History - Britain

• When America sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold: 'Whatever happens to America's economy, the rest of the world will follow'
• Between 1929 & 1931, British exports halved


  The fall in exports affected industries that supplied the domestic market
• Unemployment rose rapidly


  By 1930, 2 million were out of work, which rose to nearly 3 million by 1932
• Churchill becomes Prime Minister


  May 1940
• Hitler ruling most of Europe, German army & air force were deep in Northern France
• France Loses to Germany


  Churchill had the confidence to persuade the Cabinet & Britain to challenge Hitler
• Churchill's actions


  1. Organised the armed forces

  2. Organised the war economy

  3. Created a chain of command between the army, navy, & air force

  4. Ensured a close relationship with USA, and ensured the Lend-Lease Scheme, meaning Britain had support to fight
• Churchill


  • Strong leader = what Britain currently needed
  • Maintained morale making Britain believe they could win
  • Refused to consider peace and only wanted to defeat Nazism
• Jarrow March on unemployment rates of 80%


  1934
• In 1936 200 men from Jarrow marched to London with the goal to attract attention of the public & government with the petition demanding policies to protect the unemployment and self-help of their Town</b>
• Unemployed people could help themselves by using the credit system = exchanging goods for money, rent, buy Food & clothes
• Neighbours helping in times of crisis e.g. when a child is born, communities punishing those who broke these conventions
• Hitler decides to bomb Britain to force surrender


  September 1940
• German air force bombed Britain's main towns & cities


  September 1940- May 1941
• Britain was attacked again in 1944/45 (V-1 & V-2 rockets) with the aim to force Britain to surrender, break spirits, destroy homes & lives, and destroy industries & Shipyards
• London (East end) was the main target for bombing
• 15,000 died, >250,000 lost homes
• May 10 1941 was the worst attack = Over 30,000 bombs released
• Swansea was a target for air raids
• Swansea's preparations


  1. 1937-1938 given gas training

  2. Town organised ARP (air raid precautions), volunteer warders, ambulance drivers & firemen

  3. Anti bomb balloons
• On June 27 1940, 3:30am Mount Pleasant Grammar School buildings were directly hit, roads filled with rubble, sewers broke & rose to the surface, electric cables were down, gas & water supplies were broken
• Government censored the news, BBC reported Swansea people smiling, The Times reported men looked tired & hopeless while women looked like they were gonna cry
• Glasgow & Clydebank Shipyards were badly hit in spring 1941, with over 16,000 houses destroyed, 35,000 people made homeless, hundreds of shops demolished, 5/11 schools demolished, destruction affected hospitals & Churches, as well as power supplies, water, roads, & railways, 1,083 were injured