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. |
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... economic resources and the infrastructure needed to support its deployment . The rapid deterioration in the general supply situation had become noticeable in many colonies by 1941 and led to control and regulation strategies , including ...
... economic development . It was so mature politically , in fact , that Canadian politicians had largely jettisoned imperial issues as topics of debate , unlike their peers in the ' white ' Dominions club ( particularly in Australia and ...
... economic arrangements accelerated Canada's advanced state of detachment from Britain , and locked it into a continental economic alliance with its giant neigh- bour.10 On the trade front , what has been termed the Atlantic triangle ...