History 1.3

• Hitler’s aggressive foreign policy and Britain’s infamous policy of appeasement are some of the causes of World War Two
• Britain used various methods to prepare for a major conflict
• Appeasement


  A diplomatic policy aimed at avoiding conflict by making concessions to an aggressor
• Revision suggestions/answer preparation


  • Define appeasement and explain the reasons behind it
  • What were the causes of World War Two?
  • How did Britain prepare for war?
  • How effectively did Britain prepare for war?
• This guide is part of History Depression, war and recovery, 1930-1951
• The coming of war - WJEC
• More guides on this topic include The coming of the Depression - WJEC, Life during the Depression - WJEC, Life during wartime - WJEC, Keeping up morale - WJEC, Life after war - WJEC, Rebuilding the country after 1945 - WJEC
• Hitler’s aggressive foreign policy and Britain’s infamous policy of appeasement are some of the causes of World War Two
• Methods Britain used to prepare for war

  • Radar
  • Barrage balloons
  • Anti-aircraft guns
  • Home Guard
  • Conscription
  • Reserved occupations
• Radar


  Vital to protect cities from German bombers by detecting aircraft using radio waves
• Barrage balloons


  Placed in the skies above London to stop German bombers from coming in too low
• Anti-aircraft guns


  Built to limit the potential damage caused by German bombers
• The Home Guard were volunteers who were armed and trained to defend British towns and cities
• The Home Guard was operational from 1940 until 1944 and composed of 1.5 million local volunteers
• Conscription was introduced to cope with the demands of war due to low numbers in the armed forces
• The Military Training Act made it compulsory for men aged between 20 and 22 to join the armed forces


  April 1939
• The National Services Act made it compulsory for men aged between 18 and 41 to join the armed forces


  September 1939
• By the end of 1939 over 1.5 million men had been brought in to join the British armed forces
• Over 1.1 million conscripts were placed into the British Army, with the rest split between the Royal Navy and the RAF
• In 1938 a Schedule of Reserved Occupations was drawn up, exempting certain key skilled workers from conscription
• Jobs covered by the Schedule of Reserved Occupations

  • Engineers
  • Rail workers
  • Dock workers
  • Miners
  • Farmers
  • Agricultural workers
  • Schoolteachers
  • Doctors
• Hitler’s aggressive foreign policy and Britain’s infamous policy of appeasement are some of the causes of World War Two
• Before the outbreak of war, the Government had put plans into place in recognition of the dangers that lay ahead
• Ways Britain prepared for war

  • Started a programme to build new warships
  • Spent money informing people about rationing, blackouts and gas masks
  • Organised a Ministry of Supply to ensure overseas supplies continued
  • Met with trade unions to ensure they agreed on wartime working regulations and wages
• In 1939, Britain was not adequately prepared to fight a major conflict
• The Royal Navy was the organisation best prepared for war
• The Royal Air Force (RAF) were well-trained with good fighter planes such as the Hurricane and the Spitfire
• The army was regarded by some as too small and lacking sufficient equipment
• By appeasing Hitler in September 1938, the country gained another 12 months to prepare for war
• Following the declaration in September 1939, the next six months were known as the 'phoney war' as no military action took place
• There was a major fear that many civilians’ lives would be lost due to German bombing of British cities
• Luftwaffe


  Germany's air force
• It was feared that there could be a million casualties – a million coffins were ordered in case
• During 1937, the Air Raid Wardens Service was created
• By 1938, 200,000 people had joined the Air Raid Wardens Service
• By September 1939, the Air Raid Wardens Service had changed its name to the Air Raid Precautions (ARP), and 1.5 million were enrolled
• Air Raid Precautions (ARP)


  • Made air-raid shelters and bomb shelters
  • Registered all the people in their sector
  • Enforced blackouts
  • Sounded sirens
  • Helped people to shelters
  • Helped emergency services
• Families were also encouraged to build their own shelters
• As many as 400,000 Anderson shelters were distributed
• ARP wardens walked around the streets and warned people to keep the lights off at night when German bombers were bombing the cities