Churchill as Wartime PM

STANCE:

• focussed on VICTORY, was the single aim
• Speeches; empahised determination to never surrender, even after Dunkirk
• Portrayal of war in dramatic terms helped public support eg; Battle of Britian 
• Wanted to keep momentum of war; no peace terms to be looked into
• Offered political union w France and troops to keep France fighting

STYLE:

• Saw his role as chair discussions AND director of war effort
• Memoirs; from May 1940 "i had the ability to give directions over the whole scene"
• favoured daring ideas and actions, frustrated by delays and weakness
• Respected political system, reporting frequently to HoC 
• Expected complete dedication, working into night
• Ruthless; undermined and dismissed military leaders
• Supprted extreme war measures; eg destruction of French fleetbat Oran 1940, and civi bombing in Germany

• Main burden of Churchill's interference with operational matters was the head of the army, Field Marshall Sir Alan Brooke.
• Highly competent organiser nad a thorough professional.
• He was consious of the need to deploy British forces carefully and avoid heavy casualties. 
• Often annoyed  by Churchill's 'thinking out loud.'
• His wartime diaries often mention long and exhausting meetings.
• When it came to major decisions there were fewer disagreements between the two men.
• In 1940 Churchill made a bold decision in sending troops and military equiptment to the Middle East to deal with the potential Italian threat to Egypt, the Suez Canal and the route to India. This was bold because it was unclear whether Germany would invade England. Brooke an other generals supported Churchill's decision. 

"Churchill thinks one thing at one moment and another at another moment" Alan Brooke War Diaries 24th May 1943

• Bad Relationship!
• Rapid British victories in North Africa justified the decsion to concentrate on fighting in North Africa, but Churchill have little credit to the commander, Sir Archibald Wavell, whom he personally disliked. 
• Churchill took forces away from Wavell when the Italians invaded Greece in 1940 and the cabinet made a decision to send troopes to defend it and establish a new Balkan front. Wavell was not given time to prepare properly without him in command in Greece. His troops were taken off to a deeply flawed campaign. When the Germans invaded Greece, the British had to be evacuated to Crete and then were defeated there and forced out.
• The early successes in North Africa had been thrown away, and Wavell did not have the resources to meet German forces under Rommel who were sent to North Africa. He took the blame and was demoted. 

• Wavell's successor
• Not prepared for the premature attack on the Germans and, to Churchill's annoyance, he insisted on delayign until he was well prepared. 
• Sacked for his delays and not being sufficiently daring and aggressive. 

• Auchinleck's replacement.
• Won over Churchill with his self-confidence but insisted on thorough preperations involving accumulating more than twice the men that Rommel had before attacking at El Alamein in Oct 1942. 
• Much of the credit for the first British Victory in the war should have gone to Auchinleck because of the efficient preperations he had made, even though he did not actually lead the attack. However, Churchill disliked him and favoured 'Monty.'
• Montgomery was very slow in following up his victory after El Alamein, which allowed the Germans to retreat to Tunisia. But Churchill continued to favour him. 

• Admired Churchill
• Called Churchill "greatest war time PM in our history"
• Often begged Churchill to be reasonable
• Churchill admitted he owed more to Ismay

"Churchill is frank in speech and writing, but expects others to be equally frank with him. Do not be irritated with telegrams on every topic, many of which may be irrelevant" Ismay writes to Auchinleck 1941

• A lot of war effort took place in N.Africa and later on, Sicily
• Med was important due to Suez Canal and GB Empire
• Churchill thought delaying invasion of France world help allies, as Germnay would be weakened by US and GB bombing, aswell as troops losses
• Stalin and US general opposed to prioritising Med; said G could only be defeated by invading homeland and engaging w bulk of forces (in France). Up to 1942 german troops were weak along Fr, coastline to channel, GB was losing opportunity. Invasion of Germany via Italy seemes flawed (enagage via crucial points not peripheral theatres) War in med took away valuabel resources, like landing craft. 
• Churchill correct in defence of oil supplies was crucial, and GB had to stop G linking forces in N.Africa and Russia.
• Invasion of Italy tied up US and GB forces, bogged down in trench warfare
• Delayed inavsion of France? by 1944 Germans had built formidable defences on French coast, and relations w Stalin were weakened by failure to open a 2nd front.
• Stalin blamed heavy Russian casualties on GB and USA's delay on invading France. 

• WHY? German Blitz caused resentment, so when GB able to retaliate, revenge seems justified
• GB wasn't fighting bulk of German force on land, also fought in sea and air, so bombing was only real way of striking Germany itself.
• Belfied in Bomber Command; bombing was way to win the war an prevent large scale casualty
• Belief that terror bombing German cities would hit morale and undermine Nazi regime

• IMPACT: 400,000 - 600,000 Germans died in bombing, vs 60,500 British
• Lossed of RAF Bomber Command were heavy
• Results not decisive in destroying German morale or productivity
• Greatest effect was when bombing was focussed on transport/ communication

• CHURCHILL: supported bombing key military and industrial targets, like Dambusters raid. As well as civilian targets, like Cologne raid 1943
• He distressed effects of Blitz and visited affected areas, so revenge may have played a part
• Aware of devestation brought by G bombing in France, Poland and Netherlands. 
• Publically dismissed ethical critisism by Bishop Bell of Chichester

Key Domestic policies were to influence what would happen afterwards:

• Beveridge Report 1942 to be enacted - propsed 'cradle to grave' plan for social welfare to rid poor health, ignorance and poverty.
• Commitment to ending old system of help for the poor, and create new system of National Assistance
• Influentila reports on town planning and industrial development
• Hospitals and railways were run by state
• 1944 National Insurance had been reformed and new ministry created to run it
• Education Act 1944 reorganised education, ended fees and promised to raise school leaving age to 15
• Catering Wages Act 1942 and Wages Council Act 1945 imporved ages for low paid

• Combination of own appeal and popular dislike for Conservatives
• Labour fought good campaign, stressing domestic changewhich appealed as people didn't want to return to hardships of 1930s
• Labour minsters more important regarding domestic affairs during war
• Members of armed forces now more politically aware and favoured Labour

• Conservative campaign less organised
• Reliant on Churchill's reputation, built on wartime success
• Many working class areas remembered Churchill's opposition to strikes and socialism
• Conservative party associated with unemplyment and hardship of 1930s
• Churchill speeach; comparing Labour to the 'gestapo' 

Labour won 41% of vote and 61% seats