Transcript The Defence of the Realm Act

The Defence of the Realm
Act
8th August, 1914
Why?
 The Act was passed to ensure that
Britons were safe from spying and
news or rumours that lowered
morale. The Act allowed the
government to take any measures
necessary to preserve the safety and
good order of the country, even if this
meant restricting people’s rights and
freedoms( eg. free speech.)
Trivial Restrictions
It was forbidden to
- give bread to dogs, horses, poultry or other animals
- buy an alcoholic drink for anyone else, except as a
dinner host.
- buy binoculars without official permission
- melt down gold/silver
- fly a kite
- talk about military or naval matters in public
- send a letter abroad wholly or partly written in
invisible ink
- shoot a homing pigeon.
Censorship
 The reporting that newspapers could do
was restricted. Casualty figures were
played down and casualty names blacked
out in papers. Misleading accounts of
battles were printed, implying or openly
stating that successes were greater than
they were and exaggerating German
failures and casualties. Accounts of German
atrocities were widely broadcast, though
few were genuine. Gruesome photographs
were rarely published, and then only of
enemy corpses. Propaganda was
widespread in the press.
Anti-German cartoon
Military Restrictions
 Military law was applied to railways and docks, so that
military discipline and punishments were attached to
working there (eg vandalism could mean a long prison
sentence and arson, execution.) Land/property could
be confiscated for military purposes.
 Special constables were appointed to maintain law
and order, should Britain be invaded.
 All motor vehicles not required by the military were to
be immobilised, should GB be invaded.
 Later in the war, blackout restrictions meant that all
windows had to be blacked out.
 New courts were set up to deal with any who broke
the new rules and punishments were harsh.
Industrial Workers
 D.O.R.A. banned men in vital industries
from leaving their jobs or joining the army.
 Workers in “unimportant” jobs could be
redirected into jobs where they could make
a bigger contribution to the war effort, even
if they didn’t want to go.
 Factories not already involved could be
forcibly taken over and converted for war
material production.
 Later on, the Munitions Act made it illegal
for workers vital to the war effort (eg
shipbuilders) to go on strike.
Munitionettes
Munitions factory