The defence of the Realm Act 1914: the role of the British parliament in limiting the emergency powers of the executive during the First World War

The study of parliamentary oversight mechanisms for the application of emergency legislation during crises retains high scientific and practical significance. The experience of the United Kingdom during the First World War, associated with the implementation of the Defence of the Realm Act (DORA) of 1914, serves as a classic case for analyzing the balance between state security and civil liberties, as well as for examining the role of the legislative branch as a key institution of checks and balances under conditions of delegating broad powers to the government. The purpose of the article is a comprehensive analysis of the role of the UK Parliament in shaping, limiting, and overseeing the application of emergency powers granted to the executive branch by the Defence of the Realm Act of 1914. The work aims to identify specific parliamentary procedures and discursive practices through which legislators exercised oversight of the government's activities, which sought to expand restrictive measures under conditions of total war.