Midterm Review Flashcards by Brenna Curtis

Why is it important for Great Britain to be an island?

Wants to maintain naval power; does not have strong military/army traditions

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The industrial part of Britain, as it’s close to mining and mountains

North

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People living around England, more working class, typically Protestant

Celtic

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Britain’s political system where you vote for one member of parliament and the winner party picks the prime minister

Parliamentary system

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How did Britain come to be an empire?

colonialization

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Part of London that consisted of working class and poor people since the medieval days

Eastern London

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What are some recent world events that have reminded Britain of WW2?

Covid with private labs, food banks, self isolation

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Labour party view of WW2

it was “the people’s war,” built state welfare, credited running the home front

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Conservative party view of WW2

the war rekindled Christianity, the love of the country, patriotism, and valor; was won by soldiers, middle class scientists, and Churchill

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Great Misconceptions of WW2

-D-Day was one of the most ambitious operations in history

-Germany was on the cusp of defeating the Soviet Union, despite the SU providing for Germany during the war

-Not everyone was in it together; there was still a division in classes

-Russia and the Soviet Union were NOT the same thing! Soviet Union consisted for 4 separate republics, including Russia

-Churchill did appease a dictator, Josef Stalin, by giving him Eastern Poland

-Britain was not alone in 1940; the empire consisted of over 30 million people

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Occurred in the 1600s, when Britain broke away from the Catholic church; Henry the 8th created the Anglican church run by the government

English Reformation

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Non-conformist

someone practicing Christianity apart from the church of England; ex. Scotland and Northern England

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idea that the class above you knows best, therefore you defer to them

Cultural deference

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Believed the war would iron out social class distinctions

Labour belief of war

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Believed the war could inspire everyone to fight for what Britain used to be

Conservative belief of war

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A government rest that sees if you can live without the government’s help/financial aid

Means Test

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Present day event that compares to Munich in 1938

Russia and Ukrainian war

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Year Munich conference took place

1938

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a military plan adopted in 1919 post WW1 by Britain that claimed they would not go to war for the next ten years

10 Year Rule

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What were Neville Chamberlain’s 2 flaws?

He mixed his goal for peace with his public reputation and declined to consult with foreign policy experts regarding peace negotiations

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Year when the RAF could purchase produced aircraft

April 1938

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Two countries that took the spoils of land when Czechoslovakia was broken up

Hungary and Poland

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The 4 dominions of the British Empire

Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Union of South Africa

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Made the largest contribution to the war with 13 ships and 1774 officers and men

The Royal Canadian Navy

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Which dominion was terrified of the Japanese?

Australia

Which dominion was the most enthusiastic to comply to Britain?

New Zealand

The first contingent of Dominion troops to reach Britain

The First Canadian Division

King's guard who were Canadians, the Royal 22nd Regiment and known as the Toronto Scottish

The Van Doos

created when the Canadian commander wanted his men to be organized into a highly mobile, quick acting, and hard hitting reserve; was tossed around and eventually sent to Oxford

Canadian Force

How people viewed the Empire in 1924

A bustling commercial hub that wanted to exploit their pride for the Empire

Saw themselves as self governing countries who are not a part of the empire; despite them being bound by the monarchy and linked to the British royal family

dominions

Pre WW1, the dominions were known as

the White Dominions

Countries that can stay in power and are protected from enemies by following Britain

Protectorates/Protected States

A strange political arrangement that is considered in a way a sub empire

Condominiums

-Colonies divided between France, Britain and Belgium post WW1 as a part of the Versailles Settlement (were entrusted to these countries by the League of Nations) -Are run like colonies, but prepped to be independent

Mandated territories

Princely states under direct British Rule and strongly invested in the Empire

British India/Indian States

Percentage of India in the British Empire

60%

Occurred in India in 1919 when Indian Politicians had a meeting about wanting a better relationship with Britain, and British armies came in and murdered them in cold blood

Amritsar Massacre

Why did the US not immediately help Britain in 1939?

After the Amritsar Massacre, India had nonviolent protests that British troops violently shut down; the event was broadcasted all over the world, including the US

Why were Australia and New Zealand hesitant being led by the British?

They lost 10,000 soldiers in Turkey

Who did Australia and New Zealand want to protect them?

the US, as it seemed like a better power than Great Britain

Meeting where Britain agreed to the same size navy as the US, but only in the pacific

Four Power Naval Conference

occurred in 1943 where more than 3 million people died in India due to starvation and other associated diseases, as large scale exports of food was taken out and sent to war theaters

Bengal Famine

Which dominion did not want to fight against Hitler, because it actually admired him

South Africa

Occurred from 1899 to 1902 where the English built concentration camps for women and children to get this dominion to surrender

South African War against the English

Declaration where the British government commits to supporting Jewish homeland; after 1920 they find control over Palestine

Balfour Declaration 1917

Occurred in May 1940 where over 340,000 British soldiers evacuated from France during the German's raid; is considered one of several military achievements Britain has in the war

Dunkirk

Was viewed as a political opportunist in the 1920s, was a soldier in WW1 who escaped from a POW camp, was in charge of the navy in Norway

Winston Churchill

2 key events that explained why Britain's accepted their government's declaration to go to war

Brutality of Kristallnacht with the passing of anti-Jew laws & the seizure of Prague in March 1939 that confirmed Nazi commitment

What unusual thing happened during the break out of war?

The Pet Massacre- when over a million pets were put down and killed, as there were no gas masks for them, people needed food, and thought it was for the best.

By September 1939, how many Brits were volunteering for war?

Over 2 and a half million (paid and unpaid), mainly motivated to protect their families and homes

Counters that were set up in department stores with supplies for blackout and attacks

Air Raid Precautions (ARP)

Adopted by the Labour party that refused to serve in any government headed by Chamberlain

Patriotic opposition

The western front waiting for expected German assault and even grew bored

Phony War

An ill planned Soviet invasion of Finland that revealed the vulnerability of Soviet forces, took place from 1939-1940)

Winter War

What ended the Phony War?

Germany launched Blitzkrieg against the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, and France in 1940; final straw for Chamberlain, Churchill was made Prime Minister

How many forces did Germany have?

3, Group A, B, and C

Group that faced the Maginot Line to prevent counter thrust

Group C

Group that rolled across the low countries and drove toward the English Channel

Group B

Group that went through the hilly Ardennes forest in Belgium and across the border of France and took Sedan (Dunkirk)

Group A

Formed hastily, assembled from the country's five regular divisions, called up units of Territorial Army; consisted of 300,000 who were low in experience and skill

British Expeditionary Force

German anti aircraft cannon that was the war's best anti-tank weapon

The 88mm

Rescue mission that was launched by the Royal Navy with Canadian and French warships

Operation Dynamo

What did France do on June 22, 1940 with Germany?

signed a harsh armistice that was dictated on Hitler's terms

glorified depiction of someone's life

hageography

the idea of gradually stumbling through a crisis in a spontaneous response

muddle

Members of the labor party

factory workers, working class, middle class progressives

In 1940, Churchill was named Prime Minister and created a war cabinet of

2 conservatives 2 labor members Himself

airplane that is developed in 1937 and delivered in 1938; becomes an iconic symbol of British national pride

Spitfire

Year the Germans send 400 bombers to England

1940

imaging technology to identify distant signals through sound; started in 1937

radar chain

British plan to keep the planes on the ground and have pilots rest until Germans get close

Scramble

Day the British attacked the French fleet at Mers-el-Kebir, Algeria; the fleet refused to go back to Britain, so the Brits destroy the fleet and kill 300 French soldiers

July 3, 1940

Day the battle of Britain begins where Germans directly attack Britain

July 10, 1940

Britain's advantages during Battle of Britain

-Strong naval fleet -Anti aircraft artillery on the ground -Can land in their home country -Prepared with blackouts -Use of radar

Began when the battle of Britain ended in September 1940 where British cities were being bombed

Blitz

Difference in quality of aircraft

Germans had faster and better rate of climb Brits are maneuverable and better armed

Date of the largest air battle of the Battle of Britain

August 15, 1940

Target of German air force during Battle of Britain

Port of London (masses of shipping and largest city in the world)

Date where Luftwaffe made its greatest concentrated effort in a resumed daylight attack in London, beginning the Blitz

September 15, 1940

Monuments to those who fought and died in battle of Britain

Croydon, Kent, and Central London

Dr. Andrew Gordon argument for Battle of Britain

the Royal Navy saved Britain in 1940 and that Germans stayed away because of it

the outer crust of defense in Britain where the average age was 35 and half the men served in WW1; delayed the German troops

Home Guard

a popular idea that can become fact and supports a sense of National identity and unity of the community

myth

what can be said in defense of the appeasement from Munich?

Chamberlain brought Britain time to close up and be protected

Who does Churchill credit for the success of Battle of Britain?

the RAF

Why is Blitz the last British myth of WW2?

it is the last time the Brits are alone and in control on their home land

Phrase that was not used during the war or went to publication, but was a summary of the "Blitz Spirit"

"Keep Calm and Carry On"

Goal of Blitz on the German end

to bomb industrial sites

How long was Blitz?

September 1940-November 1941

How many people were estimated to die in the first week of WW2 due to the events of Guernica in the Spanish Civil War?

120,000 people

How Britain prepared for potential WW2 bomb attacks

-Drills -Evacuated children -Gas masks for everyone -Built bomb shelters

Metal bomb shelters that were built in Brit's backyards

Anderson Bomb Shelters

made in 1940 by the British government and was distributed in the US by MGM

"London Can Take It"

Class had cellars or basement for shelter as well as Anderson Shelters

Middle class home holders

Class evacuated to the country or stayed in hotels and lodgings with friends for shelter

Better off citizens

class crowded in shelters where they could; for example under bridges, in tunnels, warehouse basements, caves

Lower class

unreliable shelters

trench and brick shelters

Overall reasons for high number of dead and injured civilians

-accurate and high concentration of German bombing -poor level of shelter provision in populated areas -poor level of shelter discipline

Recent event people used Blitz Spirit to parallel with the events of WW2

July 7th, 2005 Bombings

2 myths of bombing war in Blitz

-German bombing was intentionally terroristic by targeting civilians -RAF bombers only hit military targets and not civilians

Midterm Review Flashcards

(101 cards)