Midterm Review Flashcards
Why is it important for Great Britain to be an island?
Wants to maintain naval power; does not have strong military/army traditions
The industrial part of Britain, as it’s close to mining and mountains
North
People living around England, more working class, typically Protestant
Celtic
Britain’s political system where you vote for one member of parliament and the winner party picks the prime minister
Parliamentary system
How did Britain come to be an empire?
colonialization
Part of London that consisted of working class and poor people since the medieval days
Eastern London
What are some recent world events that have reminded Britain of WW2?
Covid with private labs, food banks, self isolation
Labour party view of WW2
it was “the people’s war,” built state welfare, credited running the home front
Conservative party view of WW2
the war rekindled Christianity, the love of the country, patriotism, and valor; was won by soldiers, middle class scientists, and Churchill
Great Misconceptions of WW2
-D-Day was one of the most ambitious operations in history
-Germany was on the cusp of defeating the Soviet Union, despite the SU providing for Germany during the war
-Not everyone was in it together; there was still a division in classes
-Russia and the Soviet Union were NOT the same thing! Soviet Union consisted for 4 separate republics, including Russia
-Churchill did appease a dictator, Josef Stalin, by giving him Eastern Poland
-Britain was not alone in 1940; the empire consisted of over 30 million people
Occurred in the 1600s, when Britain broke away from the Catholic church; Henry the 8th created the Anglican church run by the government
English Reformation
Non-conformist
someone practicing Christianity apart from the church of England; ex. Scotland and Northern England
idea that the class above you knows best, therefore you defer to them
Cultural deference
Believed the war would iron out social class distinctions
Labour belief of war
Believed the war could inspire everyone to fight for what Britain used to be
Conservative belief of war
A government rest that sees if you can live without the government’s help/financial aid
Means Test
Present day event that compares to Munich in 1938
Russia and Ukrainian war
Year Munich conference took place
1938
a military plan adopted in 1919 post WW1 by Britain that claimed they would not go to war for the next ten years
10 Year Rule
What were Neville Chamberlain’s 2 flaws?
He mixed his goal for peace with his public reputation and declined to consult with foreign policy experts regarding peace negotiations
Year when the RAF could purchase produced aircraft
April 1938
Two countries that took the spoils of land when Czechoslovakia was broken up
Hungary and Poland
The 4 dominions of the British Empire
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Union of South Africa
Made the largest contribution to the war with 13 ships and 1774 officers and men
The Royal Canadian Navy
Which dominion was terrified of the Japanese?
Australia
Which dominion was the most enthusiastic to comply to Britain?
New Zealand
The first contingent of Dominion troops to reach Britain
The First Canadian Division
King’s guard who were Canadians, the Royal 22nd Regiment and known as the Toronto Scottish
The Van Doos
created when the Canadian commander wanted his men to be organized into a highly mobile, quick acting, and hard hitting reserve; was tossed around and eventually sent to Oxford
Canadian Force
How people viewed the Empire in 1924
A bustling commercial hub that wanted to exploit their pride for the Empire
Saw themselves as self governing countries who are not a part of the empire; despite them being bound by the monarchy and linked to the British royal family
dominions
Pre WW1, the dominions were known as
the White Dominions
Countries that can stay in power and are protected from enemies by following Britain
Protectorates/Protected States
A strange political arrangement that is considered in a way a sub empire
Condominiums
-Colonies divided between France, Britain and Belgium post WW1 as a part of the Versailles Settlement (were entrusted to these countries by the League of Nations)
-Are run like colonies, but prepped to be independent
Mandated territories
Princely states under direct British Rule and strongly invested in the Empire
British India/Indian States
Percentage of India in the British Empire
60%
Occurred in India in 1919 when Indian Politicians had a meeting about wanting a better relationship with Britain, and British armies came in and murdered them in cold blood
Amritsar Massacre
Why did the US not immediately help Britain in 1939?
After the Amritsar Massacre, India had nonviolent protests that British troops violently shut down; the event was broadcasted all over the world, including the US
Why were Australia and New Zealand hesitant being led by the British?
They lost 10,000 soldiers in Turkey
Who did Australia and New Zealand want to protect them?
the US, as it seemed like a better power than Great Britain
Meeting where Britain agreed to the same size navy as the US, but only in the pacific
Four Power Naval Conference
occurred in 1943 where more than 3 million people died in India due to starvation and other associated diseases, as large scale exports of food was taken out and sent to war theaters
Bengal Famine
Which dominion did not want to fight against Hitler, because it actually admired him
South Africa
Occurred from 1899 to 1902 where the English built concentration camps for women and children to get this dominion to surrender
South African War against the English
Declaration where the British government commits to supporting Jewish homeland; after 1920 they find control over Palestine
Balfour Declaration 1917
Occurred in May 1940 where over 340,000 British soldiers evacuated from France during the German’s raid; is considered one of several military achievements Britain has in the war
Dunkirk
Was viewed as a political opportunist in the 1920s, was a soldier in WW1 who escaped from a POW camp, was in charge of the navy in Norway
Winston Churchill
2 key events that explained why Britain’s accepted their government’s declaration to go to war
Brutality of Kristallnacht with the passing of anti-Jew laws & the seizure of Prague in March 1939 that confirmed Nazi commitment
What unusual thing happened during the break out of war?
The Pet Massacre- when over a million pets were put down and killed, as there were no gas masks for them, people needed food, and thought it was for the best.
By September 1939, how many Brits were volunteering for war?
Over 2 and a half million (paid and unpaid), mainly motivated to protect their families and homes
Counters that were set up in department stores with supplies for blackout and attacks
Air Raid Precautions (ARP)
Adopted by the Labour party that refused to serve in any government headed by Chamberlain
Patriotic opposition
The western front waiting for expected German assault and even grew bored
Phony War
An ill planned Soviet invasion of Finland that revealed the vulnerability of Soviet forces, took place from 1939-1940)
Winter War
What ended the Phony War?
Germany launched Blitzkrieg against the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, and France in 1940; final straw for Chamberlain, Churchill was made Prime Minister
How many forces did Germany have?
3, Group A, B, and C
Group that faced the Maginot Line to prevent counter thrust
Group C
Group that rolled across the low countries and drove toward the English Channel
Group B
Group that went through the hilly Ardennes forest in Belgium and across the border of France and took Sedan (Dunkirk)
Group A
Formed hastily, assembled from the country’s five regular divisions, called up units of Territorial Army; consisted of 300,000 who were low in experience and skill
British Expeditionary Force
German anti aircraft cannon that was the war’s best anti-tank weapon
The 88mm
Rescue mission that was launched by the Royal Navy with Canadian and French warships
Operation Dynamo
What did France do on June 22, 1940 with Germany?
signed a harsh armistice that was dictated on Hitler’s terms
glorified depiction of someone’s life
hageography
the idea of gradually stumbling through a crisis in a spontaneous response
muddle
Members of the labor party
factory workers, working class, middle class progressives
In 1940, Churchill was named Prime Minister and created a war cabinet of
2 conservatives
2 labor members
Himself
airplane that is developed in 1937 and delivered in 1938; becomes an iconic symbol of British national pride
Spitfire
Year the Germans send 400 bombers to England
1940
imaging technology to identify distant signals through sound; started in 1937
radar chain
British plan to keep the planes on the ground and have pilots rest until Germans get close
Scramble
Day the British attacked the French fleet at Mers-el-Kebir, Algeria; the fleet refused to go back to Britain, so the Brits destroy the fleet and kill 300 French soldiers
July 3, 1940
Day the battle of Britain begins where Germans directly attack Britain
July 10, 1940
Britain’s advantages during Battle of Britain
-Strong naval fleet
-Anti aircraft artillery on the ground
-Can land in their home country
-Prepared with blackouts
-Use of radar
Began when the battle of Britain ended in September 1940 where British cities were being bombed
Blitz
Difference in quality of aircraft
Germans had faster and better rate of climb
Brits are maneuverable and better armed
Date of the largest air battle of the Battle of Britain
August 15, 1940
Target of German air force during Battle of Britain
Port of London (masses of shipping and largest city in the world)
Date where Luftwaffe made its greatest concentrated effort in a resumed daylight attack in London, beginning the Blitz
September 15, 1940
Monuments to those who fought and died in battle of Britain
Croydon, Kent, and Central London
Dr. Andrew Gordon argument for Battle of Britain
the Royal Navy saved Britain in 1940 and that Germans stayed away because of it
the outer crust of defense in Britain where the average age was 35 and half the men served in WW1; delayed the German troops
Home Guard
a popular idea that can become fact and supports a sense of National identity and unity of the community
myth
what can be said in defense of the appeasement from Munich?
Chamberlain brought Britain time to close up and be protected
Who does Churchill credit for the success of Battle of Britain?
the RAF
Why is Blitz the last British myth of WW2?
it is the last time the Brits are alone and in control on their home land
Phrase that was not used during the war or went to publication, but was a summary of the “Blitz Spirit”
“Keep Calm and Carry On”
Goal of Blitz on the German end
to bomb industrial sites
How long was Blitz?
September 1940-November 1941
How many people were estimated to die in the first week of WW2 due to the events of Guernica in the Spanish Civil War?
120,000 people
How Britain prepared for potential WW2 bomb attacks
-Drills
-Evacuated children
-Gas masks for everyone
-Built bomb shelters
Metal bomb shelters that were built in Brit’s backyards
Anderson Bomb Shelters
made in 1940 by the British government and was distributed in the US by MGM
“London Can Take It”
Class had cellars or basement for shelter as well as Anderson Shelters
Middle class home holders
Class evacuated to the country or stayed in hotels and lodgings with friends for shelter
Better off citizens
class crowded in shelters where they could; for example under bridges, in tunnels, warehouse basements, caves
Lower class
unreliable shelters
trench and brick shelters
Overall reasons for high number of dead and injured civilians
-accurate and high concentration of German bombing
-poor level of shelter provision in populated areas
-poor level of shelter discipline
Recent event people used Blitz Spirit to parallel with the events of WW2
July 7th, 2005 Bombings
2 myths of bombing war in Blitz
-German bombing was intentionally terroristic by targeting civilians
-RAF bombers only hit military targets and not civilians
