The Second World War (1939–1945) is one of the most heavily-tested periods in British history. The exam typically asks about a handful of dates, the wartime Prime Minister and a couple of famous turning points.
The outbreak of war
Britain declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939 after Hitler's invasion of Poland. Neville Chamberlain was Prime Minister; Winston Churchill replaced him in May 1940. France fell to Germany in June 1940 and Britain stood largely alone in Europe until Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941 and the United States entered the war in December 1941.
The Battle of Britain and the Blitz
In the summer of 1940 the Royal Air Force defeated the Luftwaffe over southern England in the Battle of Britain — the first major German defeat of the war. From September 1940 to May 1941 German bombers carried out a sustained night bombing campaign known as the Blitz, killing about 40,000 civilians and destroying around two million homes.
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D-Day and victory in Europe
On 6 June 1944, Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy in northern France. This was the largest seaborne invasion in history and is known as D-Day. Within a year Germany had surrendered, and Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) was celebrated on 8 May 1945. Japan surrendered later that year, on 15 August (VJ Day).
Churchill's words
Winston Churchill is famous for several wartime speeches. His phrase "we shall fight on the beaches" comes from a Commons speech of 4 June 1940. His tribute to RAF pilots — "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" — was delivered on 20 August 1940. He served as Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955.
After the war
In the 1945 general election Churchill was defeated by Clement Attlee's Labour party, which created the National Health Service in 1948 and nationalised key industries. The post-war period also saw the gradual end of the British Empire and the foundation of the modern welfare state.
Keep going
- Read the full study notes for British History.
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