Other Labor Difficulties 1916–1918

Discontent naturally grew with the lengthening of the war, which eventually broke down “all patience and nearly all other virtues.” ¹ Long hours and increasing restrictions were having their inevitable effects. The lavish promises of the Government had awakened an enthusiasm; the failure of realization not merely disappointed, but disillusioned many. As early as April 15, 1916, the Economist had demanded a peace settlement before a new “masque of anarchy supervenes.” ² Yet the Government, as Grey later explained, dared not make peace even if it could: along with the other belligerents, it “could offer nothing” to the people “to show for the war.” ³ D. H. Lawrence, with the prescience of an artist, wrote in November, 1916, “We should say ‘enough of war’ while yet we are alive.…It is foolish to drop down at last in inertia, and let the world end so—in inertia. While we have the vitality to create, we ought to stop the fighting—otherwise, when the end comes, we are spiritually bankrupt. Which is final disaster.&” ⁴ The “people,” as Repington later reported, “are deadly tired of war.&The worst danger is the dour, vengeful, and almost revolutionary attitude of labour …the workers are physically exhausted and angry, they no longer trust their parliamentary labour leaders.…” ⁵