.
The British governments response to the shortage of men on the land was to encourage women to join the workforce and one of the ways in which this was done was through the establishment of the Women's Land Army. Lloyd George also directed many women to the munitions industry. Additionally, in 1917 the government established the Womens Auxillary Army Corps where women served in positions that men previously held, and in 1918 the Women's Royal Air Force was established for a similar purpose. The government also used propoganda to encourage women to take an active role in the war effort.
These developments helped in maintaining the war effort on the home front in that focus was place upon efficient production through striving for a maximum number of workers to be employed, as well as taking action to secure labour in the workforce.
Despite the early organisation of industry in Germany, the German economy was soon to be burdened with the creation of the Hindenburg Program in 1916, enabling Britain to gain an advantage. This civilian organisation was given extensive powers over labour, manufacturing and transport and resulted in the breakdown of food distribution, deterioation of the transport system and growing anti-war sentiments due a decline in living standards. .
A consequence of this was that Britain was able to gain an advantage and this is exemplified in its production and use of tanks near the end of the war, a leading factor in the nation's eventual victory. As outlined in Source H, Germany was not able to counter this action due to the ineffective organisation of industry, and to do so would be " beyond the capacity of an already fully extended industry- that would require " cutting back on other things." .
Carr believes the effects of " the state intervening so actively in the regulation of the economy (was that) ordinary Germans began to blame it for its manifest failure to protect their living standards in the second half of the war.