Churchill as a wartime Prime Minister

Question 1

What was the situation regarding the war in 1940

Answer 1

• Dunkirk (300,000 man evacuation)
• Italian invasion of Egypt (threat to Suez - trade route to India and Far East, and oil in the Middle East)
• Japan in the Far East (Manchuria 1931 and had started to expand through Asia)
• Gold reserves running out to pay for the war
• Fear of bombing of Britain (as had occurred in Belgium and the Low Countries)
• Halifax wanted to seek terms for ending the war with Germany
• By the end of 1940 Britain had survived the fall of France and was winning some victories against the Italians in North Africa

Question 2

What was Churchill’s stance towards the war?

Answer 2

• To never surrender
• To maintain the Empire
• To undertake bold and daring action - intensely disliked those who were hesitant

Question 3

Give 3 key personality traits of Churchill throughout the war

Answer 3

1. Personally flamboyant - wore overalls and military uniforms as well as a variety of hats and costumes to capture the publics need for a dynamic leader
2. Ruthless - dismissed military leaders with whom he lost confidence, ordered the destruction of the French Fleet at Oran in 1940
3. Stubborn - WE SHALL NEVER SURRENDER

Question 4

Name 4 of Churchill’s generals

Answer 4

1. Alan Brooke (the field marshall)
2. Wavell (the competent one)
3. Auchinleck (the cautious one)
4. Montgomery (oHhhH mOntY)

Question 5

What was Churchill’s relationship with Brooke?

Answer 5

Brooke found Churchill tiresome to have to deal with, and was irritated by Churchill trying to interfere - however when it came to major decisions they were both generally on the same page e.g. Both Brooke and Churchill agreed on a Mediterranean strategy following the fall of France

Question 6

What was Churchill’s relationship with Wavell?

Answer 6

• Churchill personally disliked Wavell despite his great successes in North Africa
• Following the Nazi invasion in Greece, Wavell was forced to halt all progression and give men to open a Balkan front
• The Balkan front was a disaster leading to an evacuation
• Wavell didn’t have enough resources left to meet German forces under Rommel - took the blame - and was demoted

Question 7

What was Churchill’s relationship with Auchinleck

Answer 7

• Auchinleck was an efficient planner, however was cautious and believed he was not prepared for a premature attack on the German’s
• He was effective in his defence against Germans, and made thorough preparations for an attack which never happened, as Churchill’s patience ran out and he sacked him for not be daring or aggressive enough

Question 8

What was Churchill’s relationship with Montgomery

Answer 8

• Churchill admired him for his self-confidence
• However, Montgomery also insisted to delaying until he had more than twice the men that Rommel had before attacking El Alamein in October 1942
• Much of the credit for El Alamein went to Monty despite it being Auchinleck’s thorough and efficient preparation that won the battle

Question 9

Why did Britain adopt a Mediterranean Strategy?

Answer 9

North Africa
- The Suez Canal was an important link to India and the Empire in south-east Asia and Oceania
- Vital oil fields that lay in the middle east needed protecting
Balkans
- By 1942-143 Britain had complete dominance over North Africa and were free to
Italy
- This was seen as an alternative to a costly attack on northern France
- Attacking Europe’s soft underbelly

Question 10

What were the objections to the Mediterranean Strategy?

Answer 10

• General Marshall (Commander of American forces) believed that Germany could only be defeated by invading the homeland and engaging with the bulk of the German forces which meant invading North France - military theory also stresses engagement at crucial points, not peripheral theatres
• The Soviets demanded that the British and Americans open a front with Germany, as to alleviate pressure off of the Eastern front

Question 11

How did Britain convince the Americans to go with the Mediterranean strategy?

Answer 11

• Both he and the Americans thought an invasion of Italy would be easy as the invasion of Sicily had gone well in 1943
• By postponing the invasion, Germany would be weakened from continued allied bombing raids, and from fighting their war of attrition with the USSR

Question 12

Give 2 reasons why Churchill was right to pursue the Mediterranean strategy

Answer 12

1. At the start of the campaign in Northern Africa - yes; Britain needed to secure the oil fields, and couldn’t allow German forces to join up with those in Southern Russia
2. The heavy casualties incurred following the Normandy invasion until the end of the war in 1945 (comparable to the total casualties in WWI) imply that it was wise to let Germany be severely weakened the Eastern front

Question 13

Give 2 reasons why Churchill was NOT right to pursue the Mediterranean strategy

Answer 13

1. The invasion of Italy was likely not the right move - it tied down valuable US and British troops and led to a war of attrition against the Germans
2. This took time allowing the Germans to build a strong Atlantic Defense and also weakened the alliance with Stalin who blamed heavy soviet losses for Britain and America’s reluctance to open a second front

Question 14

Give 4 justifications for the bombing of German cities

Answer 14

1. Retaliatory strikes from the Blitz over British cities
2. Bombing was the only real way of striking Germany itself throughout most of the war
3. There was a belief that bombing was the way to prevent large scale casualties in the event of a land invasion
4. There was a belief that the terror bombing of German cities would hit morale

Question 15

Give 5 criticisms of the bombing of German cities?

Answer 15

1. Disproportionate response to the Blitz - 60,500 Brits; 400,000-600,000 Germans killed
2. The results were not decisive in destroying either German morale or productive capacity
3. The greatest effect was when bombing was heavily concentrated on transport and communication
4. Led to accusations of unnecessary and vindictive attacks on civilians

Question 16

Why was the bombing of Dresden controversial?

Answer 16

The city was crowded with refugees and not an important military target

Question 17

Give 4 reasons why Britain spent time and resources planning for after the war

Answer 17

1. The failure to provide “land fit for hero’s” in the 1920s and 1930s created a sense of guilt and the government was keen to assure the British people that after the defeat of Germany, there wouldn’t simply be a return to the hardships of the 1930s
2. The war established that the primary domestic purpose of government was to serve the economic and social interests of the people.
3. The war increased the awareness of how much inequality and deprivation there was, creating a strong feeling that Britain owed its people protection and welfare.
4. People also felt that the state should be duty bound to reward the people for their heroic effort

Question 18

What did the Beveridge Report identify as the 5 giants

Answer 18

1. Want
2. Squalor
3. Disease
4. Idleness
5. Ignorance

Question 19

Give 3 wartime policies that influenced what would happen afterwards

Answer 19

1. Hospitals and railways were nationalised
2. A million homes were made habitable; pre-fabs were created to meet housing shortages
3. The Education Act 1944 reorganised education, ended fees and promised to raise the school leaving age to 15

Question 20

Give 3 reports that would influence post-war policy

Answer 20

1. Beveridge Report - proposed “cradle to grave” welflare
2. Town and Country Planning Act 1944 - reconstruction of bombed areas
3. Full Employment in Free Society 1944 - another Beveridge report

Question 21

Give 3 Labour strengths that helped them win in the 1945 General Election

Answer 21

1. Labour was most trusted to implement post-war reconstruction
2. Labour fitted the progressive zeitgeist (wants and needs of the time)
3. Labour Ministers focused a lot more on domestic affairs during the war

Question 22

Give the Conservative weaknesses that lost them the election in 1945

Answer 22

They ran a campaign based almost purely off of Churchill’s wartime reputation, however many in the working class remembered his opposition to strikes and socialism