unit 2: what was churchill's stance towards the war in 1940? Flashcards
problems facing churchill
> ww1 record was not great
house of commons liked chamberlain and house of lords
little enthusiasm from US president
13th may - british army intact
> french had large forces; italy hadn’t joined germany
14th may - germans broke french defences
> if france were defeated, britain would be isolated
28th may
> the cabinet discussed a french proposal to approach mussolini to find out what peace terms hitler might accept
what did halifac argue?
> it would’ve been better to consider terms before france was defeated and german bombing british aircraft factories
australian high commissioner asked for a peace conference to roosevelt but churchill rejected with the word ‘rot’
the situation improves
> june 14th 1940 - evacuation of 224,318 british troops and 111,172 of their allies from beaches of dunkirk > the cabinet had rejected french demands for more aircraft > cabinet members who favoured negotiations had been silenced > french surrender > churchill maintained a war with no allies and against great military powers > july 3rd 1940 - attack on french fleet to prevent it falling into germany hands > RAF bombing germany since invasion of low countries > send british forces to egypt > british achieved victories against italy > germany launched air offensive in 1940, august
the battle of britain
> august 1940 - launched air offensive to destroy RAF
- hitler and goering believed destroying cities was more important as civilians would not withstand the bombing an morale and crack
september 1940 - germans turned to bombing british cities, allowed RAF to recover
strategies
> dowding mobilised small groups of fighters and didn’t pursue german fighters over channel - preserving RAF strength
dowding had enemies
churchill did not back him and he was removed from his post in november 1940
britain enjoyed victories in north africa and defeated german air offensive
churchill found his position over his rivals and speeches became a weapon of war
determination had prevented negotiations with germany
what was special about churchill’s leadership style during the war?
> a hard taskmaster & high levels of dedication
worked irregular hours and exhausted staff
revolutionised methods and precise paperwork
officials were dismissed if they could not keep up
he often took advice and respected those who stood up to him
elements that made churchill’s leadership different to his 20th century predecessors
> his belief in having strong relationships with his allies - e.g stalin and roosevelt
long winded speeches & his ruthlessness
his fashion style - ‘siren suit’ and uniforms
