What was Churchill's stance towards the war in 1940? Flashcards
Churchill becomes PM; G. launches all-out offensive on Western Europe
10 May 1940
Holland surrenders…
15 May 1940
Discussions begin, led by Lord Halifax, about whether or not to open peace talks w Hitler
26 May 1940
when Evacuation of Dunkirk (over 300,000 men brought to Br.)
27 May - 4 Jun 1940
- Dunkirk evacuation ends
- Churchill delivers ‘we shall fight on the beaches’ speech
4 Jun 1940
France surrenders
22 Jun 1940
Battle of Britain fought between RAF and Luftwaffe
jul - oct 1940
When did the Blitz start?
Sep 1940
When did the Blitz end?
11 May 1941
How can Churchill’s positions when he became PM be summarised?
- Never surrender (including refusal to ever talk peace terms w Hitler)
- French must fight and Br. will give what support it can
- Start to work on President Roosevelt to convince him to join war on Allied side
Dunkirk stats:
- 338,000 troops evacuated
- 68,000 Brit soldiers killed/captured
- 75,000 tonnes of ammunition left behind
14 Jun 1940
Germans enter Paris
What did Churchill do during the Blitz?
Personally visited places that had been bombed - travelled to 60 towns in total.
Became v. angry - said he would pay back Germans w ‘compound interest’ - 58,000 Britons dead from aerial bombing vs 500,000 Germans
How many times was the possibility of peace negotiations with Hitler discussed from 26 May 1940 (when discussions began)?
8 times in the next 4 days
How many times did Churchill write to Roosevelt during the war?
2000
3 Sep 1940
‘destroyers for bases’ deal w US.
- US gave BR 50 destroyers in return for long leases on land in various Br territories
What did Churchill do to Halifax towards the end of 1940?
Sent him away to Washington as ambassador. Halifax threatened to resign but eventually went
Example of public view towards war
Fulham bi-election: (1933)
Public voted in an independent on the mandate of appeasement
—> showed “public opinion”
Even though unrepresentative
How did Baldwin present churchill + why
Presented his views on india as extreme - due to disagreements on rearmourment
What are Labours-view of re-armourment the result of
Re-arm to prop up economy
Who did Churchill get incorrect information about rearmourment
Gained it from ralph wigram
