Pre-war city life was almost split in half between the haves and the have-nots. Many of the wealthy had a home not only in the city but in the country as well whilst the poorer people struggled to keep a roof over their heads with the majority of families sharing just a couple of rooms in slum areas.
The outbreak of war changed city-life and it would never be the same again. As men volunteered and were later conscripted to fight, you could see more and more women filling the jobs men used to do such as bus/tram conductors. This was more noticeable in city areas as there were more jobs to fill. With an ever-increasing amount of jobs available, some of those living in the city slums found themselves with more opportunities to work, including working in factories to help the war effort, where the paid was high. This meant that families could afford to buy the basic food items which in turn started to improve their health.
One thing that affected those living in the city, no matter how much wealth a person had was the danger of an attack from the enemy. Cities were being heavily bombed during Zeppelin raids and many coastal places also found themselves being shelled by the German navy. This brought out a new determination in cities across Britain. They wanted to prove that they could stand strong in the fight against evil and to do this was to all muck in together, despite the difference in class. I feel this was also the start of the British stiff upper lip.
Even though people now had more money to spend, there was very little in the shops to supply demand. Food was becoming more difficult to find and it wasn't until rationing was brought in early in 1918 that this started to improve. Unlike rural areas, people just didn't have the resources to be able to swap food items and many didn't have the space to grow their own.
The thing that stands out to me the most during my researching the result in the change of people's lives. For the soldier's, after being outside in trenches, some for a few years, the tight proximity of city life was a strain for them and many returning soldiers moved into more rural areas for space. Not only that, but those suffering for shell shock and PTSD (although this condition was really known at this point), found the loud noises of the city to difficult to live with and so they sought quieter areas.
For the women, they had achieved great things during the war and had proved that they could fill the roles that men normally undertook. This created a vicious circle that went on for quite a few years after the war had ended. The women felt it unfair and were resentful of the fact that they were given the sack so that they returning soldiers could take up where they left off. After having a taste of freedom for so long, they were no longer willing to go back to being just housewives and mothers and "delicate creatures". The war really gave a push towards gaining the vote for women and for women's rights in general.
For the men, they were resentful that they had fought a long and hard battle to win the war and had come back to find women caring out the jobs they had done before. The cost of the war had been high and there was a severe decline in the number of jobs available. Newspapers of the time reported that unemployed men could be seen grouped together in the street, many of them drinking, which of course always spelt trouble.
Pre-war city life had been a divide of wealth, however, post-war was more of a divide between man and women and this would be the case for years to come.
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