Churchill's View of Events 1929-1940

Question 1

Give 5 reasons for Churchill being out of office 1929-1939

Answer 1

1. Reputation
2. India
3. Abdication
4. Rearmament
5. Appeasement

Question 2

Why did Churchill’s reputation keep him out of office 1929-1933

Answer 2

• Churchill hatred of TU’s, attacking them during the General Strike 1926 and use of troops against strikers in South Wales made him unpopular by with Liberal’s and Labour keeping him out of office during the National Government in 1931
• His 1915 failure in Gallipoli made him generally unpopular
• His return of Britain to the Gold Standard in 1925 was associated with the high unemployment as it raised export prices
• He took a strong line against giving dominion status to India which aligned him with extreme right-wing imperialists that went against the prevailing views of moderates
• He seemed old fashioned and out of touch

Question 3

What was the government’s policy on how to deal with India?

Answer 3

To give India dominion status and greater political freedom

Question 4

Give 3 reasons for the government’s policy towards India

Answer 4

1. Widespread calls for independence within India following the Amritsar Massacre of 1919 where British Troops fired on a crowd
2. Growing Nationalist agitation led by the Congress Party
3. Reliance on repression to govern India gave Britain a bad international reputation

Question 5

Give 2 of Churchill’s justifications for continued British control in India

Answer 5

1. Believed that giving some element of control to India would lead to them just asking for more
2. Believed that it was the British control that maintained the peace between the Hindus and Muslims

Question 6

What were the consequences of Churchill’s views on India?

Answer 6

He alienated himself from Prime Minister’s Baldwin and Chamberlain, as his views seemed too extreme and old-fashioned which were out of touch with the more modern mainstream Conservative Party

Question 7

Give 3 reasons for the government’s policy towards the Abdication

Answer 7

• There may have been problems in the empire in accepting a marriage in which she was simply the royal consort rather than the Queen
• The Archbishop of Canterbury was concerned about marrying a divorced woman in the Church
• Marrying an American Woman who had been twice divorced would have been difficult for the British people to accept at a time when divorce was looked down upon

Question 8

What were Churchill’s views on the Abdication?

Answer 8

Churchill was a staunch royalist who had a personal relationship with King Edward VIII when he was the Prince of Wales and was an emotional person who was moved by the royal love story, thus took up a defensive stance for the king joining the small group of ‘King’s friends’

Question 9

What were the consequences for Churchill’s views on the Abdication?

Answer 9

Churchill was in a minority and his views put him at odds with the party and its leadership

Question 10

Why was Churchill afraid of Germany’s rise?

Answer 10

His historical knowledge and background made him fear the domination of the continent by a single power which he believed Hitler was pursuing

Question 11

Give 3 reasons why Churchill’s views on rearmament were unpopular

Answer 11

• People thought Germany had been treated too harshly in the Treaty of Versailles
• People were still scarred from the First World War and there was strong anti-war sentiment
• Britain was still suffering through the Great Depression, and thought that public spending could be better put elsewhere

Question 12

Why was Churchill’s views on appeasement criticised?

Answer 12

• Britain was not in a position where they could take action against Germany
• Public support remained firmly in favour of peace
• His policy simply wasn’t realistic

Question 13

What was the opposition to Churchill’s appointment to PM in 1940

Answer 13

• He was unpopular amongst a large portion of the Conservative Party due to his attacks on the government in 1930
• He was unpopular amongst naval commanders who found him overbearing and interfering in matters he shouldn’t
• His Norway campaign had failed
• The Crown disapproved of Churchill, and admired Chamberlain and his policy of Appeasement

Question 14

Why was Churchill appointed to PM in 1940?

Answer 14

His opposition to appeasement and support of rearmament proved that he had been supporting the right policies and implied that he would be a good leader during wartime