Key Question 3- how effective did Britain prepare for war?

• Threat from Germany

  1933 January- Hitler became chancellor of Germany
• Threat from Germany

  Germany policy changed- seen as threat to the world
• Threat from Germany 


  Hitler promised to keep treaty of Versailles
• Threat from Germany

  built up strength of German forces
• Threat from Germany

  allowed only 100,000 soldiers - TOV
• Threat from Germany 


  March 1938- remilitarised Rhineland- violation of TOV
• Threat from Germany 


  September- turned attention to Czechoslovakia
• Threat from Germany

  3 million German speakers in Sudetenland
• Threat from Germany

  Munich conference 1938- Hitler and chamberlain resulted in Sudetenland given to Hitler if he made no demands
• Threat from Germany


  1st September 1939- Germany invaded Poland
• Britains policy of appeasement

  Horrors of WW1 still stuck in peoples minds
• Britains policy of appeasement

  many wanted to avoid war at all costs
• Britains policy of appeasement

  Believed german has been treated to harshly after WW1
• Britains policy of appeasement 


  Willing to accept Hitlers earlier actions
• Britains policy of appeasement

  Time of the great depression- people struggling with poverty sn
• Britains policy of appeasement

  Government wanted to avoid war- costly
• Britains policy of appeasement

  chamberlain followed POA in hope war could be avoided/stopped
• Britains policy of appeasement 


  Allowed Hitler to make demands
• Britains policy of appeasement


  made Britain look weak
• Britains policy of appeasement 


  Allowed Germany to expand
• Britains policy of appeasement

  Churchill wanted to see the end if the policy
• Britains policy of appeasement

  invasion of Poland saw end of policy and Britain declared war on Germany
• Preparations for war 


  Took place in 1938 and 1939
• Preparations for war 


  new worships being built
• Preparations for war


  British public informed about rationing, blackouts, gas masks and evacuation
• Preparations for war


  RAF were trained well with good aircrafts
• Preparations for war 


  encouraged to start planting vegetables
• Preparations for war 


  working regulations and wages discussed with trade unions.
• Preparations for war


  1937- air raid wardens created
• Preparations for war


  1939- 200,000 people had joined- 1.5 million enrolled
• Preparations for war


  radar had been developed which could detect air craft by radio
• Preparations for war

  Barrage balloons place in skies above London to stop German bombs from coming too low
• Preparations for war

  anti-aircraft guns were also built to limit damage
• Preparations for war

  Military training act 1939- compulsory for men, 20 and 22 joined armed forces
• Preparations for war

  September 1939- 18 and 41. end of 1939- over 15 million men
• Preparations for war

  home guard put in place from 1940 onwards
• Preparations for war 


  volunteers who were armed and trained defended British towns
• Treaty of Versailles- 1919


  peace agreement that marked the end of WW1
• Treaty of Versailles- 1919


  No Germans were invited to the conference but were expected to agree and sign treaty- later made Germans resent the treaty as they felt that it was made about them and not with them
• Treaty of Versailles- the terms

  • The Rhineland was demilitarised
  • Germany had to accept full blame for war
  • had to pay full reparations for damage caused by war- £6.6 billion
  • only aloud to have 100,000 soldiers, no tanks, no air force and their navy could only have 6 battleships