 30 given the right to vote mainly thanks to Emmeline Pankhurst IRELAND • The Irish Rebellion against British Rule worsened • Easter Monday 1916 Rebellion in Dublin; extremist group known as Sinn Fein. Rebellion was crushed and 15 rebels were executed • 1919 Irish militants known as the IRA were established and they wanted independence at any cost • Protestant Irish community were in the North and GB did not want to abandon them • Compromise in 1912; Independence for Catholic Southern Ireland but IRA continued with terrorist activities for independence in the North of Ireland NEW TRENDS IN THE 1920’S • Women participated more in public affairs and wanted equality • Freedom reflected through fashion, film and songs (a more open society) • Radio:- most housed had one • Newspapers were an important source of information THE GREAT DEPRESSION • GB suffered in the American Wall Street Crash of 1929 • Fall in prices and high unemployment • Social reforms:- unemployment subsidy and public assistance to help the old, sick and homeless DECLINE OF THE EMPIRE • More countries of the Empire were given independence in 1913 WWII • Adolf Hitler Nazi party won power in Germany in 1933 • 1939 GB declared war • Sir Winston Churchill inspired the country but France fell to Germany and GB was alone in 1940 • Japan bombed American bases in 1941 and America entered in the war • Germany invaded Russia weakening it’s forces and GB and USA troops landed in France on D-Day 6th June 1944 and Germany surrended. • 35 million lives were lost
