The British Empire and the Second World WarIn 1939 Hitler went to war not just with Great Britain; he also went to war with the whole of the British Empire, the greatest empire that there had ever been. In the years since 1945 that empire has disappeared, and the crucial fact that the British Empire fought together as a whole during the war has been forgotten. All the parts of the empire joined the struggle and were involved in it from the beginning, undergoing huge changes and sometimes suffering great losses as a result. The war in the desert, the defence of Malta and the Malayan campaign, and the contribution of the empire as a whole in terms of supplies, communications and troops, all reflect the strategic importance of Britain's imperial status. Men and women not only from Australia, New Zealand and India but from many parts of Africa and the Middle East all played their part. Winston Churchill saw the war throughout in imperial terms. The British Empire and the Second World War emphasises a central fact about the Second World War that is often forgotten. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 84
... colonial system that had never before had the same pressing need to talk to its subjects to elicit their support and sustain their morale . In one of many examples of the colonial world reflecting developments in Britain , government ...
... Colonial Empire was agricultural , and the war witnessed an inten- sification of agriculture in all colonies . To economize on shipping , colonial agriculture had to be diversified , on large estates as well as smallholdings , as ' Grow ...
... Colonial Office concerned in the 1930s about labour riots in the West Indies and in Mauritius that significant and meaningful reform would be needed to secure the post - war colonial world . " - The imperial heyday of the Caribbean had ...