Impact of war on life on the home front

Question 1

What “A” was the policy that the British government had towards Germany for most of the 1930s?

Answer 1

Appeasement

Question 2

What was Appeasement?

Answer 2

Trying to avoid war by negotiation and compromise. Britain gave in to Germany when Germany kept breaking the Treaty of Versailles

Question 3

Explain why the British Government followed a policy of appeasement during the 1930s.

Answer 3

1. People did not want another war like WWI
2. Britain could not afford a war
3. Some British politicians thought that the Treaty of Versailles had been too harsh on Germany

Question 4

What was the Anschluss in 1938?

Answer 4

The union (joining together) of Germany and Austria that was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles. German troops marched into Austria in March 1938. They were invited in by Austrian Nazis. Britain and France protested but did nothing to stop it.

Question 5

What was the Sudetenland?

Answer 5

An area of Czechoslovakia that Hitler wanted after the Anschluss. The area had many German speakers.

Question 6

Explain why the Munich Conference in September 1938 was important.

Answer 6

Chamberlain managed to avoid war by giving in to Hitler and giving Germany the Sudetenland.
Most people in Britain saw Chamberlain as a hero at the time, showing that they supported the policy of Appeasement.
The agreement delayed war, giving Britain more time to build up its army and air force.

Question 7

How important was the German invasion of Czechoslovakia in March 1939?

Answer 7

Very important. It showed that Hitler could not be trusted because he had ripped up the Munich Agreement.
It arguably marked the end of the British policy of Appeasement because Britain finally said that if Germany invaded Poland then Britain would declare war on Germany.

Question 8

What was the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

Answer 8

This was signed by Hitler of Germany and Stalin of Russia in August 1939. They agreed not to attack each other and to both invade and share Poland.

Question 9

Why was there a gap of a day between Germany invading Poland on September 1st 1939 and Britain declaring war on September 3rd?

Answer 9

Britain gave Hitler one final ultimatum to remove its troops. Germany did not reply.

Question 10

How prepared was Britain for war in 1939?

Answer 10

Navy. This was quite well equipped with enough ships to defend Britain
Air Force. The RAF had very good fighter planes – Spitfire and Hurricane – but more needed to be built, and more pilots needed to be trained. RADAR was a new invention and a big advantage for Britain. Bombers were effective, but more needed to be built.
Army. Conscription was only brought in in May 1939. The army did not have enough trained soldiers or tanks.

Question 11

Who was the British Prime Minister at the start of the Second World War?

Answer 11

Neville Chamberlain

Question 12

What was the “Phoney War”?

Answer 12

The period of the Second World War from September 1939 to April 1940 when virtually nothing happened. It ended when Germany invaded Denmark and Norway in April 1940

Question 13

Who became British Prime Minister in May 1940?

Answer 13

Winston Churchill

Question 14

How important was the Battle of Britain?

Answer 14

Very important. This was when the German Luftwaffe (air force) tried to destroy the British RAF in the summer of 1940. Germany knew they had to do this if they were going to invade Britain by sea. The RAF won the Battle and so saved Britain from invasion. The main reasons why Britain won were RADAR, the superior Spitfire and Hurricane fighters together with the skill of the pilots, and the fact that German fighters could not stay in the air as long without having to go back to France to refuel.

Question 15

Describe the Blitz.

Answer 15

The Blitz was the German bombing of British cities and ports from September 1940 to May 1941.
London was the main target. Other cities badly hit were Coventry and Swansea.
45 000 civilians were killed.
3.5 million homes were damaged or destroyed.

Question 16

Explain how people coped with the Blitz.

Answer 16

ARP Wardens, Auxiliary Fire and First aid posts were set up by the government.
Anderson Shelters (in the garden)
Morrison shelters (in the house)
Underground shelter in London
Censorship of newspapers
Community spirit – people helping each other.

Question 17

Describe evacuation.

Answer 17

Evacuation was the government’s plan to move children and women from the cities to the countryside to avoid being bombed. It was not compulsory. Billeting officers organised children going into people’s homes in the country side.

Question 18

Explain why rationing was introduced in January 1940.

Answer 18

It was introduced to make sure that people had their fair share of some foods, clothes and fuel and to stop rich people buying too much. German submarines (U-Boats) were sinking British merchant ships stopping supplies.

Question 19

Explain the British Government’s use of propaganda and censorship during the Second World War.

Answer 19

Propaganda was used to keep people’s morale as high as possible. British victories were sometimes exaggerated in the newspapers and much was made of people coping during the Blitz.
Censorship meant that the government (Ministry of Information) took total control of the media, making sure that people only knew what the government wanted them to know. British losses were made to seem less serious. Newspapers were not allowed to show pictures of dead bodies.

Question 20

How important was the role of Winston Churchill during the Second World War?

Answer 20

Very important.
He was one of the only ones who spoke out against appeasement in the 1930s and so people knew he would have a “never say die” attitude.
As Prime Minister he helped to raise people’s morale by: making speeches on the radio and in the House of Commons; visiting people affected by the Blitz; appealing to people’s “bulldog spirit”.
He also helped to make the important decisions and laws such as rationing and propaganda and censorship to help Britain survive and defeat Germany.

Question 21

Describe the role of women during the Second World War.

Answer 21

Women took on “men’s” jobs in factories, in transport, on farms, in hospitals and the armed forces, much more than women had done during WWI.
They had greater responsibility but still didn’t get paid the same as men.
On farms they made up the Women’s Land Army.
In the armed forces they joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WReNS) and the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF)

Question 22

Who were the three main politicians (3 Bs) involved in planning for peace during the Second World War?

Answer 22

William Beveridge (Liberal Lord)
Aneurin Bevan
RA Butler

Question 23

What was the Beveridge Report 1942?

When In Distress I Scream

Answer 23

It was a report written by the Liberal Lord William Beveridge.
It said that there were “five evil giants” affecting ordinary people in Britain – Want, Ignorance, Disease, Idleness and Squalor.
It said that the government should bring in laws to get rid of these and to protect people “from the cradle to the grave”.

Question 24

Describe the role of Aneurin Bevan in “planning for peace” during the Second World War.

Answer 24

He helped to set up the Ministry of Town and Country Planning to plan and rebuild houses. This was to tackle the problem of squalor. He was later to help set up the NHS in 1948.

Question 25

Describe RA Butler’s contribution to “planning for peace” during the Second World War.

Answer 25

He wrote the 1944 Education Act. The main purpose of the Act was to get rid of ignorance by providing good, free secondary schooling for all children. When the Act was finally passed in 1947 it also raised the school leaving age from 14 to 15.