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Britain 1930-1997 > Churchill's view of events 1929-40 > Flashcards

Churchill's view of events 1929-40 Flashcards

1
Q

who lost the general election of May 1929?

A

Conservatives

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2
Q

who led the National Government that Churchill was not invited to be part of and when was it formed?

A

Macdonald (Labour) in August 1931

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3
Q

give three reasons for Churchill not being like by either Labour or Liberals in 1931?

A
  • bitter attacks on trade unions during the General Strike of 1926
  • failed Gallipoli attacks in 1915
  • blamed for high unemployment (returned Britain to the Gold Standard in 1925 - raised export prices)
  • against Indian self-governance
  • aligned himself with extreme right-wing imperialists - out of touch
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4
Q

who became prime minister in
i) 1935
ii) 1937
and what party were they?

A

i) Baldwin
ii) Chamberlain
Conservatives

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5
Q

why was Churchill not invited back into government in the mid 1930s?

A
  • spoke out about danger posed by Germany
  • believed that Britain should rearm and needed greater air defence
  • out of line with mainstream thinking
  • seemed too willing to risk war again
  • outspoken supporters for Edward VIII during abdication crisis
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6
Q

what policy was Chamberlain committed to?

A

appeasement

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7
Q

why did Churchill’s criticism of British defences seem hypocritical?

A

it was his defence cuts of the 1920s which laid the basis for Britain’s military weakness

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8
Q

what were the economic realities of the mid 1930s?

A
  • government spending has been cut

- unemployment was high

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9
Q

what were the problems in India?

A
  • widespread calls for independence from Britain

- non-violent but powerful civil disobedience campaign led by Ghandi

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10
Q

how did the British government counter the problems in India?

A

passed the Government of India Act in 1935 which increased the electorate

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11
Q

give three reasons for Churchill opposing British policy to India

A
  • he loved the Raj
  • objected to any concessions to popular protest and threats to lawful authority
  • thought that independence would lead to disastrous conflicts between Muslims and Hindus
  • believed in the superiority of the white race and it’s destiny to rule
  • wanted to uphold the empire
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12
Q

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

A
  • cut himself off from mainstream Conservative Party opinion

- was not trusted to be in government

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13
Q

why was a stable monarchy important in the 30s?

A
  • helped Britain’s reputation abroad

- had been vital in encouraging patriotism and sacrifice in WW1

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14
Q

why did Edward VIII wanting to marry Wallis Simpson threaten stability?

A
  • Simpson was twice divorced - difficult for the British public to accept at a time when divorce still bore a stigma
  • the Archbishop of Canterbury was concerned about marrying a divorced woman in church
  • might have caused problems in the Empire
  • cabinet did not give its approval for the marriage - if they married, the Government would have has to resign
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15
Q

why did Churchill support the King in the abdication crisis?

A
  • sincere devotion to hereditary monarchy

- friendship with the king

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16
Q

why did Churchill view the Hitler regime as dangerous?

A
  • saw continuity with the situation before 1914
  • feared the rise of Germany and its impact on the balance of power in Europe
  • feared the domination of the continent by a single power
  • he had been a part of the government which had established the peace treaty with Germany in 1919
  • concerned about the violent behaviour of Nazis and their anti-Semitism
  • did not, however, oppose dictatorships - supported Mussolini’s reign in Italy
17
Q

what was Churchill’s attitude to developments in Germany?

A
  • saw German re-armament as a threat

- when Hitler reintroduced conscription in 1935, Churchill saw this as a revival of German militarism

18
Q

what was the British government’s response to German re-armament and what did Churchill think of it?

A
  • the Anglo-German Naval Treaty of 1935

- Churchill criticised this as a sign of weakness

19
Q

what was the British government’s view on the Italian invasion of Ethiopia and what did Churchill think of it?

A
  • Britain fell out with Italy, and henceforth, with Mussolini
  • Churchill saw this as short-sighted, as Mussolini could have been an opponent to Hitler
20
Q

give three reasons for Churchill’s attitude towards Germany being unpopular in Britain in the 30s

A
  • some thought Germany had been treated too harshly by the Treaty of Versailles
  • rearmament was unpopular (anti-war feeling)
  • seemed to be advocating initiating another arms race
  • hypocritical for initiating much British disarmament in the 20s
  • some in Britain sympathised with Hitler’s opposition to communism
  • he seemed too alarmist
  • seemed to be putting possible clashes with Germany ahead of Britain’s need to look after her own people at a time of economic distress
  • anti-German stance seemed to be yet another example of living in the past
  • seemed to ignore the role of the League of Nations in keeping peace - there was a general feeling of high hopes for the League’s success
21
Q

when was the Munich Agreement?

A

1938

22
Q

what did Chamberlain agree to in the Munich Agreement?

A
  • dismembering of the independent state of Czechoslovakia, making the German-speaking part (the Sutenland) part of Germany
  • Britain had also accepted Hitler’s annexation of Austria (Anschluss)
  • Munich Conference accepted Germany taking over the territory of people who were not Germans
23
Q

what was Churchill’s reaction to the Munich Agreement?

A
  • highly critical
  • believed Britain could be seen as weak (giving in to German demands in a conference on German soil) and in danger of being dominated by Germany
  • believed the agreement strengthened Germany and would make it more difficult for Britain to control future expansion
  • ‘a defeat without a war’
24
Q

what was Churchill’s policy in opposition to appeasement/

A

believed that a strong stand by Britain and other nations would deter Germany and prevent the balance of power shifting in central Europe towards a powerful German state, and potentially encourage opposition to Hitler within Germany

25
Q

why did Churchill’s criticism of the Munich Agreement and his opposing policy to appeasement seem unrealistic at the time?

A
  • uncertainty that other countries would join with Britain
  • British chiefs of staff were worried that war against Germany would also be war against Hitler’s allies - Italy and Japan
  • little evidence that Germans would turn against the Nazi regime
  • people didn’t care about Czechoslovakia
26
Q

when did Churchill become Prime Minister?

A

10 May 1940

27
Q

why was Churchill unpopular with the Conservative Party, the military chiefs, or the royals when he was appointed Prime Minister?

A
  • attacks on Government in 30s made him enemies within the Conservative Party
  • Chamberlain was a very well respected leader
  • failure of the Norway Campaign
  • naval commanders found him interfering and overbearing
  • record of failures - Gallipoli and restoration of Gold Standard
  • had been out of office for most of the 30s and was in his 60s
28
Q

why did Chamberlain resign in May 1940?

A
  • difficult for Chamberlain as a ‘man of peace’ to become a war leader
  • failure of the Norway campaign led to feeling that he was not waging war well enough
  • in the House of Commons debate over Norway, 40 Conservative MPs voted against the Government, and a further 40 abstained
  • he was seriously ill by this time
29
Q

why was Churchill appointed as Prime Minister in May 1940?

A
  • considerable popular support in the country due to his stand against appeasement, and obvious determination to pursue war vigorously
  • had support of a group of Conservative MPs and was backed by Labour
30
Q

who was the preferred candidate for PM by most of the Conservatives in May 1940, and why was he not appointed?

A

Lord Halifax

  • associated with the policy of appeasement
  • made it clear that he would not accept the post
31
Q

name three qualities that Churchill bought to the role of PM

A
  • powerful orator
  • his newspaper articles were widely read
  • a very experienced minister
  • sense of destiny and entitlement
  • a highly individual and determined leader who would invigorate the war effort
32
Q

what did the German invasion of Holland and Belgium prior to invading France create in 1940?

A
  • a sense of urgency

- indication that Britain needed a leader who understood war

Britain 1930-1997 (3 decks)

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