The Defence of the Realm Act

What was the Defence of the Realm Act?

The Defence of the Realm Act (DORA) was a law passed in Britain shortly after the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914. It gave the government new powers to control the public in the interests of the war effort.

What did the Defence of the Realm Act do?

DORA's powers were designed to protect 'public safety' during the war. They included:

• ❖ Press censorship.
• ❖ Reduced licensing hours, to limit how much time workers could spend drinking in pubs.
• ❖ The introduction of British Summer Time.
• ❖ Imprisonment without trial.
• ❖ The requisition of land and buildings for the war effort.
• ❖ Restrictions on the behaviour of individuals, including a ban on buying binoculars, flying kites or feeding bread to pigeons.
• ❖ Government control over mines and railways.

What were the aims of the Defence of the Realm Act?

DORA aimed to protect the war effort and support Britain in winning the First World War. To do this, it tried to:

• ❖ Coordinate industry and agriculture to provide effectively for the troops at the front and the population at home.
• ❖ Prevent crucial information from falling into enemy hands.
• ❖ Keep morale high, to ensure that the British population continued to support the war effort.

What was the impact of the Defence of the Realm Act?

Approximately 260 regulations were introduced by DORA, and their effects were far-reaching:

• ❖ 90% of imports were eventually controlled by the government under DORA.
• ❖ Nearly a million people are estimated to have been arrested under DORA, and eleven were executed as spies.