World war II

Britain was soon involved in another war, for which it was ill-prepared. The Prime Minister Chamberlain had done everything possible to appease Germany (including accepting its occupation of Czechoslovakia) while the country tried to rearm, but Britain and France were still not ready when they declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939 after Hitler’s invasion of Poland. As Germany swept through Europe, Britain found herself almost alone and only a courageous effort by her Air Force (prompting Churchill’s famous speech: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”) prevented Germany from invading Britain. Germany’s subsequent unsuccessful invasion of Russia, together with the intervention of the United States, enabled Britain and her allies to stop Germany once more. The war had cost Britain a quarter of its national wealth.

Exercise 14. Complete the following sentences to obtain a summary of the passage.

1. Britain allowed Germany to invade Czechoslovakia because ...

2. However, Britain was still unprepared for war when . ..

3. The country was saved by ...

4. Germany lost the war after ...

5. For Britain the war had been very ...

Post-war reconstruction Labour’s triumph

The war was a great class leveller, but it was Labour’s offering of a concrete programme as opposed to the ideological worries of Churchill that enabled the party to obtain a massive majority in the 1945 elections. The Labour government, under Prime Minister Clement Attlee, using the planning experience gained during the war, nationalized the railways and the coal, steel, shipbuilding, gas and electricity industries, and extended the social services provided by the state to include such things as insurance against unemployment, sickness and old age, a weekly benefit for minimum needs, and free medical health care for everyone (National Health Service). This legislation came to be known as the Welfare State.

In foreign policy India and Pakistan, together with a number of other former colonies, were finally granted independence, as Britain made the painful decision of turning its back on its former Empire to strengthen ties with Europe. The first sign of this was membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Exercise 15. Give a short description of:

1. nationalization

2. the Welfare State

3. Britain’s foreign policy after the war

The affluent society

There then followed a period of economic growth and prosperity under three consecutive Conservative Governments. During the 1950s, there was a period of massive growth in the private sector, above all in the newer industries, particularly car and aircraft production, and wages increased by 40% in real terms. Most families could now afford a car, fridge and a television set, and people began to talk of an affluent society. By the start of the 1960s, however, production was beginning to slow, while wages and prices continued to rise. The Government’s policy of freezing wages as a cure enabled Labour to win the 1964 elections.

Abroad, the British Empire had been almost completely dismantled, generally very peacefully, with most of the newly independent nations joining the Commonwealth. The decline of Britain as a world power was highlighted, however, when Britain was forced to withdraw its troops in the face of world opposition after occupying the Suez Canal (in retaliation for its nationalization by the Egyptian leader Colonel Nasser) and accept the conditions laid down by Egypt.

Exercise 16. Mark the following statements True or False and correct any false statements in order to obtain a summary of the passage.

1. Under the three Conservative governments the economy grew considerably.

2. This growth was caused primarily by the public sector.

3. This period became known as the “affluent society” because most households were able to buy a car, a TV and a fridge.

4. The Labour Party won the 1964 election because wages continued to rise.

5. Most of the former colonies had to use force to gain their independence.

6. The Suez crisis revealed Britain's decline as a world power.

THE 60s AND 70s

Britain’s loss of influence in world affairs was one of the reasons why the newly elected Labour Government supported Britain’s application for membership of the European Economic Community (EEC). The main problems faced by the Government were economic, however, and it adopted the severest measures, including wage freezes and a 14% devaluation of sterling, in an unsuccessful attempt to overcome the difficult economic situation. Numerous strikes and student protests revealed the general social unrest and mistrust in the democratic institutions, and it was little surprise that Labour lost the 1970 election.