britain 1930-1997

when was churchill "in the wilderness"

1929-1939

why was churchill in the wilderness? (5)

Problems with India

Abdication of Edward VIII

Rearmament

Appeasement to Hitler

Mistakes

personality, old

Churchills personality/ age

- Pigheaded and stubborn but good orator

- Seemed out of touch, victorian, a renegade of the past

- "rogue elephant"

BUT

- Bold decisions, the people needed a decisive leader

- Orator, speeches in HoC

- Flamboyant, one piece war siren suit

- Military successes and experience, silencing those who wanted peace talks and more travelled than other pms

- Established good relations with Roosevelt and Stalin showing his personal diplomacy

Churchill's views on India (5)

- Late-Victorian view (dated)

- He served in India as a young officer, considered it to be the 'jewel' of the Britain empire.

- He believed British rule prevented the domination of Hindus over Muslims in India.

- He thought it prevented corruption

- He believed in the superiority of Anglo-Saxons, they were racially pure saving barbaric practices social and economic progress

when did tensions worsen (historical context)

1920s and 1930s -> INCREASING PRESSURE, came from the educated elite and the mass populace led by Gandhi, wanted self governance

rowlatt acts and Jandiwallah Bagh - 1919

Gandhi attended talks in London - 1930/1931

gov of India act - 1935

bengal famine - 1943

independence - AUGUST 1947

result of Churchill's views on India

cut himself off from mainstream Conservative party opinion, alienated him from ministers Baldwin and chamberlain who did not trust him to be government

Jandiwallah Bagh Amritsar massacre

meant a growing nationalist agitation led by congress party by Gandhi, non violent

rowlatt acts

Laws passed in 1919 that allowed the British government in India to jail anti-British protesters without trial for as long as two years

Gandhi talk in london led to...

gov of India act - 1935

government of India act

passed by british parliament in 1935, provided local self-gov't and limited democratic elections

bengal famine

World's worst recorded food disaster happened in 1943 in British-ruled India.

Approximately four million people died.

When were the Rowlatt Acts?

1919

What were the Rowlatt Acts?

- How Britain responded to the independence complaints.

- Increased police powers, allowing imprisonment without trial

When were the Montagu-Chelmsford measures?

1919

What were the Montagu-Chelmsford measures?

Gave locally elected councils a measure of control over some internal matters in India

How many killed and wounded in jandiwallah bagh

Troops brutally killed 400 and wounded 1200

what does this course say that jandiwallah bagh was about

"protest" about rowlatt acts (really wasn't lol but just do it for the exam)

When were salt tax protests

1930

What happened in salt tax protests?

- Gandhi led a mass march to the sea, protesting the salt tax by gathering natural salt.

- Ghandi was arrested

When did Britain allow India greater self-governance (3)

- In 1933, Britain announced intentions of allowing India greater self governance

- Paved way for Government of India act of 1935.

What did Government of India Act 1935 do?

Electorate expanded to 35 million.

Churchill's reaction to the Independence movement (4)

- Bitterly opposed

- Colonies like Australia, New Zealand and Canada remained loyal to the British empire despite having self-governance.

- Made extreme public statements and declared support of racist organisations

- Became increasingly unpopular with Tory MPs after his bitter attacks on the India reform proposals in 1934.

The Abdication of King Edward VIII (2)

- King Edward VIII was determined to marry the American, twice-divorced, Wallis Simpson, who he was highly devoted to.

- This caused problems because he was seen as Head of the CofE, therefore he could not have a divorced woman as his queen, (constitutional issue)

Government opposition to Wallis (2)

- November 1936, Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin told him the public opinion would not accept Wallis as queen

- December 1936, Edward broadcast his speech of abdication.

Churchill's reaction to abdication crisis (2)

Churchill took up an unpopular position:

- He was part of a group called 'The King's Friends' who supported the King for loyalty to the throne.

- He made a speech in favour of the King and was shouted down in Parliament in December 1936

how did churchill view Germany after 1933 (attitudes)

- hitlers regime established in 1933 - he it thought was evil

- He was alarmed by German rearmament

- Churchill saw the new German regime as brutal. - He disliked its racism and the violence it displayed

- The world crisis - published between 1923 and 1931, suggests from early on saw the rise of Germany as a threat and feared their expansionist views

- 1919 treaty of Versailles, Churchill was part of the gov when this was suggested, worried that the new ultra nationalist nazi regime would break it

- He feared a repeat of the situation prior to 1914 (Germany challenged Britain by building a new naval fleet, were a big threat)

- Feared Britain would be defenceless against a new German air force.

- not too vexed about the dictatorship though, as he has been calm with Mussolini in Italy

how did churchill view rearmanmet (actual action taken)

- 1934 Germany developed their airforce which churchill feared

- 1935 hiter reintroduced conscription - uh oh

- 1935 anglo German naval pact was to challenge their revival of militarism, but churchill saw this as a sign of weakness

- fell out with Mussolin over Italian invasion of Ethiopia, which churchill though was silly as at this point he was hitler's enemy,

When was Anglo-Naval Treaty?

1935

what did the Anglo-Naval Treaty do?

Gave British approval to the German development of their fleet, provided it was limited to 35% of the British fleet.

why were people against the policy of rearmament

- people believed that the tov was too harsh

- anti war feeling still

- churchill seemed to be advocating another arms race, and many saw this as a reason for the first world war

- hypocritical as hcurhill had a large role in disarmament in 1920s

- some on political right applauded hitler for opposing communism, national revival initiated in Germany, so even Churchill's natural allies wavered

- putting potential war over economic strain, financial crisis had worsened with gov expenditure cuts, 1934 means test imposed stringent conditions, war was also still raw and so people didn't want to rearm

- on top of India, anti German stance just seemed outdated, harking back to Edwardian England

- ignoring the league of nations, who at the time still had high hopes for maintaining peace

Which PM started the policy of appeasement?

Baldwin

then later chamberlain

Weaknesses of appeasement policy (2)

- Neither public opinion nor Britain's economic strength could've maintained force to meet any threats

- British statesmen disarmed and put their faith in a mixture of international agreements such as the the League of Nations and the Munich agreement

When did the British appeasement policy start?

1933

When was Hitler's first attempt at Anschluss?

1934

When did Hitler introduce conscription?

Why was this bad?

- 1935

- It broke the Treaty of Versailles

When did Hitler remilitarise the Rhinelands?

March 1936

Failures of the League of Nations (2)

- Manchurian Crisis 1931

Caused Japan to leave the LoN

- Abyssinian Crisis 1935

Caused Italy to leave the LoN

When did Chamberlain come into office?

1937

Chamberlain's view on League of Nations

He had little faith in it and other international bodies

Neville Chamberlain's solution to appeasement (3)

- negotiate with Germany to prevent war and build up defences in case appeasement failed.

Why weren't the British public threatened by Hitler? (4)

- Demanding back land that Germany had lost did not threaten them directly.

- Nazi Germany had not begun the mass murdering of Jews,

- The Berlin Olympic Games in 1936 was a sign that Germany was a 'normal' country.

- The abdication crisis provided a distraction

What was Anschluss?

- Annexation of Austria by German

- Justified by Hitler because Austria contained many German speakers

When was Anschluss?

1938

When did Hitler take over the Sudetenland?

1938

Effects of the invasion on the Sudetenland

- Sudetenland was rich in supplies

- Stirred up unrest among German speakers in the border areas

- Czechoslovakia had an alliance with both USSR and France so Britain would have to get involved in war

- Moving its border would make it defenceless, therefore Britain put pressure on the Czech government to make concessions (policy of appeasement)

Chamberlain's appeasement decision 1938 (2)

- As Hitler's speeches became more warlike, Chamberlain flew to see Hitler to negotiate an agreement.

- They negotiated that Sudentenland would continue to be 'self governed' however Hitler broke this agreement, insisted on the union of German speaking areas with Germany.

When was the Munich Agreement?

September 1938

Munich Agreement (4)

- 1938

- Hitler met with Chamberlain in Munich.

Hitler signed a pact guaranteeing future consultation before expanding.

- chamberlain agreed to accept hitler's claim the sudetenland

- significant as unlike the anchuluss, this involved hitler taking the land of people who WERE NOT German speaking

- but hitler promised 'no more territorial demands in Europe', (he broke it invading Czech)

- Chamberlain was treated as a hero due to his efforts to maintain peace.

- Hitler was greatly encouraged by this 'bloodless victory' and there was now a considerable danger that Germany would go on to dominate Europe.

Churchill's reaction to Munich Agreement

- "a defeat without a war"

made Britain look weak, failing to stand up against hitler after he had gone back on his word

- Churchill disagreed with the lack of involvement in European affairs.

- He also did not want to persuade the Czechs to make concessions, as this ruled out the possibility of a Grand Alliance of countries ready to stop German aggression.

- though it was tooooo passive and a step in the wrong direction

Arguments against Churchill's view (going to war in 1938): (4)

- If opposition to Hitler led to war, there had been no discussion about who would ally with Britain.

- Britain did not have an expeditionary force

- Any move to war in Europe would lead to Italy and Japan threatening Britain's vital interest: Egypt and the Suez Canal

- Churchill seemed to neglect the role of Japan towards British asian colonies

- little evidence to suggest that people would turn against the nazi regime

- USA were focusing on a policy of isolationism

what would you say about churchill at this time with appeasement

- his views appear correct, but his criticism of the Munich agreement and the view that Britain should have gone to war in 1938 seems highly unrealistic

- many saw Czech as a far away country , about which they knew nothing

- also no expeditionary force ready to send to Europe

- Britain did not have allies

Why did Britain have no allies

France - could not rely on, did not want the same heavy losses as ww1, thus no certainty

USA - isolationism -> neutrality acts meant no intervention,

russia weak as many military leaders purged according to British military chiefs), and USSR and Stalin characterised a hostile relationship (ideological difference)

but why was churchill kinda valid after the agreement...

- breaking the munch agreement by invading Czech state made Britain look weak and confined Churchill's suspicions of hitler's expansionist agenda

- germany had rearmed considerably from 1938-39

- in 1938 there were chances of churchill working with France and the ussr and of having 35 divisions of Czech troops fighting on interior lines of defence

- germans may have well found this difficult, as they would have had to kept forces on other fronts in case of a allied attack

The Situation after Munich (3)

- Public opinion began to swing after Munich

- By 1939, conscription, planning for air raids, formation of an expeditionary force and a much enlarged Air Force made war a more possible option.

- Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939

When was Nazi-Soviet Pact?

August 1939

What was Nazi-Soviet Pact?

A non-aggression treaty - Stalin and Hitler would not fight each other and upon conquering Poland, they would equally divide up the country. It was a pact based on mutual need.

When did German forces invade Poland?

1st September 1939

- As a result, an ultimatum was issued for Germany to withdraw.

When did Britain declare war?

11am, 3rd September 1939

Why did the Norway campaign occur in 1940? (3)

- Germany and the USSR took over Poland

- Churchill pressed for action in Norway, as its waters in the North Sea were a vital route way for Germany to obtain Swedish iron ore.

- He proposed laying mines in Norwegian waters.

When did Chamberlain agree to mining?

28th March 1940

When did Hitler approve a German invasion to Norway

1st March

What happened during the Norway campaign? (5)

- Germans discovered British plans to mine Norway's waters to stop Germany obtaining iron ore, so they attacked Norway and advanced to Denmark, mass death and total disaster

- Forces at Narvik finally fell to Germany on the 28th May

- Hitler succeeded in taking Denmark and Norway

- Churchill bore substantial responsibility for the failure of Norway as Admiral of the Navy

Who (from his own side) attacked Chamberlain after Norway?

Leo Amery

What was the vote about conduct of war in Norway?

No confidence motion in Chamberlain

wavering support shown in the debate in House of Commons where 40 conservative mps voted against gov, and another 40 abstained

what was another mistake that churchill made that cost him potentially a bit

Gallipoli in ww1 and restoration of the gold standard in 1926

Gallipoli campaign 1915 is not forgotten: deemed as reckless when allies, led by Britain, tried to take Turkey's capital, resulted in many deaths and cost loads, embarrassing defeat

What role did Lord Halifax play in Churchill coming to power? (2)

- Lord Halifax was a member of the House of Lords.

- He was reluctant to take on a job he knew he was not fit for, and supported Churchill, therefore he refused to step forward.

ok so why did people og not want churchill before they gave into him?

- enemies within Conservative party given the attacks he made in 1930

- chamberlain was respected

- overbearing in the war cabinet, hard to work with

- Norway he urged, that failed

- gallipoli

- civil servants felt as if he was just worrying about prospects of war

- out of office for most of 30s, old

- queen resented him after abdication crisis, she admired chamberlain and his appeasement

Why did the King eventually appoint Churchill as Prime Minister? (4)

- There was a substantial show of no confidence for Chamberlain amongst conservatives.

- Labour wouldn't serve under Chamberlain

- Halifax wouldn't take office

- There was an obvious need for a decisive leader.

- the German invasion of the Netherlands and Belgium prior to invading France created a sense of urgency that indicated Britain needed a good war leader

- good orator, widely read and travelled, good war leader, sense of destiny and entitlement, would invigorate the war effort

- Germany invaded Belgium and Netherlands prior to France, sense of urgency

When did Churchill become PM?

10 May 1940

State of the war as Churchill became PM (4)

- Situation was dangerous (Germans made rapid advances in Blitzkrieg attack through low countries into France)

- but Britain's army was still intact and was fighting on only one front.

- Churchill had formed a Cabinet with his own supporters

- French had large forces

- Italy hadn't joined Germany

What happened by 28th May 1940?

- Germany broke the French defences and the prospect of a rapid defeat in France became a reality.

- Britain were cut off from French, danger they would be destroyed at dunkirk

- looked liked Italy would join Germany

- Britains gold reserves were running out, and there was a danger that obtaining war supplies from north America would not be possible

germaninvasion of France bad for Britain?

If France was defeated, their army would be isolated

Challenges facing Churchill by 28th May (6)

- The British army had been cut off from French at Dunkirk - waiting to be evacuated.

- There was the danger of Italy entering the war

- Japan was a possible threat to British possessions in South Asia

- Gold reserves were running out, wasn't clear if Britain could afford to continue fighting

- Fear of large scale bombings in Britain after Germany bombed Poland

- Lord Halifax (appeasement supporter) was trying to find out what German terms for peace with Britain might be - not endorsed by Churchill

How many troops stranded at Dunkirk?

300,000

Churchill's reaction to these increasingly negative events

- still determined

- speeches to cabinet, hoc and entire nation emphasised his determination got never surrender

- encouraged Britain to see Dunkirk as a deliverance, dramatised it and shows how it was a demonstration of strength, "we shall fight on the beaches" speech

- "we shall never surrender speech"- was even willing to support France by committing more troops, until his colleagues steered him away from the idea

Why would Italy's entry into the war be dangerous for Britain?

It threaten Egypt and the Suez Canal and cut off Britain's quickest sea route its colonies.

Problems that Lord Halifax faced (2)

- Italy was still neutral, so they could be asked what Hitler would offer for peace.

- However, it was dangerous as Britain could be seen as weak by Hitler

______ British troops were evacuated from Dunkirk by ______

225,000

4 June 1940 - the end of battle of Dunkirk

When was Churchill's "we shall fight on the beaches" speech

4 June 1940

Situation on 3rd July 1940 (4)

- Huge gesture of defiance made by the attack of the French fleet to prevent it falling into German hands.

- RAF had been bombing Germany despite inevitable consequence

- A bold decision was taken to send British troops to Egypt even though there was the threat of German invasion.

- Britain achieved rapid victories against Italy, Hitler's ally.

What happened in August 1940?

Battle of Britain:

successful defense of Great Britain against the air raids conducted by the German air force in 1940 after the fall of France during World War II.

Germany decided to launch an air offensive attack (aimed to destroy RAF) which caused the brunt of the war to fall on Britain.

What was Goering's strategy for bombing cities?

Believed that bombing cities was more important than destroying the RAF, as morale would crack.

Strategies of Hugh Dowding (3) TO WON THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN

- Mobilise small groups of fighters and preserving strength of RAF by not pursuing German bombers over the Channel.

- Was very effective

By the end of 1940 (2)

- Britain enjoyed victories in North Africa and defeated the German air offensive

- Churchill's oratory skills had become a weapon of war and he had established his position over his rivals.

Churchill's leadership style during the war (5)

- He was a hard taskmaster because of his determination to supervise details

- He was fascinated by imaginative ideas, even when science showed that many of the ideas were impractical.

- He would give orders from bed or the bath

- Officers who couldn't keep up or displeased him were dismissed

- However, there are many instances of Churchill taking advice or respecting those who stood up to him.

Key elements that mark Churchill out from his predecessors (5)

- Belief in establishing strong personal relations with his allies

- His mastery of both written and spoken expression

- A personal flamboyance (wore an array of uniforms and costumes, siren suit)

- Most travelled of any predecessors due to his wartime journeys

- He was daring and ruthless (determination to fight on in 1940, decision to destroy French fleet, support of civilian bombing in Germany, plans to destroy German invaders with poison gas).

Churchill's Experience and Failures

• Military Experience:

  • Served as a young man in:

    • Sudan

    • North West Frontier of India

    • Cuba (as an observer)

    • South Africa (as a war correspondent)

  • Little experience in command, planning, or high-level strategy.

  • No naval experience, despite holding naval positions.

• Failures:

  • Gallipoli Campaign (1915):

    • Churchill, as First Lord of the Admiralty, pushed the idea of invading Turkey.

    • Led to heavy losses (mainly ANZAC troops).

    • Failed to get past the beaches; only the evacuation succeeded.

    • Resulted in his resignation.

  • Western Front:

    • Briefly served as a colonel.

    • Saw little action, soon left to return to politics.

  • Norway Campaign (1939–40):

    • As head of the navy again, supported another failed campaign.

Churchill’s perspective/view

• Influenced by First World War experiences:

  • Blamed politicians for allowing generals like Haig to pursue high-casualty strategies without proper oversight.

• Frustrated with military caution during the 1930s:

  • Commanders advised against action due to fear of a three-front war (Germany, Italy, Japan).

• Believed in more assertive and bold actions.

• Felt generals were overly cautious and needed strong direction from political leaders.

Churchill's relationship with generals (3)

- His military chiefs were all too aware that Churchill's own military career had failed

- Little experience of command, planning or overall strategy

- This did not stop him giving direct orders to the navy

- always very aggressive with his tactics and forward pressing, which mean that those who wanted to take more pragmatic moves were seen as weak

The Gallipoli campaign 1915

- Invasion of Turkey (Germany's ally) to avoid a large-scale war in France.

- Involved navy landing armed forces to take Constantinople.

- Resulted in heavy losses and failure to get beyond the beaches.

- Churchill was forced to resign

Churchill's first few months as PM (4)

- Churchill made criticisms of military leaders and issued unrealistic orders

- When the German forces broke through the French lines, their fast moving attack proved too much for the French and the British commander Lord Gort was forced to ignore Churchill's orders in order to preserve the British forces.

- Churchill's insistence to defend the port of Calais until the end was pointless and lost valuable men

- His desire to send another British force even when France was on the brink of defeat was stopped by argument by Sir John Dill. Churchill got rid of him asap.

who was field marshal wavell

- Chruchill personally disliked him, gave him little credit for the huge victories in north africa (operation torch, western desert campaign, tunisia campaign)

- Churchill took his forces away when Italy invaded greece in 1940 as they needed men to establish a new balkan front -> so men struggled in north africa

- Churchill blamed Wavell for this and demoted him

- ONE OF THE POOR POLITICAL-MILITARY RELATIONSHIP that justifies the claims of Churchill's inability to collaborate

How was Brooke's temperament different to Chruchill's?

- He was conscious of the need to avoid heavy casualties.

- He was often annoyed at Churchill for coming up with all sorts of different military ideas and for thinking aloud

Churchill's relationship with Brooke

- Personal dealings with Churchill were tricky, but with major decisions there were fewer disagreements

- Brooke supported Churchill's controversial decision to send a lot of Britain's military equipment to the Middle East, to protect suez canal from italy

Overall relationship with Brooke

Difficult but successful

Who was Wavell?

Commander in Chief of British forces in North Africa

Relationship with Wavell (4)

- Churchill disliked him on personal level

- gave him little credit for the huge victories in north africa (operation torch, western desert campaign, tunisia campaign)

- In February, Wavell was ordered to send his troops to Greece, meaning his men struggled in North Africa

- There was no prior planning and resources, so it failed when the German force invaded and they were pushed back to Egypt.

- Wavell did not have the resources to fight the German forces under Rommel so he was given the blame and demoted

- ONE OF THE POOR POLITICAL-MILITARY RELATIONSHIP that justifies the claims of Churchill's inability to collaborate

Overall relationship with Wavell

Very poor

Who was Sir Claude Auchinleck?

Replaced Wavell as Commander in Chief

Relationship with Auchinleck (5)

• Succeeded Wavell as Commander-in-Chief Middle East.

• Achieved success at the First Battle of El Alamein but delayed a follow-up offensive.

• Churchill grew frustrated with his refusal to launch attacks until he was fully prepared.

• Auchinleck was seen by Churchill as lacking "offensive spirit" and too slow in decision-making.

• In 1942, Churchill dismissed Auchinleck and replaced him with General Montgomery (Monty).