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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... overseas battle fronts . The Empire defined Britain's participation in a global war that was an experi- ence of profound significance for colonial societies and economies the world over . The reason why this was so is not difficult to ...
... overseas went into getting across the right messages to colonial subjects as well as to allies and enemies.24 War mobilization was followed closely by a perceived need to begin shaping the post - war colonial world as a motive for this ...
... overseas service would not be adopted . This outraged many French - Canadians and the Prime Minister concluded that the issue was best left well alone . In 1944 , however , the implementation of conscrip- tion for overseas service ...