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 90
... territories including northern New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago . The Dominions in the Pacific were also responsible for certain islands that had been transferred from British rule . Different again , there were some territories ...
... Territories were not territories of British conquest and subjugation , and the British made sure that this fact - that they were there largely upon request and for the good of the African populations as defined by their leaders - was ...
... territories all necessary emergency powers to deal with the problems that war might stimulate : powers of censorship , control of the means of communication and civilian movements , powers to prevent subversive propaganda and for ...