HIST 388 Finals Study Guide PDF

* How the first Labour government was brought down by the Zinoviev letter * Winston Churchill’s “worst mistake” - the return to the gold standard * Three areas of competition/rivalry between Britain & America in the 1920s & 1930s * The “Bright Young Things” * Reason for the 1926 General Strike * The...

* How the first Labour government was brought down by the Zinoviev letter * Winston Churchill’s “worst mistake” - the return to the gold standard * Three areas of competition/rivalry between Britain & America in the 1920s & 1930s * The “Bright Young Things” * Reason for the 1926 General Strike * The difference between “dominion government” & complete independence * 1931 Statute of Westminster * “Ten-Year Rule” * BBC & “public service broadcasting” * How the 1931 National Government came about * Oswald Mosley & the British Union of Fascists * The purpose of the Jarrow Crusade * The Abdication Crisis & what became of the Duke & Duchess of Windsor * How appeasement can be an honorable policy — & why it failed in the late 1930s * “Guilty Men” - the book * The Munich agreement — how it was viewed at the time versus how it is viewed, today * How the newsreels treated the rise of Nazi Germany * What brought about Neville Chamberlain’s fall as prime minister * Why the Dunkirk evacuation was considered a “miracle” * The impact of the Royal Navy’s attack on the French fleet at Mers el-Kebir * Why the Nazi Luftwaffe had to win the Battle of Britain in order for Hitler to win the war * Examples of non-British pilots who fought for the Royal Air Force in the Battle of Britain * Importance of the “destroyers for bases” deal * Origins of Lend-Lease & its importance to the British in World War II * Reverse Lend-Lease — some examples * Why the war in the “Western Desert” was crucial to the Allied victory * Britain’s role in the defeat of Japan, specifically the war in Burma * Churchill’s December 1941 visit to Washington, DC & the “Europe, first” strategy * The Combined Chiefs of Staff as an example of the Anglo-American alliance * Ernest Bevin’s impact as Minister of Labour in World War II * The conscription of British women in World War II * What happened at Bletchley Park * The Beveridge Report as the basis of Britain’s welfare state * Lessons from the Instructions for American Servicemen in Britain, 1942 discussed in class * “Over fed, Over paid, Over sexed, & Over here” — & the American response to this taunt * War brides * Britain’s role in the creation of the atomic bomb * The impact of the V-1 & V-2 attacks on the British public late in the war * The reasons for Labour’s unexpected victory in the 1945 general election * Nye Bevan & the creation of the National Health Service * “Keep the Russians out, the Americans in, & the Germans down” - British view of NATO * Elizabeth II’s coronation as a vehicle for the sale of televisions in Britain * Background of the 1956 Suez crisis * How Dwight Eisenhower forced Anthony Eden to withdraw British forces from Suez * The long-term impact of the Suez crisis on Britain’s standing in the world * “You’ve never had it so good” — who said it & why * Impact of the Windrush migration on post-war Britain’s society * Origins of the Notting Hill carnival * Why the tower blocks were built to alleviate Britain’s need for housing & their impact * “Winds of change” — who said it & why * Why Harold Macmillan was determined to get the Polaris nuclear system * Britain’s application to join the European Economic Community - who vetoed & why * The “Cambridge Five” — who they were & what they did * The impact of Ian Fleming’s fictional spy James Bond * Background & consequences of the Profumo scandal * Impact of the contraceptive pill on British society * Teddy boys * “Mods” versus “Rockers” & the 1964 seaside resorts violence * Reactions to “Beatlemania” by the British establishment * How the American Ed Sullivan heard about the Beatles * “Swinging London” * Mary Quant & her impact on the world of fashion * “Pirate radio” * How England’s victory in the 1966 World Cup still resonates today * Harold Wilson’s “white heat” promise to revive the British economy in the 1960s * The origins of the “Troubles” in Northern Ireland in 1968-1969 * How Wilson’s decision to devalue the pound undermined his Labour government * A few examples of “evidence” of the “Paul is dead” rumor in the Beatles’ albums * Ted Heath’s campaign to gain British membership of the European Common Market