How successful was the wartime coalition in leading Britain through the strains of war between 1940 and 1945? (24 Marks)

Introduction The wartime coalition was formed by Churchill after Chamberlain had been forced to resign in May It played a crucial part in the organisation of the war effort and the economy and in motivating people and providing a sense of national unity. This enabled Britain to hold out until the USA and USSR entered the war effort and then to defeat the Axis powers. Overall it was very successful.

Ways to measure success: Coalition working together Effective war effort Funding the war Planning for the post-war future [Protecting the population] [Keeping up morale]

Winston Churchill: how important? Successfully brought together politicians from leading parties into a war coalition – after Chamberlain had failed to do so. In addition, managed to persuade people from outside politics, e.g. Ernest Bevin to join the coalition under various roles. Successfully organised the coalition to cover all aspects of the Home Front, so that he could focus on the aspects of war.

Winston Churchill continued. Contributed: Motivational speeches Empathy for the public mood Showed how a free society could be mobilised so well for war, Persuaded the coalition government and the general public at the time of Dunkirk that fighting on was the best tactic to take rather than trying to agree peace with Hitler. He was always in the right place to make a speech, and provided motivational speeches at times of hardship such as: - Dunkirk - The Blitz - The Fall of Singapore -

Other important members of the Coalition Clement Atlee (Labour leader) was given the role of Deputy Prime Minister. Arthur Greenwood (deputy Labour leader) was put in charge of reconstruction plans. Ernest Bevin, secretary of the TGWU was made the Minister of Labour and National Service. Kingsley Wood (Conservative) was Chancellor of Exchequer Sir John Anderson was made Home Secretary Together, all of these men would play an integral role in the success of the Coalition government.

Clement Atlee Ernest Bevin Kingsley Wood Arthur Greenwood Sir John Anderson

Were they able to organise the economy? The wartime economy made extremely good use of the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act that had been passed in It enabled them to pass regulations which would regulate almost every aspect of every day life. They introduced Ministers for Food, Shipping, Information, Economic Warfare etc. Lord Beaverbrook became the first Minister of Air Production, which was set up to maximise the building of wartime aircraft.

The role of Bevin in mobilising the population for war. Bevin was given the roles of Minister of Labour and Minister of National Service. Men and young unmarried women were allocated to the armed services. Older, unfit men and many more women women working in agriculture, munitions and other war related jobs. He introduced the ‘Bevin Boys’ in the coal industry, and women in the munitions industry. However, at the same time as doing so Bevin also used work orders to force factories to improve working conditions, to increase wages and also to allow trade unions to function (although there were restrictions on the right to strike).

Lord Woolton + Rationing Rationing was put into place, because imports on food had to be restricted to make space for war supplies Dig for Victory campaign encouraged Britain to produce more food. This was, and was seen as, fair. HOWEVER, the black market flourished for those who could afford extras.

Failures of the coalition’s war effort Coal industry under-productive, so there was still a reliance on imported fuel (dangerous and expensive to import) Some strikes The black market

How successfully did the coalition fund the war? As with all wars, it was extremely expensive. The government tried to fund the war from the British, to avoid foreign debts. Income tax was increased to 50p in the £; indirect taxes increased, people were encouraged to lend money to the government in the form of bonds. However, it became necessary to take loans from empire countries and from the USA. By 1945 the war had cost Britain £28,000,000,000, but the government had been able to use the money to bear the strain of war.

Did they plan effectively for after the war? Arthur Greenwood in charge of reconstruction from 1943 onwards. Beveridge Report 1942, planned for a system of unemployment and other social security benefits and said that full employment should be a deliberate government policy. Several white papers on health, etc

Cont. Butler’s 1944 Education Act: free, compulsory secondary education Town and Country Planning Act, 1944: gave local authorities power to deal with blitzed or slum areas needing development. Family Allowances Act, 1944.

How united was the coalition over social policy? Although the Conservatives in the coalition accepted most of these reforms in principle, Churchill was uninterested/unconvinced. Labour was fully committed to reform. Future policy was the greatest division in the coalition

Conclusion Established a strong sense of National Unity Economy was well organised Couldn’t pay for the whole war but effort was made. Coalition did plan for the future, but this was where the two parties disagreed most.