Long term social consequences of war

Joseph Pilates developed a regimen of muscle strengthening through slow and precise stretching and physical movements to assist rehabilitation of bedridden internees

23rd Apr 2024

Even before the guns fell silent on the Western Front, the long-term social consequences of World War One were being felt back home. Women had a stronger voice, education, health and housing appeared on the government’s radar.
While World War I redrew political borders and introduced modern weaponry, it also spurred the development of practical innovations many of these World War I are now permeated in everyday life.
Trench Coats:- Now a fashion icon, the trench coat first gained popularity among British officers during World War I because of its functionally. They were different in cut and weight than the heavy overcoats worn by enlisted men. The water-resistant overcoats proved superior to the standard wool coats in repelling the rain and chill of the trenches- from which the garment gained its name. They also featured flaps and rings for securing weapons and map cases.
Blood Banks:- Doctors rarely performed blood transfusions prior to Word War I. However, following the discovery of different blood types and the ability of refrigeration to extend shelf life, Captain Oswald Robertson, a US Army doctor consulting with the British Army, established the first blood bank in 1917 on the Western Front. This enable to have a blood supply as close to the front as possible for wounded patients. To facilitate storage, blood was kept on ice for up to 28 days and sodium citrate was added to prevent clotting
Zippers:- Although not called the zipper until the B.F. Goodrich Company coined the term in 1923, the “Hookless fastener” was perfected by Gideon Sindback during World War I. The first major order of zipper came for money belts worn by soldiers and sailors who lacked uniform pockets, while buttons remained the convention on military uniforms during the war, zipper began to be sewn into flying suits of aviators and took off in popularity in the 1920.
Pilates:- Joseph Hubertus Pilates, a German bodybuilder who worked as a circus performer and boxer in Great Britain, was interned as an enemy alien on the Isle of Man after outbreak of World War I. Frail as a child, Pilates had taken up bodybuilding. Martial arts and yoga to build his strength. During his three years at the internment camp, Pilates developed a regimen of muscle strengthening through slow and precise stretching and physical movements. He further aided the rehabilitation of bedridden internees by rigging springs and straps to their bedheads and the foot of the bed for resistance training.
Stainless Steel:- During World War 1, the British military was in search of harder alloys for their guns so they would be less susceptible to distortion from heat and friction of firing. English metallurgist Harry Brearley discovered that adding chromium to molten iron produced steel that wouldn’t rust. Although stainless steel was not used for guns, its use during World War I to manufacture aircraft engines, mess kits and medical instruments launched its popularity.
For Australia and New Zealand: - A more successful, and less well-known, wartime endeavour was Prime Minster Billy Hughes’ negotiation of the purchases by Britain of Australia’s and New Zealand’s, entire wool clip. Under the supervision of the Central Wool Committee, the British government bought every bale of wool - 7.1 million of them, or about one billion kilograms - produced in Australia between 1916 and 1920. The British paid 160 million pounds for the wool, keeping alive an industry that carried the country. This was due to the very large amount of wool required to make Uniforms for service men.
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Long term social consequences of war

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