British impire during World War

2
FROM 1939-1945
1. THE SECOND WORLD WAR

World War 2 was a conflict Between 1939And 1945 That involved all the World’s major
countries ,it was the most Destructive war In History and millions of people were killed ,It
was fought Between The axis (germany,japan,And italy) And thé allies (Britain,the US and
thé sovietUnions amoung others) It began because the Leader of Germany Adolf Hitler
wanted to expaned German territory His nazy party wanted to create A state with only
Certain kinds of people in it,This led to the hOlocaust ,The axis waS eventually Defeated by
the Allies
GREAT BRITAIN AND WAR WORLD ||

When Britain went to war on 3 September 1939 there was none of the ‘flag-waving patriotism’ of
August 1914. The British people were now resigned to the fact that’s Hitler had to be stopped by force.

The first eight months of the war were a time of official unwarranted optimism and bureaucratic
muddle. Many early wartime measures such as the blackout and evacuation proved highly unpopular.
But this ‘Phoney War’ was soon followed by the ‘bracing defeat’ of Dunkirk and the fall of France in
June 1940.
• For the next year, under Winston Churchill’s inspiring and resolute leadership, Britain with its
Empire stood alone against Hitler, until they were joined by two powerful allies, the Soviet Union
and the United States.
THE IMPACT OF THE WAR ON BRITAIN

• From a general angle, the Second World War affected Britain in many ways. It was a success to some extent.
Britain was on the winning side. During the 1940-1941 period, she fought alone against the Nazis, managed
to avoid surrender and enforced national unity and pride. Britain ended the war on the winning side and had
established a ‘special relationship’ with the USA. Britain had great prestige and took an important role in the
formation of the new United Nations. However, Britain was also very damaged by the war. The country’s
infrastructure was very badly damaged as a result of bombing. The war was very expensive and Britain had to
make important loans to maintain the economy. Reconstruction was going to be long, difficult and expensive.
Because of this damage, Britain was less able to continue as a world power, this meant colonial independence
movements gained momentum. The Second World War intensified the process of de-colonization. It might be
true to say that the general economic and military impact of the war left Britain in the same situation as a
defeated nation but with the illusions of victory.
MILITARY

Conscription (compulsory military service) was immediately put into operation to men and
women. Also, the government called for local volunteers to act as Home Guard in the case
of an invasion. This was mainly about morale, it was allowing old men to do something for
the war. By mid-1940, over a million men had joined. Their fighting force was very much
questioned but they were useful in guarding the British coast
SOCIAL IMPACT

• The Second World War had an enormous social impact on Britain and the British people. The
British Prime Minister in wartime, Winston Churchill, said to his British civilians that it was a
“total war”. During the war, Churchill was constantly trying to create national unity to bring people
together to fight against the Nazis. There was desire for greater equality and there was a sense of
national unity. Churchill said, “we are all in this together”, “we are all in the same boat”. Especially
during the period when Britain fought alone against the Nazis during the Blitz (1940-1941), the
British all shared the common experience which brought them together and put aside their
differences. Sharing bomb shelters and going through the experience of the evacuation of children
cut class barriers. The British all listed to the BBC broadcasts which played an important role in
war effort. The war therefore had an important impact on British society
POLOTICALLY

Politically there was a “swing to the left” and it continued after the war since in July 1946, the Labour Party won the election with
a 146 majority, despite the popular Churchill being a conservative. The war caused many British people to look differently at
recent history, especially concerning communism. It seemed different to the British when the Soviet Union was an ally (from
1941). During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the USA, Britain and Western Europe was struggling economically, but the
USSR was dealing with the situation very well. (Five year plans, education, …). The whole idea of building a better post-war
society was widely accepted. The was a real feeling that the USSR was a success, and socialist ideas of equality and a caring State
were worth copying. That in fact is a reason why the USA intervened in the war: the avoid the spread of communism. During the
war, Labour gained in experience and respect. Churchill was succeeded as Prime Minister by Clement Attlee, the leader of the
Labour Party. Like Ernest Bevin, he gained a lot of experience. This is important because the Labour Government had hardly any
experience because they never ruled Britian, it was a political Catch 22 situation, and the British didn’t trust the Labour Party to
take control of Government, until 1945. Also, the Labour Party during the war had developed a clear practical program which they
hadn’t had before. Labour was more electable than ever, and they had political changes to offer, the country therefore moved to the
left.
ECONOMY

• Economically, the war ruined Britain. In March 1941, the US Congress

passed the Lend-Lease Act which gave Britain crucial supplies from
America, to be pais for later. The USA kept Britain going during the war
and by the end of 1945, Britain’s overseas debts stood at £ 3 000 million.
Truman then abruptly ended Lend Lease. This crushed the British
economy, and Britain wanted another loan from the USA, which was
granted on unfavourable terms. Britain was therefore reduced to a close
and uncomfortable dependence on the USA.
THE ROLE OF WOMEN

• The role of women changed because of the war. It caused a huge increase in the
employment of women. They worked in factories like ammunition factories, they became
WAAFs (Women’s Auxiliary Air Force), Land Girls, stenographers and even drivers.
Because the many men were away, women had greater responsibilities especially
concerning finance. It was also in a way the women’s chance to show that they were
capable. During the war, there was a determination to live the present, women generally
took every chance because it might be the last one. This led to greater freedom of sexual
relationships. Women were less prepared to marry and there was an important increase in
the divorce rate because of the war.
SCHOOL

• The war disrupted the education of many children. The mass evacuation of 1939 upset the
school system for months and over 2,000 school buildings were requisitioned for war use.
One in five schools was damaged by bombing, and air raids frequently stopped lessons
for hours, leading to a decline in attendance. Although many schools were evacuated
during the war, others chose to stay open and ‘make the best of it’, converting cellars and
basements
THE END OF THE WAR

THE END OF WAR

• The Second World War ended in 1945, after the surrender of Germany and then Japan.
Victory in Europe (VE Day) was celebrated on 8 May, and victory over Japan on 15
August. On VE Day there were thousands of street parties, fancy dress parades and
bonfires held across the country. Although food was still rationed, great efforts were
made to provide treats for children. Similar events took place on a smaller scale after the
Japanese surrender.