describe the social and economic effects of world war on england and usa
Answers
The war had three main social effects. First it separated the colonies from England and attempted to solidify relations with other European powers. Spain, however, did not ally itself with the colonies; they only sought to take advantage of England’s weakened, or rather distracted, state of affairs. France allied itself with the colonies though they too had their own interests in mind, first making their presence felt in the Caribbean and then selling out the colonists when the treaty ending the war was signed. The second effect was on the homeland with the Indians. Most of the Indians worked with the British because they were bribed or made promises that the British were most likely never going to keep. Some of the Indians sided with the colonies for tribal reasons, and others thought that the colonies were the stronger side. In either case the Indians thought that the winning side would leave them alone and force the other side to leave their land. The last of the social implications of the war were the African Americans. Slaves were enticed by the British to revolt and join their side; in return they would be given their freedom. Many slaves started rebellions and many were killed to stop them just as fast. No one acknowledged the idea that the war was all about freedom from oppression, and the slaves were not part of the liberation.
On the home front, the civilians bore the brunt of the efforts. Between the uprisings of the Indians, burning villages and houses and the slave revolts the wives and children of the soldiers ought to have had enough to deal with. These were not all that they had to deal with however. The British would use the farms and villages along their battle paths as quartering places. The families would have to put up the troops for the night, feed them what they could and provide for any necessary medical or equipment needs. Many families helped the colonial soldiers as much as they could and picked up the slack on the farms and in the businesses to keep the quickly failing economy going. Women bore the majority of the burden of the war on the home front. Efforts were made to advance the role of women in society, led by Abigail Adams who whispered more than a few suggestions into her husband, John’s, ear, that may have had more than a small affect on the early American documents.
The war took a huge toll on the economy of the colonies. With the colonies in a conflict with Britain, many countries decided to break off or at least slow down trade with America. The amount of money being brought into the colonies plummeted, meaning the colonies would emerge from the war victorious but in deep debt. Some businesses did well during the war while others amassed large debts or went out of business all together. The idea of buying American was born as people rushed to spend their money on products that would help stimulate the economy and keep the money in circulation as much as possible. The Congressional bills of credit before the war were being printed 1.5 for every 1 unit of gold. By the end of the war, the same bills of credit were being printed at an exchange of almost 150 to 1. Prices rose, and taxes followed shortly behind them. Anything that could be taxed was and people grew weary quickly. It took nearly twenty years before the economy started to turn around. The early leaders faced the unenviable task of trying to start a new country, rebuild after the war, establish a working government, make peace with the outsiders (mainly Indians) on the home front, re-establish trade and do it all with no money.
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1. Work force were affected in England as most of the killed and maimed people were of the working age.
2. Women stepped into jobs as household income declined.
3. In England role and position of women changed for ever.
:
1. Links of economy or economic links bewteen most of the major economic powers were snapped.
2. England borrowed a large amount of money from the US banks.
3. USA emerged as an international creditor.