Preview

Explain Why British Civilians Were Affected by World War Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2637 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Explain Why British Civilians Were Affected by World War Essay Example
World War II affected British civilians in a number of ways. It affected every single person including children. There were five main reasons why civilians were affected; this was due to economic impact, responsibility to protect civilians, government preparation plans, the improvement and increase in war technology and the changing tactics of Hitler. World War II was different from World War I; it was a total war. Britain had gone to war because Hitler invaded Poland. Britain had made a treaty to Poland saying that she would protect her if she was ever invaded. Hitler had wanted the 3 million Germans living in Poland, to be united with Germany because he believed that Poland was persecuting the Germans who were living there. Also the Allies had realised that Hitler wouldn’t stop until he got all of Europe and they were afraid of his rising power. It was estimated that 67,800 civilians were either killed or missing, injured or in hospital.
One of the reasons that affected civilians was the changing tactics of Hitler. This affected civilians because they were the target now. In July 1940, after defeating France, Belgium and the Netherlands, Hitler planned for an invasion of Britain, called Operation Sealion. He sent the Luftwaffe to destroy Britain's Royal Air Force this later became known as the Battle of Britain. It was essential for Hitler to control the sky because this was the only way he could make a successful invasion of Britain. Hitler first tried to defeat the military army however, this didn’t seem to work so he decided to attack the civilians instead, he hoped that these damages to the population would weaken the morale and lead to the British publics demand for surrender. Hitler had before attacked in the daylight however the RAF, who controlled the skies during the daylight, put a good fight and this forced Hitler to change his tactics and start bombing at night. London, amongst Portsmouth, Coventry, Bristol, Manchester and Southampton, were being

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    There were many groups and members of American society who objected to World War I. Recent immigrants, Irish immigrants, socialists, midwestern progressives and populists, and even parents of young men are a few of the members and groups who opposed the war. Moral and religious reasons contribute to the underlying reason as to why young men tried to avoid and even refuse the war draft.…

    • 761 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    World War 1 Dbq Essay

    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Did World War I change the world for the better or worse? This World War led to many changes that have affected the nations that were involved even today. See how Imperialism, Militarism and Alliances pushed for war. What was the underlying cause of World War I ? The underlying causes of World War I can be found in; Imperialism, Militarism, and Alliances.…

    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Great War had significant and enduring influence on the lives of all British women. The huge scale of the war resulted in the enormous participation of almost six million men and subsequently an extensive demand for female labour in the manufacturing and services industries. The war resulted in massive social upheaval particularly on the lives women who attained greater freedom despite tighter Government controls. Women's lives were upturned as they were thrust into the labour, social and economic spotlight, something never previously seen in British history. In particular the allies' defeat of Germany relied heavily on the input of women. Women were used extensively in Propaganda schemes run by the Government as a means to encourage men to join the army. Although the end of the war saw most women return to their traditional roles, the contribution of the female population on such an enormous scale would never be forgotten, women had proven their responsibility and capability to function within the 'male' workforce. These trends saw the beginning of the feminist revolutionary movement that sought to bring about justice and equality for all women.…

    • 1337 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The First World War affected all areas of Britain and its people, impacting the economy, industry and the role of its government amongst other things.…

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Overall the impact of the First World War was great. In this paper I will be evaluating and analysing 3 representations and using my own knowledge to discover British civilians reactions to their experiences of the Second World War. After analysing all 3 representations and using my own knowledge, I will make a judgement as to which one I think best represents the civilians reactions to the Second World War.…

    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    More than 40 000 civilians were killed and one million London houses were either destroyed or damaged. Initial German bombing raids focused on mainly military and industrial targets. However, Hitler believed that by targeting civilians he could force the British to surrender. It was an attempt to shatter British morale and force Churchill into negotiating. However, the bombing had the opposite effect, bringing the English people together to face a common enemy. Encouraged by Churchill, the people became determined to hold out against the Nazi…

    • 256 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    During these years the British government had to find ways of keeping morale and spirit of the British people at a high. If this was not achieved then many people would have rebelled against the attempt of war and may have caused within Britain itself. This would have in turn affected our armed forces and would have destroyed any chance of winning the campaign against Germany.…

    • 471 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Due to all the bombs being dropped many people were forced to move out of their homes. This caused a lot of hardship for the civilians because people had to move house due to the “ghastly [air] raids” source 2 says. Source 2 also tells us that “For amidst such suffering and hardship…Everyone seems intent only on patching roofs, propping up walls, cooking fried potatoes on an upturned electric iron” this source tells us that life would have been very hard for the civilians. We know that this would be true because source 1 shows us that houses have fallen down and people are moving out because it is very unsafe to live where they are. Source 4 also tells us a little bit of how hard it was for the civilians in London, it shows a German man dropping bombs on London but it also shows that it did not affect them. Even though a lot of deaths occurred there was lots of buildings destroyed, they still stood strong, this doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard for the civilians though. Warfare did cause a lot a hardship for civilians.…

    • 488 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    battle of britain

    • 2051 Words
    • 9 Pages

    For residents of Southern England, 1940 was a horrific year. “ Citizens of London lived through the Blitz ” as the British Royal Air force (RAF) did their best to defend their country (Wawro, par. 1). The “ Germans had defeated France, Poland, and Czechoslovakia leaving the United Kingdom as the only country in their way of winning the war in Western Europe ” (Wawro par. 1). The Battle of Britain began on “July 10, 1940” (Wawro par. 1). This Battle was “an air conflict or war between the British and German air forces” (Wawro, par. 1). The Battle of Britain affected Britain socially, economically, and politically. Socially Britain was affected by the horrific loss of life and the wholesale destruction of communities. Economically Britain was in economic ruin. Politically, British people depended on other countries to help out with war costs and damage.…

    • 2051 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ww2 Essay

    • 966 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Together, Canada and the United States, on behalf of the Allies, made military contributions in the Second World War, albeit with varying results. Canada had declared war on the Axis Powers only a week after Great Britain and France had made their declarations. The war continued on, and Axis victory was being averted by sheer Allied bravery, even though Britain was near to collapse and France and the rest of Europe had long fallen. Allied victory seemed impossible, until the United States entered the war in December 1941. It was a turnaround and a triumph of American material and logistics superiority. Canadian contributions were not as decisive, yet helped provide stability and note-worthy support to America’s swift and decisive military actions, which helped to bring the war to a predictable end.…

    • 966 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although life was bad for Jewish adults during WWII, it was harder for children to survive. They were forced into hard labor, put into hiding, and were the victims of of horrendous experiments. The Germans killed almost 1.5 million children in total, including a million Jews, thousands of Romani kids, and mentally and physically disabled children. Children were killed when arriving in camps, killed immediatly after birth, were hidden in camps, put to work in hard labor, used for medical experiments, and killed during anti-partisan operations.…

    • 364 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Have you ever asked yourself what you would do in a time of conflict? Depending on the person one may react differently in a time of conflict, this was shown through the different families during World War II. Many people reacted differently during World War II. Some ways were positive while others were negative. Three Different responses to conflict during World War II include, concealment, physical resistance, and spiritual resistance.…

    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Evacuation During Ww2

    • 1288 Words
    • 6 Pages

    There were many practical reasons as to why children were evacuated form Britain during the war , such as vulnerability. Children were extremely Vulnerable and so it would be extremely difficult for them to cope in such extreme urban conditions. The children would suffer if their parents died form bombs or other war…

    • 1288 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    When we think about war, we think about words like death, disabled people, conquer and destroy. Without exception, the Great War during 1914-1918 was a catastrophe to the people and the countries involved. For Britain, the casualty numbered approximately 722000. It counts for 6.3 percent of the male aged 15-49 of the whole country (Beckett, 2001: 312). 1600000 wives lost their husbands. 300000 children lost their father. Millions were wounded or disfigured permanently (Bourne, 1989:178). Though miseries bought by the war were hard to release, on the other hand, a dissolving effect on the structure of the society as a consequence of the war generated positive influences on the British community (Marwick, 2006: 27). For instance, relative weak groups like women and working-class strengthened their power and earned their recognition in the wartime (Marwick, 2006: xiii). These could be considered significant as they had brought permanent impact on the British society. The relevance between the Frist World War and the changes in British society is the main theme that will be examined in this essay. The first part will focus on general impact of the war on society. Then the second and third part will analyze how exactly the relationship and process is on two aspects of class and gender under the impact of the Great War.…

    • 2524 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    In the early twentieth century, a woman’s place was considered to be in the home, the school and the church.[1] However, when warfare struck, American leaders realized how women could and would provide vital aid, and thereby expanding the roles of women. When the United States declared war in 1917 and 4 million young men were drafted for the armed services, America’s labor shortage became serious. Waging all-out war in 1914 was also extremely expensive.[2]Armies on both sides needed millions of uniforms, warm jackets, leather boots, helmets, eating utensils, cots, blankets, tents, guns, and bullets in unlimited numbers, tons of food per…

    • 2480 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Best Essays