Britain at war - 1939-45 Flashcards
What was appeasement and why was Churchill opposed to it?
appeasement means giving in to someone to avoid confrontation
politicians in Britain and France allowed Hitler to expand his army as they thought the Treaty of Versailles was too harsh
Churchill thought that appeasement would only allow Hitler to become more powerful and difficult to fight
What was the Phoney War?
first 6 months is known as the ‘phoney war’ because there was no fighting
from September 1939 to April 1940
some evacuees returned home and gas masks weren’t carried around because people did not think it would happen
How did Britain prepare for Bombing?
air raid shelters
blackouts
38 million gas masks handed out
How did Britain prepare for invasion?
home guard set up - 1 million volunteers by August 1940
manned anti-aircraft guns
helped rescue workers
trained to fight a German invasion
Why did Chamberlain resign and why was Churchill a good leader?
Chamberlain resigned because of the failed British Campaign in Norway, which resulted in Norway and Britain loosing 3000 troops
Churchill had strong leadership and was persistent at destroying the Nazis
What happened at Dunkirk?
owners of small boats to ferry soldiers to big ships
340,000 people were evacuated
Churchill presented this as a victory because many troops were saved and could fight again
however, it allowed the Nazi’s to have more control over France
