Churchill As PM

Question 1

Why did chamberlain resign from PM

Answer 1

• failure of appeasement- had failed to avoid war and was seeming evidence of his bad judgement
• economy was underprepared- army inadequate, British expeditionary force part of demobilisation and was much less well trained and armed than the German army
• the Norwegian campaign
• loss of confidence in wartime leadership- the phoney war

Question 2

Describe the Norwegian campaign

Answer 2

• Norwegian waters were a vital waterway for Germany to obtain Swedish iron ore
• Churchill proposed laying mines in the Norwegian waters to prevent German invasion to which chamberlain agreed
• Hitler agreed to the invasion and German forces landed in Norway and captured the capital
• British army landings were unsuccessful and disputes about the methods and objectives arose
• poorly managed, purpose was questionable, clear failure for the British
• undermined his leadership and meant that there was questions about his credibility as a wartime leader

Question 3

What was the impact of the failure of the Norwegian campaign?

Answer 3

• meant that a debate began in the House of Commons about the inefficacy of the whole campaign
• obvious there was a lack of coordination of defence, military coordination and ineffective economic planning

Question 4

Why was he forced to resign (Labour)

Answer 4

• conservative Robert Keyes attacked his judgement
• led to labour exploiting this situation and forcing a vote of confidence
• Churchill took responsibility for this situation- which was oddly in his favour- by appearing loyal to chamberlain he looked good

Question 5

Why was Churchill PM

Answer 5

• overall- not because he was widely trusted or universally popular, but because he was the only politically viable candidate who could command support across the political spectrum
• collapse of chamberlains credibility
• only viable candidate- lord Halifax was popular with king and chamberlain, had been foreign minister, but was associated with appeasement (Churchill consistently opposed), was disliked by some that he was in the HoL
• Churchill had an understanding of the military- had been lord of the admiralty in WW1
• Norwegian campaign- shown loyalty and gave him respect