the coming of war Flashcards
how did Germany become a threat?
Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933 German foreign policy changed dramatically. Germany was now a threat to world peace
he promised to reverse the terms of the treaty of Versailles to build up the strength of German forces
What was Britain’s policy of appeasement?
Neville Chamberlain was keen to avoid war he believed this could be achieved through the use of negotiation agreements and diplomacy. His policy was to appease Hitler by giving into Hitler’s territorial demands.
What is the most famous example of appeasement?
Chamberlain signing the Munich agreement which resulted in Germany taking the sudenten land from Czechoslovakia
Why was appeasement popular initially?
Chamberlain became popular because they believed he had avoided the war. People wanted to avoid conflict after the first world war Britain was struggling with the impact of the depression and couldn’t afford another war and people believe the treaty of the side was too strict and Germany had a right to regain their lost land.
how did Britain become forced to join the war?
Hitler invades Poland in 1939 Britain had given assurances to Poland so they send a final demand to Germany to withdraw from Poland but Britain received no reply so third of September 1939. Chamberlain declares that Britain was at war with Germany.
what government plans were put into place before the war
Programmed to build new warships warship
Money spent informing people about rationing and gas mask
Ministry of supply organised to ensure overseas supplies continue
Met with trade unions to ensure they agreed on wartime working regulations and wages
how and why were Britain given more time to prepare
Royal Air Force bombers were not as modern
Army was regarded as too small and lacking sufficient equipment. It could not compare to German forces.
By appeasing Hitler in 1938, the country gained 12 months to prepare for war
The next six months were known as the phony war when no military action took place to give Britain more time to prepare
When was the air warden service created and how many people served?
air raid warden service created in 1937
1938 200,000 people in service
1939 15 million people in the service and name changes to air raid precautions
What were the jobs of air raid wardens?
enforce blackouts by making sure lights were off helping people at the shelters and sounding sirens
Help build communal shelters
Put out small fires
Coordinate emergency services
how were radars used during the war?
Protected cities in their inhabitants from German bombers by detecting aircraft via the use of radio waves allowed defending forces to have time to fight against the planes
how are barrage balloons and anti-aircraft guns used in the war?
Balloons were placed in the sky above London to stop German bombers from coming too low
Aunty aircraft guns were built to limit the potential damage. The german bombers could cause by shooting them down
how was Home guard used during the war?
The home guard were volunteers who were armed and trained to defend British towns and cities if German forces landed
It was operational until 1944. I composed of 1.5 million volunteers.
How was conscription used during the war?
conscription was introduced to cope with the demands of war
In September 1939 the national services act made it compulsory for men between 18 and 41 to join the armed forces
what were reserved occupations in the war?
Reserved occupations exempted certain key skilled workers from conscription discovered 5 million men in a range of jobs such as engineers, doctors school, teachers, miners, and farmers
how many Anderson shelters were distributed by February 1939?
400,000
