ISSUE 3- How did the war affect Scottish industry and the economy?

• This issue deals with what happened to Scotland’s industries, Scottish workers and the Scottish economy during and after the war.

What you need to know• How the war gave a boost to industries such

as coal mining and shipbuilding – and what happened to them when the war ended.

• How the war affected fishing and farming in Scotland – and what happened to them after the war.

• How people coped with wartime shortages.• What problems the Scottish economy faced

after the war.• What the ‘land question’ was in the Highlands

and islands, and whether it was resolved.

Scottish Industry

• Heavy industry – the old traditional industries that were known as ‘staple industries’ – coal mining, ship building and the production of iron and steel – were boosted by WW1.

• After the war these industries went into serious decline and by the mid-1920s Scotland was facing rising unemployment and industrial decline.

Shipbuilding

• Just before WW1, 14% of the adult male working population depended on the shipbuilding industry for their weekly wages.

• The shipyards had been saved by the naval race as they helped to build the new Dreadnought class of battleship. This had saved the Beardmore shipyard on the Clyde.

Shipbuilding continued

• When war broke out the main shipyards on the Clyde (Beardmore, Fairfields and John Brown) were taken under the control of the Royal Navy under the Munitions of War Act.

• The increasing use of new technology and production methods, such as assembly line production, increased the speed of production but also threatened jobs.

• After the war international trade slumped and so did the shipbuilding industry. As orders for new ships dried up, unemployment rose.

Fishing

• Historians of the Scottish fishing industry describe the years around 1900 as the ‘glory days’.

• Huge shoals of herring provided wealth and employment to fishing towns all over the country.

• Small fishing harbours such as Eyemouth, in the borders, prospered when the railways arrived, opening up markets across Britain.

• At the peak of the herring boom in 1907, 2.5 million barrels were exported – the main markets being Germany, Eastern Europe and Russia.

Fishing – Impact of WW1

• In September 1914 Scotland’s east coast ports were taken over by the Admiralty. The North Sea was almost closed to fishing. Although, restrictions relaxed as war progressed.

• Many boats and crews found themselves serving as support to the navy as coastal patrols, members of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve or searching for floating explosives called mines.

Fishing After 1918 - Problems

• Although the fishing industry did recover – the war had created problems.

• Rising fuel costs.• The need to repair and equip boats

after war service – compensation seldom enough.

• Lost traditional markets in Germany, Eastern Europe and Russia.

Jute Industry – Case Study• Based in Dundee.

• 25% of Dundee’s male workers and 67% of female workers dependent on the jute industry for employment.

• Jute fibre came from Bangladesh and was turned into sacking cloth in Dundee.

• During the war, demand for jute soared as the need for more and more sacks for sandbags increased to over 6 million sacks in one month.

• War years = temporary boom. The good times did not last.

• The demands of the war had put huge pressure on Dundee’s factories and machines. The jute factories were in need of fresh investment and repair.

• Competition from Calcutta.• As world jute prices fell along with demand

for jute-based products, Dundee suffered.

Dundee Jute Industry Video Clip

Food and Farming

• In 1914 Britain bought much of its food from abroad.

• Germany used its submarines to sink merchant ships carrying supplies to Britain.

• Government response:1. Propaganda campaign to reduce waste and produce more.2. Rationing.

• During the war, many farmers made money out of the rising demand for food and animals.

• Scottish sheep farmers did well. By 1918 sheep prices were 60% higher than in 1914. In 1917 the government had bought all wool sheared from sheep in the country to supply the need for uniforms and army blankets.

• The type of farm worker changed as many men left to ‘join up’.

• Women, boys and older men took their place. In fact, 30,000 prisoners, 16,000 members of the Women’s Land Army and even conscientious objectors worked in agriculture during the war.

• The war gave a boost to mechanisation as many thousands of farm horses were taken away for the war effort.

Rationing

• In Spring 1917 food supplies to Britain became a more serious problem when German submarines began targeting all merchant ships carrying food to Britain.

• The government hoped that voluntary rationing would solve the problem.

• As food became scarcer, prices went up.• For the wealthy price rises were an

inconvenience but for the poor expensive food meant long queues and less money to spend on other essentials.

• By the end of 1917, it was clear that Britain was facing serious food shortages.

• Panic-buying led to worse shortages.

• In January 1918 the government introduced a system of rationing.

• The aims of rationing was to conserve food supplies, ensure fair distribution and control the rising prices that were becoming a serious problem.

• As prices rose so did the risk of discontent and demonstrations that could have hindered the war effort.

• Full-scale rationing was in force in Scotland by April 1918.

• Sugar was the first item to be rationed and this was later followed by butcher meat.

• By the end of the war almost all foods were subject to price control by the government.

• In some cases rationing even lasted until after the war: for example, sugar and butter remained on ration until 1920.

Was rationing successful?

• Rationing did ensure fairer supplies of food at reasonable prices.

• However, the defeat of the U-boat campaign and the surrender of Germany by the end of 1918 meant that Britain did not have to endure serious hardships that would have tested the rationing system to its limits.

• Interestingly, it was the Royal Navy’s blockade of Germany that caused starvation in Germany . Lack of food and war materials were the main reasons for the defeat of Germany.