Great Britain World War 2 and Cold War Essay

Great Britain involvement in WW2 was an immediate response to Germany’s expansionist ideas. Great Britain one of the wealthiest countries in that time, looked at Germany as a country scared of another war and a weak one also, Great Britain let Germany not to follow what the treaty of Versailles said. They also under estimated the German state, some examples of this:

• Germany increased their army
• They militarized the Rhineland
• Annexation of Austria
• Annexation of the Sudetenland

On September 29, 1938 Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France sign the Munich agreement which forces the Czechoslovak Republic to cede the Sudetenland, this with the promise that they would stop their expansionism and Germany agreed. Only one year needed to pass and Germany broke the promise given to the English state and invaded Poland. Two days after this the British and the French declared war on the Germans. Not a single year passed and the Germans where controlling almost all of central Europe.

Great Britain supported the French who had almost lost all of their territory by June of 1940. On September of the same year the Germans launched an attack against the Germans, it consisted on bombing London and England’s most important cities. The German failed but they made serious damage in Great Britain.
The British where also fighting against the Italians on northern Africa, this wars where tough and they got even harder when the Germans got there and helped the Italians.

In 1941, the U.S.A started giving support to the Great Britain with arms and ammunition because of the Lend-Lease Act, also in this year after the Pearl-Harbor incident USA enters declaring war to Germany. In 1942, Roosevelt and Churchill establish a combined chiefs staff and defeat Germany's first priority. This year also Gral. Bernard Montgomery takes command of Eighth Army in North Africa.
In 1943, the Casablanca conference was made up by W. Churchill and J. Roosevelt, during the conference Roosevelt announces that war can end only with the surrender of Germany. At the ends of this years Winston, John, and Joseph had a conference at Teheran.
On June 6 of 1944, American, British and Canadian forces invaded Normandy in one of the biggest invasions ever. This was called the D-day. Later that same year, in June 12 and also on September 8, the Germans started a missile attack against the British. This didn’t stop them and later they invade Greece. It won’t be until march 27 that the missile attack of Germans, called the v-2, ends. The war started ending on April when Mussolini was executed and Hitler die but it won’t be until the VE-day that japan surrender that the war will be officially over.

Great Britain, as well as many European countries suffered from the destruction of World War 2. This being in the country itself and economically. A new government was introduced, the Attlee government. With thoughts of peace and some socialist ideas it led for a short period of time. As the country was facing bankrupt, there were some food shortages. Potatoes, which was one of the foods that was granted for sure also suffered from shortages, which led to it being rationed as well as most of the food. This led to Great Britain receiving aid from the Marshall Plan. The USA gave funds to European countries to reconstruct.

The new government which had some socialist ideas, but were not extremist as in other countries; came up with some state benefits for its people, including aid for the sickness, unemployment, people with old age who could not work anymore, and med care. The government nationalized the National Bank and coalmines as well, which was accepted by the people without problems.

At the end of the war, the USA, France, Great Britain and the USSR divided Germany. This was to prevent another outbreak of the war, but little did they know that this would bring another world conflict between capitalism and communism. This had outbreaks in other countries, which had Great Britain involve. The Malayan conflict in 1948 broke. In this conflict Communist guerillas wanted to get rid of the British in their territories. A 12-year struggle continued, with Great Britain being victorious.

Great Britain joined NATO in 1949 along with many other countries to be protected against communism. Another conflict in which Great Britain was involved was the Korean War. Korea was independent after the war, but the conflict arose when the North Koreans invaded 90% of the South Koreans. These actions made the UN condemn North Korea and asked for countries to avoid giving any aid to them, instead they helped South Korea. Great Britain was not as involved as the US was. The US sent a whole army, while the British only sent a division.

Having these conflicts, as well as the problem in Germany, with the problems with communism and capitalism forced Britain to put a conscription in the population at the age of 18. Conscription is an obligatory time in military service. This was made to have manpower to be successful in the conflicts that came, as well as have the territory in Germany protected. There were some territorial changes in the British territory, as some countries like India, Pakistan, Burma and Sri Lanka became independent.

Having issues like these, and men going to the army Britain needed more labor workers. They sent invitations to Jamaica. With this invitations, people in Jamaica could go to work and have an opportunity in life in Great Britain, with a cheap fee so that they could be transported. This way, the British would not have any more labor problems and the industry could work faster.

This was the beginning of the Cold War, few of the conflicts were just arising. Even though Great Britain was not a big participant in the Cold War as the US and USSR were; it still had its conflicts to solve, and some more would arise later on.

Bibliography:

"Malaya 1." Britains Small Wars. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. .

"World War II in Britain." World War II History Library. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. .

"HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN (from 1707)." HistoryWorld - History and Timelines. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. .

"Korean War 1950-1953 - MyFundi." Main Page - MyFundi. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. .

Figures of Great Britain During WWI

King George V

David Lloyd George (Prime Minister)

Herbert Henry Asquith (Prime Minister)

Social and Economical Effects

The Impact of World War One on Britain

World War One or the Great War had made a big impact to life in
Britain affecting several areas of life such as Economy and Industry,
social class structure and the role of government.

Many changes that occurred have lasted and evolved over the years.

As Arthur Marwick in "The Deluge" commented those changes marking a
new age in Britain would have happen even if there had been no war,
although more slowly. Socialism, the Suffragettes movement and Trade
unions for example were happening before the war.

Socialism was the idea of pointing out that common goals and social
needs were more important than individual ones. This principle was
associated with the interests of the working class but was seen by the
government as radical and so was not welcomed.

The Socialist policy appeared first as early as the 1800's and was put
forward by political activists. However, this idea developed more
fully during the 19th century, because Trade unions representing the
workers had grown in major industries.

These trade unions lead to the formation of the labour party.

Before World War 1 the Labour party was only a small party with only
30 seats in parliament, as Extract G, poverty and politics, 1880-1910
Letts history study guide states. The impact of the war was such that
labour party joined a coalition government set up by the liberals. The
idea was that all the parties help lead the country during the war, As
source f (from the home front booklet) states the labour party
chairman, Arthur Henderson joined the cabinet, therefore the labour
party got a role in government for the first time. The labour party
was further helped by the fact that the liberal party was suffering
from internal disputes from which it could not recover. As a
consequence, the Liberal prime minister was forced out of office.

At the beginning of World War One the Trade unions were threatening
major strikes. They were putting a lot of pressure on the Liberal
government requesting that much more should be done for the workers.
They were asking for higher wages and better working conditions.
During the war they agreed not to strike in return for the
government's agreement to give the workers higher wages and improve
their working conditions.

Although WW1 contributed to the changes within the Labour party and
Trade unions, it is also true these changes began to occur before the
war. In the years leading up to the war the living conditions of the
working conditions were extremely poor while the rich were living in
luxury. "Some union leader called for all the unions to join together
in a massive strike. This would bring both industry and the government
to their knees and the unions could then take over the running of the
country". Quoted from The rise of socialism home front research
booklet. Strikes broke out in 1910.

In 1911 one million workers went of strike, According to a photograph
(see below) taken in 1912 when London was running out of food due to a
transport strike.


In 1930 the railway men, the transport workers and the miners teamed
up in an attempt to organize a general strike of all the workers,

As the extract from the rise of socialism home front research booklet
states, "the government would have been defeated by these powerful
unions if the war had not broken out".

As for The Labour party, they began to adopt socialists ideas in 1901,
long before the Great War started.

To understand how the war affected the role of women it is
important to know what role they played in the society before the
Great War. Women were expected to raise children and take care of
their husbands and home. They were not allowed to vote in elections
very few women worked out side the home, were paid less than men and
generally were not equal with men. A group of women who were trying to
achieve equality with men were called The Suffragettes. During the war
men left their jobs to fight and many jobs in transport and industry
became free. The country needed transport and industry to run and so
the government decided to employ women to do these jobs. Women soon
proved they were as capable as men. Source A (see below) in the home
front research booklet shows women working in a munitions factory in
1917.

Some women in particular from the upper/middle class worked as nurses
as source B, a recruitment poster for nurse, shows.

[IMAGE]


After the war, munitions factories closed down and many women lost
their jobs. Women were expected to return the jobs back to the men
when they came back from fighting. However many women got the taste
for working and higher responsibility and liked it. They wanted to
keep their jobs. This was a difficult situation as unemployment was
high and men wanted their jobs back. Two years after the war there
were fewer women working than before the war.

This could be interpreted by some as the war did not change the role
of women in the society. It is also possible to say the role of women
did not change as the suffragettes were already active before the war.
However the women have pressed the government to give them the right
to vote. Source C, from the home front research booklet shows how
women were campaigning for there right to vote


The new women role made them more confident. They changed their way of
dressing and behaving. They cut hair short, smoked cigarettes and
drank cocktails. Source F from the home front research booklet shows
the new style of dressing called the flapper style.

In December 1917, a bill was passed giving the vote to all women over
30 and to women 21 or over who were either homeowners or married to
homeowners. Although this was very restrictive it was a big step
closer to equality.

During WW1 the role of government changed. The government before the
war had a Laissez faire attitude to running the country. This meant
that it would let the economy and industry run its self and not
interfere unless needed. This could no longer be the government's view
as the country needed to run effectively in order to protect its
people and win the war. To do this the government introduced new laws,
such as The Defence of the Realm Act (DORA) in 1914. Under DORA the
people of Britain were not allowed to:

* Fly a kite

* Give bread to dogs, chickens or horses

* Talk about military affairs in public places

The government of Britain could:

* Try any civilian for braking these laws

* Take any land it needed

Source E from The Home Front by Peter Caddick-Adams gives evidence for
how DORA gave the government power to control its land and people

When the war broke out people panicked and bought a lot of food which
they keep at their homes which caused a food shortage problem. The
government tried through DORA to reduce consumption of food.

Source C tells how the country's food intake had lessened.
"Consumption of sugar fell between 1914 to 1918 from 1.49lb to
0.93lb." This example shows that government's intervention was
successful in this case.

The poster in source D gives an example of how the government used
propaganda to reduce the amount of coal burnt. (See poster below)

The poster was a simple method of propaganda used to tell the people
of the consequences of their action. Before the war posters of this
kind were not used by the government but since then they have been
used and continue to affect England ever since.

There is evidence that the government began to change even before the
Great War. Between 1900 and 1914 the government became more active.
The liberal party introduced new social policies to help ordinary
people. Source 1 gives an example of social reforms such as:

* From 1903-1913 more money was spent on children's education

* In1906 Workmen's Compensations Act was introduced, protecting
workers who were injured at work or caught a disease at work,
giving them a right to compensation.

* In 1908 Old Age Pensions was introduced for people over seventy

* In 1911 National Insurance Act was gave workers sickness benefit
and free medical care.

Before the war the Laissez Fair attitude of the Liberal party caused a
huge class system in Great Britain. There was very little government
interference. Women had no votes, with a position of a second class
citizen. When the war began some changes were already happening but
the war acted as a catalyst and sped up those changes or any about to
happen. The government had to intervene by introducing DORA to help
the country function more efficiently.

Every body was helping the country win the war. All this resulted in
long term social changes some of which are still with us today.

Source: "The Impact of World War One on Britain." 123HelpMe.com. 26 Jan 2011

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Lives lost in the war by Great Britain: 947,000Source:"WW3 - World War 1 Statistics, World War 2 Statistics, World War 3 Statistics." WW3: How Will World War Three Affect You? Learn How To Prepare - Free Newsletter. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. .

Article about the main social, political and economic structures in the country

David Lloyd George's Opening Address Seconding Woodrow Wilson's Nomination of Georges Clemenceau as Conference President, 18 January 1919

Gentlemen, it is not only a pleasure for me, but a real privilege, to support in the name of the British Empire the motion which has been proposed by President Wilson.

I shall do it for the reasons which the President has just expressed with so much eloquence. It is homage to a man that we wish to pay before all.

When I was at school M. Clemenceau was already one of the moving forces in French politics. Already his renown had spread far. And, were it not for this memory of my childhood, I should be tempted to believe the legend which is commonly spread abroad of the eternal youth of M. Clemenceau.

In all the conferences at which we have been present the most alert, the most vigorous, in a word, the youngest man, was always M. Clemenceau. By the freshness of his mind and his indefatigable energy he displayed his youth at every moment. He is indeed "the grand young man" of France.

But nothing will give us greater pleasure than to see him take the place which we propose that he should accept. No one is better qualified for that place. We have often had discussions together. We have often been in agreement and sometimes we have disagreed, and in that case we have always been in the habit of expressing our opinions with all the force and vigour which belong to two Celts like ourselves.

I believe that in the debates of this Conference there will at first inevitably be delays, but I guarantee from my knowledge of M. Clemenceau that there will be no time wasted. That is indispensable. The world is thirsting for peace. Millions of men are waiting to return to their normal life, and they will not forgive us too long delays.

I am sure that M. Clemenceau will not allow useless delays to occur. He is one of the greatest living orators, but he knows that the finest eloquence is that which gets things done and that the worst is that which delays them. Another reason for congratulating him on occupying the place which we are about to give him is his indomitable courage, of which he has given proof in days of difficulty.

In these days his energy and presence of mind have done more than all the acts of us others to ensure victory. There is no man of whom one can say that he has contributed more to surmount those terrible difficulties which were so close to the final triumph.

He represents the admirable energy, courage and resource of his great people, and that is why I desire to add my voice to that of President Wilson and to ask for his election to the presidency of the Peace Conference.

Source: Source Records of the Great War, Vol. VII, ed. Charles F. Horne, National Alumni 1923

Propaganda

Maps

World War 1 Main Battles:

Alliances

Great Britain World War I Timeline

28 June 1914	Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
28 July 1914	Austria declared war on Serbia
1 Aug 1914	Germany declared war on Russia
3 Aug 1914	Germany declared war on France
4 Aug 1914	British declaration of war
29 Oct 1914	Turkey
2 Nov 1914	Russia declared war on Turkey
5 Nov 1914	Britain and France declared war on Turkey
late 1914	Early stages of the war
7 May 1915	Lusitania sunk
6 April 1917	USA declares war on Germany
Dec 1917	Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
April 1918	RAF formed
mid Oct 1918	Allies recover France and Belgium
9 Nov 1918	Kaiser abdicated
1918	Treaty of Versailles