Churchill up to WW2

the 4 main reasons that bombing tactics were used

• The predominant focus of the war effort was in the air and sea, making bombing a logical extension.

• The German blitz on British cities fostered a desire for revenge.

• Bombing was seen as a way to weaken Germany without incurring the high casualties of trench warfare.

• There was a belief that it would undermine German morale, challenging their claims of protecting civilians.

Churchill’s party history

• He began as a Conservative, switched to the Liberal Party in 1904, and returned to the Conservatives in 1924.

What made Churchill's criticism of british defence hypocritical

• His defense cuts in the 1920s laid the groundwork for British military weakness.

• Britain's economic situation did not support an arms race due to high unemployment and government spending cuts.

• His support for Edward VIII during the abdication crisis undermined his political standing.

What happened when Churchill returned Britain to the Gold Standard in 1925?

• overvalued the pound, making British exports more expensive and less competitive.

• Led to deflation, rising unemployment, and industrial decline, especially in coal and manufacturing.

• Widely criticised (e.g., by economist Keynes) as a major economic error.

• Contributed to industrial unrest

If provenance is from ‘The Gathering Storm', what could be said?

Churchill had just lost the 1945 election – bitter and heavily in debt, writing provided him money

Wanted to cement political legacy – hence justifying his decisions.

Won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953 – shows how persuasive he is.

Hindsight mean he could exclude his contradictory statements.

If provenance is from a diary what could be said?

• Private = more honest, less censored

• Written close to events = less distorted by hindsight

• Can reveal personal motivation and emotion

But

• One person's perspective

• Could still be self-justifying or selective

• May lack full awareness of wider events

If provenance is from a speech what could be said?

Strengths of a speech:

• Reveals official or public positions clearly

• Shows what arguments were considered persuasive at the time

• Reflects the political climate and what audiences needed to hear

• Produced at the time, so not distorted by hindsight

Limitations:

• Highly unlikely to be fully truthful — it's performative by nature

• May omit, exaggerate or distort to serve the speaker's agenda

• Tells you more about intended messaging than actual events or genuine belief

Why did Churchill see British rule in India as important

• Prestige – Britain’s greatness was bound up in its empire, and India was central to its imperial grandeur.

• Violence between Hindus and Muslims – Churchill believed the rule of the British Raj ensured a peaceful order and protected the Muslim minority from the Hindu majority.

• Racial superiority – Churchill believed in the racial superiority of Anglo-Saxons and that they should rightfully rule over the less-developed, non-white populations. Roberts writes that he possessed a “Victorian sense of racial superiority”

What and when did Britain give India more freedom?

In 1933, Britain announced its intention to allow India greater self-government.

This was followed in 1935 by the Government of India Act which came into effect in 1937.

Why was Wallis Simpson not accepted as Queen

Divorcee - had divorced twice

American

Colonies may not have accepted here – they broke away during the time of Hitler / before WW2, and when the economy struggling.

Why did Churchills view on abdication make him outcast

The public, and most MPs, were pro-Baldwin on the matter – and anti-Edward.

Churchill was shouted down… “it was the most humiliating event of his parliamentary career.”

Edward visited Hitler in 1937 - seen as pro-nazi , didnt help churchills image.

However only did him little harm compared to other events like India.

Why were churchill’s views calling for war unpopualar

Anti-war sentiment – In 1935 a Peace Ballot was organised outside Parliament. 30% of the eligible population voted heavily in favour of peace.

1934 the Labour Party opposed spending increases on the RAF arguing that it would likely encourage war.

Public opinion was such In 1934 that PM Stanley Baldwin (1935-37) felt unable to openly increase spending on rearmament.

Had been wrong before – Gallipoli, the gold standard, India, Abdication.

Actions govenrment took to rearm / counter Hitler in 1930’s

1934 - Parliament approved some air force expansion; this came at the expense of the army and navy’s budgets.

1935 Stresa Front – Italy, France, and the UK committed to resisting any further attempts by Germany to alter the Treaty of Versailles. - The agreement broke down after the Abyssinia crisis.

Acts of Agression by Hitler

1935 -Germany’’s declaration of an intention to dramatically increase the size of its air force, its army (to 500,000 men) and to reintroduce conscription.

1936 - Militarises Rhineland with 3,000 troops

1936- Rome-Axis agreement

1938 - Hitler anexxes Austria

What was agreed in the Munich Agreement and aftermath?

1938 - Hitler gets all the Sudetenland but signs paper agreeing to the “desire of our two peoples never to go to war”.

Chamberlain seen as hero

Churchill delivers a powerful speech against the Munich Agreement – landing him in more trouble with his party than he had encountered since the climax of his campaign against the India Act.