Due to the effects of the bombing most civilians from the British cities had tracked to the countryside for safety; others took refuge in Bomb shelters, like tube stations, air raid shelters etc. This was done for their own safety due to the damage the Blitz caused on the cities. This showed that the effects the bombing had on British civilians were the threat of death it posed upon them. This did not stop workers going to the war factories and helping the war effort. Mixing of social classes was another effect the bombing had on the British people. This helped the government as it showed that both rich and poor were affected and were both supporting the war effort.
Source B and D are useful to understand the effects of the bombing as I above mentioned that people from all walks of life were affected in the way that united the country but devastated families. As shown in Source B the victim of the bombing in that case were the children. Although this might have damaged moral the effect on the British people could have been a more united stance to prevent it from occurring again.
The effects the Blitz had on the British people in the Second World War did not divide the people but instead united them. The British “grit” was maintained due to clever censorships by the government and the pride of the people. Hitler’s effects that he wished to have caused on Britain never occurred but who knows what would of happened if Germany actually invaded Britain if the same unity would of brought them victory in the Battle of Britain.
3. Does Source D support the evidence of Sources B and C about the damage done during the air raids?
As source D shows the bombing of Coventry on the 15th of November 1940, massive destruction was caused. This relates to Source B showing the bombing of the school where girls were killed by the bombing. Although this was not as bad as Source B it was also censored as it was thought to be very sensitive and was only published 4 months later in February 1941. It doesn’t support C as much and doesn’t show such a calm and good atmosphere.
The reason that Source D was withheld from the public at first was because they did not want the people to realise that the German’s could Blitz as far as Coventry. The picture shows a more chaotic scene as the citizens look confused and are arguing. This is exactly what Hitler and the German government wanted. To send the general public into panic and to fear the mighty Luftwaffe’s bombing. Both the British and Germans knew that the Royal Air Force could not protect Britain’s skies as it was out numbered and outclassed at the time. The damage that Hitler was trying to cause was not just destruction but psychological damage. If he could convince the British people that what happened in Coventry (Source D) then he would have secured his victory over Britain.
Source C is supported by Source B because the government used the label of “sorting personal property” on both sources to keep morale up. The source’s are also alike as they show the British “grit”, although Source C could have been staged and Source B had a more angered and fearful image than the image from the label. According to the British government due to their label of “sorting personal property”, the civilians in Source D survived the bombing, their homes were destroyed but they still went about with their normal lives worrying about personal processions instead of trekking to the countryside.
Source D supports Source B as it shows what damage was caused by the Blitz. The censorship by the government also restricted Source D from being published due to the fear of its “sensitivity”. Source D also supports Source B as it shows that British people were all affected by the bombing and that no one was invulnerable from the Blitz. The bombing that happened in Guernica was also illustrated in Source D and B, but in Source D was published as “sorting personal property” but you could obviously see that there was panic and anger within the civilian population due to the bombing. This supports Source D as the British would have panicked and have been angered by the killing of school children this was potentially very bad for morale.
All three sources support each other as it shows that bombing was more “localised” and there was actually competitions between local councils to see which town withstood the most bombing. It also showed that any civilian could be affected by the wrath of the Blitzkrieg and the devastation it brought
4. Use Sources E, F and G, and your own knowledge, to explain why the government was concerned about the morale (spirit and attitude) of the British people in autumn of 1940?
The British government was concerned about the morale of the British people in autumn of 1940 because German bombing started in September of 1940 without any prior warning. This was Hitler’s main objective, to put down the morale of the British people by executing indiscriminate air raids on Britain. London suffered 13 000 casualties in 1940 and 10 000 people died in the rest of Britain. The bombing of Coventry in November 1940, which demolished the city centre and killed approximately 500 people.
For 76 consecutive evenings the Blitz raged over London, resulting in more than 40000 civilian deaths and demolishing about 800 000 residential estates. Bombing was especially severe in East End of London as illustrated in Source E. This concerned the government because Hitler’s objective was becoming reality as it was affecting the morale of the British people. Another censorship that was never released was the bombing of Balham underground station in October 1940, where 64 civilians drowned, due to a burst in the water mains, a fact never was released until long after the war had ended. If the news had broken out massive panic would have set in at the stations because it was used by the civilians as air raid shelters. This would affect morale severely and the Government made sure it didn’t.
One fear of the government that never occurred was the bombing of the industries; workers maintained quite a good attendance. If the bombing was more serious then it could’ve hampered seriously with the war effort as “planes, tanks and armaments” would have been halted by the bombing. If the British morale had collapsed then the war effort would have suffered as workers wouldn’t go to work and the government’s popularity would have suffered significantly. A war without the support of the general public could lead to a massive defeat. Source F illustrates a good example of how low morale and depressed the British people were as the general public “that even the King and Queen were booed” as they went to visit a site in the East end of London. This was a real damaging as the symbols the Royals of the country suffered unpopularity and loss of faith by the British people. After a bomb fell on Buckingham palace this set the British on the same level as their people and the atmosphere soon changed to the Royal Family.
The bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War also gave concern to the government about morale. The annihaltion of the town did not only set fear into the minds of the British people but all the people that the Germans were at war with. During the phoney war the British government initiated the “Shelter Policy”. This allowed Bomb shelters to be built in the gardens of houses which did not actually provide much protection but it made the families feel secure and this is what the Government wanted.
Sources E, F and G shows that morale was effected in some way or another but not the extent to the total demoralisation of the British people. The government quarantined and cleaned up the damaged done and morale effected and this was done due to censorships.
Q.5 The impression that the British faced the Blitz with courage and unity is a myth. Use the source, and your own knowledge, to explain whether you agree with this statement.
I disagree with the statement, because the British people were united under the war effort to deal with the effects of the Blitz and to finally defeat Hitler and Germany.
Source A supports my opinion as of the above statement “the impression that the British Faced the Blitz with courage and unity is a myth”. The source goes on to state that “out of terror and tragedy comes courage and an unshakable determination”, that totally disagree with the statement. However by censoring information from the British people shows that British people was not able to cope with true effects and morale would have been affected. Source C totally contradicts the statement as well as it shows courage and determination that even after the air raids on their homes would not deter them from supporting their country. Although I question the reliability of the source due to its unnatural pose to a devastating situation. Source D is another example of censorship that needed to be implemented due to its sensitivity to morale.
Source E gives a more realistic image of the bombing raids. It states the panic stricken “people ran madly for the shelters” etc. Source E supports the above mentioned statement as it illustrates panic and confusement on the British public due to the Blitz. Source F is another source that supports the abovementioned statement as it shows that royals and symbols of their country were even becoming unpopular. Source G suggested that the British people were becoming accustomed to the Blitz. Source G does not agree with the above statement, because it illustrated people fleeing in fear and not showing “courage” as is said in the statement.
The food rationing system introduced by the government united the people in the war effort. Each individual received enough to feed him although realistically there wasn’t much food to spare. Due to precautions taken by the British people most citizens remained content and kept up the spirit during the air campaign. Even political parties were content as they did not have an anti-war sentiment after the bombing started as they united just as the public did behind Winston Churchill
I think Source B and D supports my statement as it shows the real effect the Blitz had on Britain. The argument could go to either who agree with my statement or disagree. This is because the government knew if the British people had seen these pictures published morale would collapse this proves one way or another that the British unity was as strong as thought and the British “grit” could have been a myth. Although you could argue that if the pictures were seen by the British people it could have united the people as they would want to avenge the children that got killed and their determination to win the war would have become more solid than before.
Source’s E, F and G showed that the British people’s morale had collapsed somewhat but it was only a minority to those who had high morale. The British government knew that and took steps to ensure that morale would not collapse and learned from their previous mistakes. The Censorship become more intensive but also more cunning.
Hitler did not accomplish his objective over the Allies in the Second World War. Britain won the Battle of Britain through courage and conviction that some people could argue was only brought about by the precautions taken by the government. One thing that can’t be questioned is the unity of the British people brought about by the war. If anything that won the war of Britain was the clever propaganda that was illustrated by the British government. In my opinion the censorship made the unification void as their pride and morale were built around lies and not around the full truth. A democratic society had to act like a dictatorship as Hitler’s propaganda machine to keep the society’s morale, pride and unification in place.
