British History
Part 3 – The 20th Century
The Twentieth Century
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Trade Unionism (1911 – 1914)
World War 1 (1914 – 1918)
The Depression
World War 2 (1939 – 1945)
Post war Britain
The Welfare State
End of Empire
The 60’s, 70’s, 80’s
Trade Unionism 1911 - 1914
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Between 1911 and 1914, conditions for workers
improved
This was in part because of pressure from striking
miners, railwaymen, and dockers
Minimum Wage Act
Insurance against
sickness and
unemployment.
no arrangements
were made for free
health care.
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The first major war of
the 20th Century
Mainly a European war
Immense human
sacrifice
Stalemate trench
warfare
New, devastating
weapons - tanks,
aircraft, machineguns,
and poison gas.
Over 9 million died on
the battlefield -15.1
million in total
What Started World War I ?
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World War I was sparked
by a single event…
On June 28, 1914 Serbian
fanatic, Gavrilo Princip,
assassinated Archduke
Franz-Ferdinand of Austria
in Sarajevo.
Archduke Franz-Ferdinand
was heir to the Austrian
thrown
One month later, on July
28, 1914, Austria declares
war against Serbia igniting World War I
A war between Austria and
Serbia, meant a war
between Austria and Russia
- Serbia's traditional ally.
War between Austria and
Russia meant Germany,
bound by the Triple Alliance
treaty to Austria, was at war
with Russia.
Russia at war with Germany,
meant France and Britain,
bound by alliances with
Russia known as the Triple
Entente, were also at war
with Germany
Italy remained neutral
until 23 May 1915, when
it entered the war on the
side of the Allies.
Britain in World War 1
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Civilian life was under threat, especially in London
and the south-east,
The entire east coast of Britain was prone to
invasion (just as it always had been).
Many people
responded to the
war effort.
Women were
drafted to
produce weapons
(guns, bullets,
planes).
Britain in World War 1
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Young men volunteered to fight
in the war. Many thought it
would be a very short war.
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By 1915 whole villages saw
their population of young men
disappear to fight in the war.
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By the end of the war many of
those villages were almost
devoid of young men. Towns
also felt their loss: entire streets
mourned sons, husbands and
sweethearts.
The Depression (1918 -1939)
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After World War 1 industrial profits and wages began to fall and
demobilised soldiers found it difficult or impossible to find jobs.
By summer 1921 over two million people were unemployed and
strikes were on the increase.
There was
widespread suffering
and deprivation.
The Lloyd George
coalition government
collapsed and the
country's economic
crisis continued to
worsen.
Wall Street Crash 1929
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The worst period of the
Depression followed the crash of
the Wall Street financial markets
in 1929.
In Britain, unemployment
reached 3 million in 1932.
Slowly, the British economy
stabilised under the National
Government and unemployment
began a steady decline after
1935,
Re-armament before World War
Two helped to end the
depression
World War 2
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World War Two in Europe
began on 3rd September
1939
Britain and France
declared war on Germany
after Hitler invaded
Poland
Britain and France had
guaranteed the territorial
integrity of Poland in
March 1939.
World War 2
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Hitler invaded France
and the BeNeLux
countries (Belgium,
Netherlands,
Luxembourg), in
June 1940.
Britain endured the
Blitz and feared
invasion until the
Battle of Britain in
September 1940
secured superiority
of the skies.
The Blitz
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The Blitz was the sustained and intensive bombing of the United
Kingdom by Nazi Germany during 1940–1941.
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It was carried out by the Luftwaffe against a range of targets across
the UK, particularly concentrating on London.
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The Blitz killed
~43,000 people and
destroyed over a
million houses
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It failed to achieve
the Germans'
objectives of
knocking Britain out
of the war or
rendering it unable
to resist an invasion.
The Battle of Britain
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The Battle of Britain is the name
for the attempt by Germany's
Luftwaffe to gain air superiority of
British airspace and destroy the
Royal Air Force (RAF).
The Germans didn’t want to
invade Britain until the RAF had
been knocked out
They also wanted to destroy
aircraft production and to terrorize
the British people so they would
surrender.
The Battle of Britain was the first
major battle to be fought entirely in
the air.
It was the largest and most
sustained bombing campaign yet.
World War 2
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In June 1941, Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, thereby
making war on two fronts.
The war increased in December 1941 when America
declared war on the Japanese after they bombed Pearl
Harbour.
Hitler's declaration
of war on America
was his big
mistake.
With American
entry, British Prime
Churchill
Stalin
Roosevelt
Minister Winston
Churchill felt sure
of victory.
Post World War Two: 1945 onwards
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The end of the
Second World
War brought a
new Labour
government
Expansion of the
welfare state
The establishment
of a National
Health Service.
Post World War Two: 1945 onwards
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India and Pakistan became
independent soon after the
war
Eventually, almost all of
Britain's colonies became
independent
Most retain ties with Britain
through the Commonwealth.
This is a multiracial
community and a means
through which Britain
maintains its influence in the
world
India and Pakistan gain Independence
1947
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India was the most valuable part
of the British Empire, its
possession was proof of British
world power.
The war had strained Britain's
ability to govern its empire so it
was decided that India would
self-govern.
However the two factions in
India (the Indian National
Congress and the Muslim
League) could not agree on a
constitution.
As a result, India was divided
into the modern states of India
and Pakistan.
Post World War Two: The EU
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Britain's economic
strength declined after
the war
External trade is still
extremely important to
Britain
Britain entered the
European Community in
1973
Post World War Two: The 1960’s
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The 1960s were an
influential decade for
Britain
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more permissive society
increased consumer
confidence
radical political protest
popular music which
spread across the world
(e.g.the Beatles and the
Rolling Stones)
Post World War Two: The 1970s
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The 1970s saw a
number of firsts
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Concorde (an AngloFrench supersonic
aeroplane)
test tube babies (Joy
Brown, the first, was
born 25 July 1978)
the Open University (a
university mainly carried
out through television
broadcasts)
electronic technology
commercial radio
Post World War Two: The 1980s
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The 1980s saw a number of
notable events
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IRA hunger strikes in
Northern Ireland
a Papal visit (1982)
Sunday football for the first
time
a popular fitness craze with
major events such as the
London Marathon proving
successful
the completion of the Thames
Barrier
the beginning of the Channel
Tunnel
the spread of personal
computers
satellite television
The Falklands conflict 1982
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Britain and Argentina had
argued about the Falkland
Islands since Britain occupied
them in the early nineteenth
century.
In April 1982, Argentina
invaded and occupied the
Falkland Islands.
In the war that followed 250
British and around 750
Argentineans were killed.
Britain re-established her
control over the islands but
Argentina still claims them
Main Points About British History
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Early British History
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2.
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After the Normans
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2.
3.
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Settlement
Repeated invasions from Europe
Re-structuring (from Anglo-Saxon to Norman)
Industrialization
Expansion (of the Empire)
20th Century
1.
2.
3.
Conflict (WWI, WWII, Falklands)
Contraction (of the Empire)
Re-Invention (European Union, Role of the
Monarchy etc)