1. LO: What was Churchill’s stance and style of leadership in 1940?
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the lesson you will be able to…
Describe why Churchill stance 1940 in E-D
Explain the role of C’s speeches in C-B
Assess the role of C’s speeches and analyse how they reflect his abilities as PM. A-A*

2. LO: What was Churchill’s stance and style of leadership in 1940?
Describe why Churchill stance 1940 in E-D
Explain the role of C’s speeches in C-B
Assess the role of C’s speeches and analyse how they reflect his abilities as PM. A-A*
As soon as Churchill became Prime Minister the war took a more dangerous turn, as German forces made rapid advances in a BLITZKRIEG attack through the low countries and into France. On 14 May the Germans broke the French defences. IF Germany wiped out the French then the British army would be isolated. Hitler had already defeated Poland, and his treaty with Russia meant that all his forces could be directed against Britain.

3. LO: What was Churchill’s stance and style of leadership in 1940?
Describe why Churchill stance 1940 in E-D
Explain the role of C’s speeches in C-B
Assess the role of C’s speeches and analyse how they reflect his abilities as PM. A-A*
By 28 May 1940 Churchill was facing a profound challenge:
The British army had been cut off from the French forces and had fallen back to Dunkirk, hoping to be evacuated. The chances of rescuing 300,000 troops seemed low given German air superiority and the possibility of a German assault.
There was the danger of Italian entry into the war, which would threaten Egypt and the Suez Canal. This would cut off Britain’s quickest sea route to India, and its colonies in the Far East and make them more difficult to defend against Japan.
Japan was a possible threat to British possessions in South Asia.

4. LO: What was Churchill’s stance and style of leadership in 1940?
Describe why Churchill stance 1940 in E-D
Explain the role of C’s speeches in C-B
Assess the role of C’s speeches and analyse how they reflect his abilities as PM. A-A*
Gold reserves were running out and it was not clear whether Britain could afford to go on fighting.
Germany had bombed Poland and the Low Countries. There was considerable fear of large-scale bombing of Britain and very heavy causalities were expected.
Lord Halifax, who had been a major supporter of appeasement, was still in the cabinet as foreign secretary, and was making discreet approaches to discover what German terms of peace with Britain might be.

5. LO: What was Churchill’s stance and style of leadership in 1940?
Describe why Churchill stance 1940 in E-D
Explain the role of C’s speeches in C-B
Assess the role of C’s speeches and analyse how they reflect his abilities as PM. A-A*
Task: Read through the sources from Churchill during this period and answer the questions provided, either through annotation or on separate paper.

6. LO: What was Churchill’s stance and style of leadership in 1940?
Describe why Churchill stance 1940 in E-D
Explain the role of C’s speeches in C-B
Assess the role of C’s speeches and analyse how they reflect his abilities as PM. A-A*
Halifax’s position was not cowardly nor defeatist, but simply a way of making a rational decision. As Italy was still neutral, it was a possibility that Italy could be asked to find out what Hitler would offer and then Britain could make a decision as to whether it was indeed necessary for national survival to continue fighting.
On 28 May the cabinet discussed a French proposal to approach Mussolini to find out what peace terms Hitler might accept. As foreign secretary, Halifax needed to know what Britain’s options were, but it would have been dangerous to suggest by approaching Italy that Britain was considering a negotiated peace, as this would have shown Hitler that Britain was weakening in her resolve to carry on the war.

7. LO: What was Churchill’s stance and style of leadership in 1940?
Describe why Churchill stance 1940 in E-D
Explain the role of C’s speeches in C-B
Assess the role of C’s speeches and analyse how they reflect his abilities as PM. A-A*
Task: Read through the sources from the official cabinet minutes of 28 May 1940 and answer the questions regarding the sources.

8. LO: What was Churchill’s stance and style of leadership in 1940?
Describe why Churchill stance 1940 in E-D
Explain the role of C’s speeches in C-B
Assess the role of C’s speeches and analyse how they reflect his abilities as PM. A-A*
The situation had improved by 4 June with the evacuation of 224,318 British troops and 111,172 of their allies from Dunkirk. The cabinet had resisted French demands for more aircraft and an air defence of Britain was possible. Belgium had surrendered and relations with France were very poor. The cabinet members who favoured any negotiation were silenced and Churchill made his most famous speech to the Commons:
We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end … We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.
The speech was a direct appeal to the USA when, after saying the Empire would continue to fight if Britain were invaded, he went on to say until ‘the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old’.

9. LO: What was Churchill’s stance and style of leadership in 1940?
Describe why Churchill stance 1940 in E-D
Explain the role of C’s speeches in C-B
Assess the role of C’s speeches and analyse how they reflect his abilities as PM. A-A*
On 3 July 1940 a massive gesture of defiance was made by the attack on the French fleet to prevent it falling into German hands. There were small victories for Britain against Italy, Hitler’s ally, which had colonies in North Africa, adjacent to Egypt. The brunt of the war fell on Britain with the German decision to launch an air offensive in August 1940, which had the aim of destroying the RAF. Churchill spoke on 20 August:
Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. All hearts go out to the fighter pilots, whose brilliant actions we see with our own eyes day after day; but we must never forget that all the time, night after night, month after month, our bomber squadrons travel far into Germany.

10. LO: What was Churchill’s stance and style of leadership in 1940?
Describe why Churchill stance 1940 in E-D
Explain the role of C’s speeches in C-B
Assess the role of C’s speeches and analyse how they reflect his abilities as PM. A-A*
Hitler and Goring (the head of the German air force) thought that bombing cities was more important than destroying the RAF. They believed that civilian populations would not withstand bombing, that morale would crack and that this would make a continuation of the British war effort impossible. In September the Germans diverted their attention away from RAF airfields to the bombing of cities, which had the unintended effect of enabling the RAF to recover.
By the end of 1940 Britain had enjoyed some victories in North Africa and had defeated the German air offensive. Churchill had established his position over his rivals and his oratory had become a weapon of war. His determination had prevented any negotiation with Germany and the nation had steeled itself for a long struggle.

11. LO: What was Churchill’s stance and style of leadership in 1940?
Describe why Churchill stance 1940 in E-D
Explain the role of C’s speeches in C-B
Assess the role of C’s speeches and analyse how they reflect his abilities as PM. A-A*
Given the situation – Britain standing alone against Germany, Italy and possible Japan with no allies, with no commitment to help from the USA and with a population who had suffered the terrible losses of the First World War – THIS WAS A CONSIDERABLE ACHIEVEMENT.