Churchill Flashcards
What period did George V reign?
1910-1936.
He was an example of a perfect…?
constitutional monarch.
Why was his son David(Edward VIII) less respected?
playboy and he made political comments.
Who did he want to marry and why was it controversial?
Wallis Simpson, she was a twice-divorced American
Why was the issue of marriage to a divorcee an issue for Edward VII?
Edward was the head of the church and the church didn’t endorse divorce.
What did Stanley Baldwin believe(PM)?
the country wouldn’t want Wallis as Queen.
What was the cabinet’s response to the proposed morganatic marriage?
they refused it and threatened to resign the government.
Did Churchill support the King? Evidence?
yes as he was a member of “The King’s Friends”
When was Churchill’s biggest mistake?
December 1936.
What was Churchill’s biggest mistake?
he misjudged the mood of commons and made a pro-king speech which was shouted down. Baldwin had ‘whipped’ tories to vote for King’s abdication.
Did Churchill agree with appeasement?
No.
What event persuaded his lack of appeasement?
Sudetenland.
What 3 options did he present to stop appeasement?
Grand Alliance, Rearmament and War in 1938.
What 3 arguments dissuaded rearmament?
Financial Priorities, Pacifism and 10-Year-Rule.
Why was the idea of war in 1938 rejected?
Lack of allies, the vulnerability of Empire and lack of support from MP’s e.g Halifax.
Who was in the proposed Grand Alliance?
USSR, the USA, Britain and France.
Why was the GA unrealistic for USSR?
Spanish civil war and Churchill’s previous comments.
Why was the GA unrealistic for the USA?
Isolationism and the Great Depression.
Why was the GA unrealistic for Britain?
Pacifism.
Why was the GA unrealistic for France?
Pacifism.
When did the British ‘Raj’ begin?
1858.
What pro-Indian independence group form in 1885?
Indian National Congress.
What year was the Amritsar massacre?
1919.
Who was the leader of the INC in the 1920s?
Gandhi.
What happened in London in 1930-31?
Conferences over greater Indian control.
When was the Government of India Act?
1936.
When did the cries for Independence in India ramp up?
1920s & 30s.
Which groups of people demanded it?
Intellectuals and the masses
Why did Gandhi lead a protest to Amritsar?
The extension of police power.
How many people were killed at Amritsar?
Around 400.
What effect did this have on the independence movement?
They gained masses of new support.
Who did Churchill’’s view on Indian independence cause rifts with?
Baldwin and the Conservative Party.
Which proposals over Indian Independence did Churchill disagree with?
To give India Dominion of Empire status.
Which countries already had what was proposed for Indian independence?
Australia and South Africa (white governed).
What did Churchill believe Anglo-Saxons had (to do)?
Racial superiority and to develop ‘lesser’ people.
What did Churchill call India?
“Jewel in the crown” of the Empire.
Who did Churchill believe Britain was protecting in India?
Hindu elites dominating over Indian Muslims.
Who did Churchill try to make resign? How?
Samuel Hoare - Secretary of India and threatened to shatter the conservative party.
Who did Churchill call “malignant and subversive”?
Gandhi.
Which group did Churchill make a speech to in Dec. 1930?
‘The Indian Empire Society’ - reactionary imperial group.
Two further pieces of evidence Churchill held racist views.
Proposed poison gas of Afghans and Bengal famine.
What were 3 positives on the 13th May 1940 for Churchill?
France had large forces, Churchill had allies in the cabinet and Italy wasn’t allied with Germany.
Which two previous failures for Churchill portrayed him negatively?
WWI and the Norway Campaign.
What happened on the 14th May 1940?
Germany broke Frech defences.
What were 4 negatives by the 28th May?
Fear ob bombing from Germany, gold reserves were running out, 300,000 troops were stranded on Dunkirk and threat of Italy in Suez.
When were troop son Dunkirk evacuated?
4th June 1940.
What did some of the cabinet want vs. Churchill on the 28th May?
To negotiate with Italy and Germany but Churchill said no and made “beaches” speech.
What caused the RAF to bomb Germany?
Their invasion of the Low countries.
Why were British troops sent to Egypt?
To defend the Suez Canal from Italy.
What happened on the 3rd July 1940?
The prevention of a French fleet falling into German hands.
Why was Churchill perceived as one of the ‘greatest military powers the word had seen’?
He carried on fighting with no allies.
What did the Germans believe would happen at the Battle of Britain?
Loss of British morale.
Was morale lowered?/If no what did they do?
No. In Sept. 1940 started bombing RAF bases.
When was the BoB launched?
August 1940.
What famous Churchill speech was made on the 20th of August 1940?
‘So many…so few’.
Who was the head of the RAF fighter command?
Sir Hugh Dowding.
What two things did Dowding oppose from Churchill which led to victory?
Send squadrons to France/ all-out attack on day 2.
Which two governments developed Spitfires and Hurricanes?
MacDonald and Baldwin.
What 2 things showed Churchill to be a weak leader after the BoB?
Failed to prevent Dowding being sacked/ said his contributions were ‘just words’.
What 4 things showed a remarkable achievement had been gained by Britain still being in the War by the end of 1940?
determined to prevent negotiations, victories in North Africa, Battle of Britain and all of this was done with no commitment from the USA.
When did the Suez Canal become a vital trade route for Britain?
1876
Give two reasons why British leaders were worried about Italy.
1940 - Southern France invaded and Italian colony Libya bordered Egypt.
Why was Churchill worried in 1942?
Russian forces were pushed back - Germans could gain influence in the Middle East - oil.
What was his proposed solution?
Balkan Front - Greece, Yugoslavia and Turkey.
Did it work? Why/Why not?
No - Greece pushed back both British and Italian forces.
Who led the German Afrika Korps?
General Rommel.
Why did Britain triumph in the battle of El Alamein in 1942?
Germans were short of supplies and men.
Give two reasons why the US General Marshall disagreed with the Mediterranean strategy.
Believed we needed to focus on Europe and that Churchill was just trying to protect Empire not win the war.
Why was the 1943 invasion of Sicily puzzling?
Many countries in the Med were in allied hands and Italy had been weakened by 1943.
Why did Stalin see the war in Italy as disrespectful?
Believed Churchill was putting off opening a second front and Russia was enduring the majority of the casualties.
Name four of Churchill’s generals.
Wavell, Auchinleck, Montgomery and Brooke.
Why was Churchill so heavily involved in his Minister of defence role?
He believed he was a good strategist as he fought in colonial wars and WWI as well as not wanting to repeat WWI.
Did Churchill like Wavell?
No.
Why was he demoted?
He was defeated in Greece even though he had been given no time to prepare.
Did Churchill like Auchinleck?
No.
Why was he sacked?
His lack of aggression and delays.
Did Churchill like Montgomery?
Yes.
Which battle did Montgomery ‘win’?
El Alamein.
Who should have got the credit for Montgomery’s ‘win’?
Auchinleck.
Who was Sir Alan Brooke?
Field Marshal.
Did Churchill like Brooke?
No.
Did Churchill and Brooke work well together?
Yes.
What contributed to a left-ward trend in the 1940s?
Influence of Trade Unions and USSR’s contribution to the victory in WWII.
When did the 1945 election take place?
5th July 1945.
When were the 1945 results available? Why then?
26th July 1945 - servicemen’s votes overseas.
What had Labour been leading in since 1943 until the 1945 election?
By-elections.
What economic strategy became more desirable because of WWII?
Nationalisation.
What inspires middle-class people that things had to changes in the 1940s?
The integration of lower-class people made them more sympathetic to their situations.
Three key labour politicians during WWII and their roles.
Clement Atlee - Deputy Prime Minister, Ernest Bevin - Minister of Labour and Herbert Morrison - Home Secretary.
Which report worked in favour of for Labour in the 1945 election?
Beveridge.
What % of servicemen did RAF Chief, Marshal Tedder say to Churchill would vote for Labour in the 1945 election vs. not at all?
Labour - 80% - Not at all - 20%
What two groups split the Tory party before the 1945 election? Which one did Churchill fall into?
Pro-reformers and anti-reformers, e.g. Churchill.
What report furthered the split of the Tory party during the 1945 election campaign? Why was Churchill scared of this report?
Beveridge Report. He feared higher taxes and the extension of state intervention.
Why was £3000 not enough for the Tory Party 1945 election campaign?
They had spent £30,000 in 1935.
What was the fundamental flaw in the 1945 Tory campaign? Why?
Based on Churchill and the war. The public had to differentiate war vs peacetime leader themselves.
What speech infuriated the public and Labour before the 1945 election?
Churchill’s ‘Gestapo’ speech.
What type of Tory activism was non-existent during the 1945 election campaign?
Local - until a few months before the election.
What were Churchill’s struggles in the party during 1945?
He had previously been in the ‘wilderness’ and he had no power base in the party.
How old was Churchill in 1945?
70.
Why did the Tory party have a lack of official policies going into the 1945 election?
There was a focus on internationalism and the threats of the USSR.
What did Churchill warn against without making any solid domestic policies during the 1945 election campaign?
Increased government involvement in socioeconomic affairs.
