7.3. World War II

7.3.1. Yet the political situation in Europe resulted in another war. World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, and the use of the atom bomb. The conflict began on September 1, 1939 due to the German invasion of Poland, and lasted until summer of 1945, involving many of the world's countries. About 50 million people died as a result of the war. This figure includes acts of genocide, incredibly bloody battles in Europe and the Pacific Ocean, and the atomic bombings of two cities in Japan.

7.3.2. Britain joined the war several days later. Britain's new Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, played a great role in keeping up the fighting spirit of the British people. But at the beginning of the war, in June 1940, Britain stood alone against the Na­zis. The period of constant bombing raids against Brit­ish cities, railways and factories was called the Blitz. The pilots of the British air force tried to fight off the German planes. After June 1941 the British situation changed. Germany had attacked the Soviet Union and Japan had attacked the United States of America. Germany now had to fight on two fronts: in the east and in the west. By 1943 the Soviet army was pushing the Ger­mans out of the USSR, and Britain had driven Ger­man and Italian troops out of North Africa. In July 1943 the Allied troops landed in Italy.

7.3.3. Meanwhile a huge invasion of France was being prepared. A large army and thousands of ships and boats were gathered on the southern shore of Great Britain. The day of the invasion went down into history as D-Day. On the night of June 5, 1944, the Allied Army boarded ships in Great Britain. A giant fleet of 600 warships and 4,000 smaller boats carried 176,000 Allied soldiers towards France. The soldiers were from the United States, Britain, Cana­da, France, Poland and many other nations. In the sky 11,000 Allied planes bombed the German posi­tions in France. Early in the morning of June 6, the Allies landed on the French beaches. By nightfall, the Allied army was in France. The invasion of France by Allied forces was the beginning of the end for Germany. Four months later France and Belgium were freed. Then the bat­tle for Germany began. In May 1945 Germany sur­rendered.

7.3.4. An important feature of post-war politics is the creation of the United Nations Organization in order to protect peace and democracy in the world and prevent new wars. Britain became member of its Security Council. But from the very start this new world organiza­tion faced great difficulties. The idea of the four Al­lies (the Soviet Union, the United States, France and Britain) working together for the recovery of Central Europe did not work. Europe became divided into the eastern part under Soviet control, and the western part under the control of Britain, France and the United States.

7.4. Postwar Britain.

7.4.1. The postwar years saw the end of the British colonial empire. In India a movement for independence had been gathering momentum for decades. The British finally withdrew. The national liberation movement was led by Mohandas Gandhi who spent his life campaigning for human rights in India. The abandonment of India was a blow to British prestige and the beginning of the total disintegration of the empire. The next crisis for the empire occurred in Egypt, where British domination of the Suez Canal sustained Britain’s role as a world trader. In 1956 Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser seized the canal. Britain, with military assistance from France and Israel, attempted to retake the canal but failed. The Suez crisis saw Britain lose all of its influence in the region and raised at home the idea that Britain was no longer a great power.

7.4.2. Anyway, within the country private enterprise led the growth of what was being called “the affluent society.” The value of the goods that workers could buy with their wages rose by 40 percent during the 1950s. Two symbols of affluence—cars and televisions—soon became so common that the government undertook a program of motorway expansion. The accession of young Queen Elizabeth II in 1952 provided a ray of light toward a brighter future, as did the extraordinary British accomplishments around the world.

7.4.3. In 1953 a British expedition scaled the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest; the news of the conquest came on the young Queen's coronation day. Another British expedition crossed Antarctica. In the early 1960s, British popular culture swept the world. For a time the United Kingdom replaced the United States as the leader in fashion and style. The hallmark of the period was the models by British designer Mary Quant. The craze of the day was the miniskirt, which had a hemline well above the knees. Quant began to mass-produce miniskirts in 1961. At the same time, popular British music groups such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, gained worldwide popularity.

7.4.4. Since the mid-1970s, Britain’s economy received a boost with the discovery and exploitation of abundant oil reserves in the North Sea. Because of this oil, Britain no longer depends on imports of foreign petroleum products and also profits from exports of petroleum products.

One of the most crucial developments in post-war Europe is the emergence of the European Union. Originally, it was the European Economic Community was established by the Treaty of Rome of 1957 and implemented оn January 1, 1958. Later it was renamed as European Community. Finally, Britain joined successfully on January 1, 1973. Things are not so clear with Britain's membership in the European Union. Up to now, Britain remains one of the most Eurosceptic countries of the EU. Despite pro-EU policies of both Blair and Brown, it is expected that most Britons will vote against the EU Constitution, if any referendum takes place.