Churchill's View of Events (1929-40) Flashcards
(15 cards)
What was Churchill’s career like before 1929?
-Became a minister in 1905
-Was Home Secretary
-First Lord of Admiralty
-Chancellor of Exchequer
-Lead the role of introducing social reforms in 1914, but a failed attack on Turkey during WW1 led to him resigning
Why was Churchill a controversial figure?
-Seen as betraying his party by the conservatives since he was on the Labour party
-Support for using troops against striking miners made him unpopular with Labour
-Extreme opponent of communism and trade unions
-Decision to return Britain to the Gold Standard
Why was Church seen as an extreme opponent of communism?
He supported the war against the new Communist regime in 1917
Why was Church seen as an extreme opponent of trade unions?
He was heavily against the 1926 General Strike since it tried to use unions politically
Why was Churchill criticised for returning Britian to the Gold Standard in 1925?
Economists criticised Churchill because it made exports dearer
What were Churchill’s political ideas?
-Opposed any threats to Britain
-Strong believer and advocator for the British Empire
-Hated communism and especially after the tsar was killed in 1918 and wanted troops to be sent to put down the Russian revolution
What was India seen as?
The jewel in the crown of Britain
Why did the state of the world keep Churchill out of office for so long?
Due to the harshs landscape of the world (1929 Wall Street Crash, rise of the USSR, Germany, Spanish Civil War and Japan setting up a Far East Empire, it was expected that Churchill could thrive by rising as a experience leader. This wasn’t the case and he didn’t return to Office until 1939.
What reasons in Britain kept Churchill out of office?
-In conflict with his own party and other political leaders
-His method of public speaking was becoming outdated due to radio and cinema
-His campaigns and pre-war speeches made him get condemned as reckless
-Criticised by economists for bringing back the Gold Standard still
-Had his savings and investments wiped by the 1929 Wall Street Crash
What was Churchill’s views on India?
-He didn’t want it to be independent, and was previously a white supremacist who looked down on the people who lived there and had to rule over them
-Saw it as the jewel of the crown
What was Churchill’s views on King Edward VIII?
-Edward was unpopular due to wanting to mary a twice-divorced American woman and he did not respect the conservative party. Despite this, Churchill still supported him due to his loyalty to the throne
-It was also suspected that Edward admired Nazi Germany
What was Churchill’s views on rearmament?
While public opinion was against war and the economy was weak, Churchill urged for rearmament but got little support
What was Churchill’s views on Germany pre-WW2?
-Knew Britain needed to resist Germany and opposed appeasement
-The horrors of the WW1 was still fresh in peoples mind
How did Churchill react to the Indian Independence Movement?
-Bitterly opposed it
-Wanted to crush ‘Gandhi-ism’
How did Churchill react to Edward VIII’s abdication?
-Was a member of the group called “The King’s Friends”
-He attempted to support the King in the HOC but only made it clear his views were very outdated
