How was morale built on the Home Front during the Second World War? Year 8 Term 4

Timeline Key Terms Key Questions

Gas masks issued to civilians in The people who stay in their own country 1) Why did the war break out in 1939? 26 Home Front Britain. during a war.  Hitler came to power in in 1933 and began to expand the Britain begins to evacuate children, The confidence and enthusiasm shown by a German empire. 1 teachers and mothers with young Morale person or group of people at a particular  Chamberlain attempted to pursue a policy of appeasement to give into children. time. Hitler’s demands to avoid war. In , Hitler’s Germany invaded Austria. Chamberlain allowed this to happen. The attempt by Chamberlain to keep Hitler 3 September 1939 Britain declares war on Germany. Appeasement  The final straw was when Germany invaded Poland on 1 September happy in order to try and avoid war. 1939. On 3 September, Britain declared war on Germany. Basic food rationing is introduced in Short for ‘Blitzkrieg’ which means ‘lightening 7 2) What was the impact of on the Home Front? Britain. Blitz war’. The Blitz was heavy and frequent bombing attacks.  In May 1940, an Operation Dynamo was launched to save 338,000 men becomes Prime trapped at Dunkirk. Despite saving over a third of a million men, Dunkirk Everyone had to cover their windows and 10 May 1940 Minister of Britain, replacing Neville was a military disaster. Blackout doors at night with heavy blackout curtains, Chamberlain.  Churchill declared that Britain would never surrender to Hitler and insisted cardboard or paint to avoid enemy bombing. Britain would bounce back. 29 May 1940 The evacuation of Dunkirk begins. Shelters were built to protect civilians from  In June and July, the national mood was at its darkest as the people of Shelter bombing. Examples included Morrison, Britain awaited an invasion. The Blitz starts and lasts for 7 Anderson and the London Underground. 8 months. 3) What was the impact of the Blitz? Air-raid protection warden whose job it was The British government introduces ARP Warden to organise and protect civilians during air  The Blitz started in September 1940 and continued for 8 months. 32,000 1 rationing of clothes. raids. civilians were killed during the Blitz.  People were warned of air raids using sirens. ARP Wardens offered The mass evacuation (1.5 million) of school support to civilians. Air raid shelters were built and blackouts were Key People Operation Pied children, mothers with children under five, enforced. Piper and pregnant women from cities to the He tried to pursue a policy of appeasement countryside to avoid air raids. 4) What was the impact of evacuation? Neville to avoid war with Germany. Prime Minister Chamberlain at the start of the Second World War. He Information, especially of a biased or  Children, and to a lesser extent families, were evacuated from industrial resigned in May 1940. Propaganda misleading nature, used to promote a cities to the countryside. political cause or point of view.  Many children stayed with middle and upper class families who were Prime Minister from May 1940 to the end of shocked by the conditions of people arriving from industrial cities. the war in 1945. He led Britain to victory in Where goods are limited. During the Second  City children often had poor clothing. They were often poorly educated World War, many essential and non- Winston the Second World War. Churchill’s Rationing and had suffered from a lack of clean air. It showed the impact of poverty Churchill leadership and speeches boosted the essential goods were rationed such as food that existed. morale of the British people during its and clothing. 5) Why was rationing introduced? darkest hour. Volunteers who defended Britain’s coastline, Home Guard in case of invasion, during the Second  To make the British weak, the Germans tried to cut off supplies of food The leader of Nazi Germany. His desire to World War. and other goods. German submarines attacked British ships. expand Germany led to the start of the  Before the war, Britain imported 55 million tons of food, a month after the Second World War. He aimed to The first six months of the war was war had started this figure had dropped to 12 million. exterminate all Jews. It is believed he described as the ‘Phoney War’ because Phoney War  Every member of the public was issued with a Ration Book. These committed suicide as it became clear there was almost no fighting or bombs contained coupons which allowed you to buy goods. Germany would be defeated in 1945. dropped.