Chapter 1 Churchill’s View of Events, 1929-40
Why was Churchill out of office for so long, 1929-39?
May 1929- labour won the general election.
Churchill left office and wasn’t in government again until September 1939.
‘In the wilderness’.
Old Ideas were highly controversial and unpopular.
fashioned
Spoke in an ‘old fashioned’ style that seemed out of touch,
Baldwin and Chamberlain had a more modern way of speaking to the
electorate.
Great England was suffering from the Great Depression in 1931 after the Wall
Depression Street Crash.
Foreign investors needed a calm, confident and united government, and
Churchill was seen as a renegade even by members of his own party.
Gallipoli WW1 = First Lord of the Admiralty.
Campaign Aimed to knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war by securing the
Dardanelles Strait.
Condemned as reckless/ erratic.
Achieved nothing at great human cost.
Dishonest to the war council when presenting his ideas.
He gave confusing orders and poor planning.
Tarnished his reputation as a military leader (forced to resign as the First
Lord of the Admiralty).
An example of his inability to properly weigh risks.
Return to Churchill was Chancellor of the Exchequer
the Gold
Standard He overvalued the pound, leading to an economic crisis.
(1925) Made it harder to sell goods abroad.
Deflation and economic stagnation.
Mass unemployment.
Britain had to leave it in 1931, as it worsened the effects of the Great
depression.
Poor reputation as an economist.
National Conservatives joined with Labour Leader MacDonald and some of the
Government liberals in 1931 to form a National government (Churchill not invited).
exclusion
Churchill was disliked by labour and the liberals so would have been a
difficult person to have in the coalition government.
, General Chancellor of the Exchequer
Strike
Took an extreme stance against the striking workers, publicly supporting
the government's efforts to break the strike.
Portrayed the strike as a direct threat to democracy and advocated for
aggressive measures against the trade unions.
It made him seem irrational, as he believed the protesters were infested
with Bolshevism.
Alienated both the working class and moderate elements within his own
party. Many in the Conservative Party, including Prime Minister Stanley
Baldwin, preferred a more moderate approach.
His uncompromising stance reinforced his image as an elitist, out of
touch with working-class concerns.
Russia and His obsession with Bolshevism in Russia painted him out to be a
communism warmonger (too eager to involve Britain in another war after WW1).
A vocal critic of the Bolshevik Revolution and remained deeply
distrustful of the Soviet Union.
Advocated for military intervention during the Russian Civil War (1917–
1923) to crush communism.
Clashed with the attitudes of moderate politicians.
Rearmamen Spoke out against the danger of Germany and his belief that Britain
t should rearm in the 1930s, particularly with greater air defences.
Out of line with mainstream thinking - seemed too willing to risk war
again when public opinion was opposed to conflict. Chamberlain (PM in
1937) was also very committed to the policy of appeasement.
His criticisms of British defences were hypocritical because it was his
defence cuts of the 1920s which laid the basis for Britain’s military
weakness.
The urge to rearm also ignored the economic realities of the 1930s,
when government spending had been cut and unemployment was too
high.
Switching 1904 - leaves conservatives and joined the liberal party.
parties 1924 - rejoins the conservatives.
Opportunistic and politically unreliable.
Driven more by ambition than loyalty to a particular party, which made
it difficult to establish a loyal base of support.
Often seen as a maverick at odds with his own party rather than a team
player.
Ireland Supported the use of the Black and Tans (a violent force made up of
British WW1 veterans) during the Irish War of Independence (1919–
1921).
The Black and Tans became notorious for their brutal tactics, including
Why was Churchill out of office for so long, 1929-39?
May 1929- labour won the general election.
Churchill left office and wasn’t in government again until September 1939.
‘In the wilderness’.
Old Ideas were highly controversial and unpopular.
fashioned
Spoke in an ‘old fashioned’ style that seemed out of touch,
Baldwin and Chamberlain had a more modern way of speaking to the
electorate.
Great England was suffering from the Great Depression in 1931 after the Wall
Depression Street Crash.
Foreign investors needed a calm, confident and united government, and
Churchill was seen as a renegade even by members of his own party.
Gallipoli WW1 = First Lord of the Admiralty.
Campaign Aimed to knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war by securing the
Dardanelles Strait.
Condemned as reckless/ erratic.
Achieved nothing at great human cost.
Dishonest to the war council when presenting his ideas.
He gave confusing orders and poor planning.
Tarnished his reputation as a military leader (forced to resign as the First
Lord of the Admiralty).
An example of his inability to properly weigh risks.
Return to Churchill was Chancellor of the Exchequer
the Gold
Standard He overvalued the pound, leading to an economic crisis.
(1925) Made it harder to sell goods abroad.
Deflation and economic stagnation.
Mass unemployment.
Britain had to leave it in 1931, as it worsened the effects of the Great
depression.
Poor reputation as an economist.
National Conservatives joined with Labour Leader MacDonald and some of the
Government liberals in 1931 to form a National government (Churchill not invited).
exclusion
Churchill was disliked by labour and the liberals so would have been a
difficult person to have in the coalition government.
, General Chancellor of the Exchequer
Strike
Took an extreme stance against the striking workers, publicly supporting
the government's efforts to break the strike.
Portrayed the strike as a direct threat to democracy and advocated for
aggressive measures against the trade unions.
It made him seem irrational, as he believed the protesters were infested
with Bolshevism.
Alienated both the working class and moderate elements within his own
party. Many in the Conservative Party, including Prime Minister Stanley
Baldwin, preferred a more moderate approach.
His uncompromising stance reinforced his image as an elitist, out of
touch with working-class concerns.
Russia and His obsession with Bolshevism in Russia painted him out to be a
communism warmonger (too eager to involve Britain in another war after WW1).
A vocal critic of the Bolshevik Revolution and remained deeply
distrustful of the Soviet Union.
Advocated for military intervention during the Russian Civil War (1917–
1923) to crush communism.
Clashed with the attitudes of moderate politicians.
Rearmamen Spoke out against the danger of Germany and his belief that Britain
t should rearm in the 1930s, particularly with greater air defences.
Out of line with mainstream thinking - seemed too willing to risk war
again when public opinion was opposed to conflict. Chamberlain (PM in
1937) was also very committed to the policy of appeasement.
His criticisms of British defences were hypocritical because it was his
defence cuts of the 1920s which laid the basis for Britain’s military
weakness.
The urge to rearm also ignored the economic realities of the 1930s,
when government spending had been cut and unemployment was too
high.
Switching 1904 - leaves conservatives and joined the liberal party.
parties 1924 - rejoins the conservatives.
Opportunistic and politically unreliable.
Driven more by ambition than loyalty to a particular party, which made
it difficult to establish a loyal base of support.
Often seen as a maverick at odds with his own party rather than a team
player.
Ireland Supported the use of the Black and Tans (a violent force made up of
British WW1 veterans) during the Irish War of Independence (1919–
1921).
The Black and Tans became notorious for their brutal tactics, including
