-
Neville Chamberlain Becomes British Prime Minister
Neville Chamberlain, who had previously been a member of parliament, was elected Prime Minister of Britain. He was best known for the British policy of appeasement. -
The Évian Conference
The Évian Conference was an international conference held in Évian-les-Bains, France, where leaders, including British, got together to discuss the growing problem of increasing numbers of Jewish and other "non-Aryan" refugees trying to emigrate from Germany. The leaders acknowledged the issue of the persecution of these peoples, but few presented practical solutions or increased their immigration quotas. This result showed that other countries would not necessarily step in to prevent the Nazis. -
Munich Agreement
The Munich Agreement was signed by foreign leaders, including PM Chamberlain. This agreement was a part of appeasement and it allowed Germany to take control of Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia. Hitler was able to further justify his ultra-nationalism, and the agreement brought Europe closer to war. Without the war, the Holocaust would likely not have been able to happen. -
Britain and France Declare War on Germany
Britain, along with France, declares war on Germany after Hitler's invasion of Poland. They are on the side of the Allies. -
Penicillin Purified
In March of 1940, Scientists Howard Florey and Ernst Chain purify penicillin. This discovery led to the drug being able to be produced and tested, and on June 6, 1944, Allied soldiers carried it with them on D-Day. -
Winston Churchill Replaces Chamberlain as Prime Minister
Chamberlain resigned as Prime Minister and King George VI replaced him with Churchill. Churchill helped lead the British to victory. -
Battle of France
The Germans launched a surprise attack on France. Panzers pushed French and British troops back to the Channel, resulting in hundreds of thousands of British and French troops retreating from Dunkirk, which is significant because those troops were able to fight in succeeding battles. France signed a cease-fire with Germany on July 14, 1940, giving up 2 million troops and control of France. The Battle ended on June 24, 1940. Germans won, and about 11,000 British and 27,000 Germans were killed. -
The Home Guard is Formed
Over 1.5 million British joined "The Local Defence Volunteers" which was organized to have civilians help with the war effort by collecting resources such as scrap iron. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was an air battle above the UK between the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and the German Luftwaffe that ended Oct 31, 1940. Hitler sent the Luftwaffe attempting to destroy the RAF but it failed because of the strength and determination of the RAF. The RAF lost 1547 planes & the Luftwaffe lost 1700. This Allied win was significant because it showed that the British had the power to fight back against Germany. German failure in the Battle of Britain led to the Blitz of London. -
The Blitz of London
After German failure in the Battle of Britain, the Germans went after British cities in the Blitz of London. Since they couldn’t take out the RAF, the Luftwaffe bombed London for 57 nights, attempting to take out British industry that was aiding the Allies in the war. This was a battle, but the homefront helped by hiding in bomb shelters and millions of people evacuating from London. 40,000 British civilians died and 2 million homes were destroyed, but Britain won and it ended on May 11, 1941. -
D-Day / Battle of Normandy
The Battle of Normandy started with the Normandy landings ("D-Day"). Casualties on D-Day include: 4,400 Allies, 2,700 of which were British; Casualties in the Normandy Campaign include: 226,000 Allies; Germans suffered 240,000 casualties. The operation ended in an Allied victory. The significance of the battle is that it was the first successful invasion of Western Europe which was controlled by the Germans. -
Victory in Europe Day
Britain and the Allies officially accept Germany's surrender, marking the end of World War II in Europe. -
Clement Attlee Takes Over After the War
Politically, the Labour party has control of the government; Clement Attlee becomes PM in 1945. Free health care is established in 1946. Britain begins to withdraw from the empire, leaving India. Britain is bankrupt after U.S. President Harry Truman ends "lend-lease," a policy where the U.S. would aid its Allied countries in the war. Britain has to take out loans to pay its debts to foreign countries after the war. Many British cities have to be rebuilt after being bombed in the war. -
Victory Over Japan Day / World War II Ends
V-J Day, as it is known in the UK, marks the end of World War II. On September 2, Japan signs a formal surrender, officially ending the war. The Allies had won the war.
