Britain in the Second World War Essays

Britain in the Second World War Essays Britain in the Second World War Essay Britain in the Second World War Essay Why did the British government decide to evacuate children from Britains major cities at the start of the Second World War? There were many reasons for the British government deciding to evacuate children from Britains major cities to the countryside at the start of the Second World War. One of the reasons was for the government themselves. By evacuating the children to the countryside it would show or make it seem to the citizens of Britain that the government actually cared about their childrens welfare and that they wanted them kept safe out of harms way. This would make the mothers and fathers of the children feel as if the government were very good which could help them in elections when they came as it would really help boost the popularity of the government. Also, by evacuating the children from the major cities it would take a lot of pressure off the government and the civil defences (emergency services). With about one third of the British population being children it can mean a lot of problems. Children can get up to all types of mischief and cause havoc all over the cities, so it was in the governments best interest to evacuate them elsewhere, out of the way. Also if the children were kept in the cities there could have been a lot of deaths due to the bombing raids, and this could have led to a rebellion and many people asking and wondering why the government werent doing anything about it. With the children gone from the cities it would leave the mothers and fathers to help out and concentrate on the war effort. There was no reason for the children being there, as they were not beneficial to the war effort. There was a lot of ways the parents could help out, for example, the women had civil defence jobs, joined the armed forces and helped to reduce food shortages by joining the Womens Land Army. The women did most of the work because the men were off fighting as it was made compulsory as conscription was introduced. All men between 18 and 40 had to fight except a few who were exempt as they had certain specialised occupations and were needed in them. So, with the children gone the parents could really help out. Other reasons were for the children themselves. If they were kept in the cities, some had a good chance of being killed by the bombing raids. Also a lot of the children might feel traumatised by the constant bombing, especially during the blitz in which the Germans bombed non-stop for 77 days except one, this could drive many people insane. They were evacuated to protect their lives for the future. If they stayed then a lot of the next generation could have been wiped out. Another reason was propaganda. The government could use it against Hitler to say how much of a barbarian he was, wanting to kill their children. This would encourage the parents to evacuate their children from the cities and would probably motivate them to work harder and concentrate even more on the war effort. There were many reasons for the evacuation of the children from the cities to the countryside, but I would say that the idea of keeping them safe and protecting the next generation was the most important one. Word Count: 541 2. Explain the differing reactions of people in Britain to the policy of evacuating children during the Second World War. There were three main people involved in the evacuation of children during the Second World War and they all had different reactions to the policy of evacuating the Second World War. They were the hosts, the parents and the children themselves. The hosts role was to take the children into their homes and look after them as if they were their own until the war had ended. Some of the hosts liked what they were doing, as they felt as if they were playing their part in the war, but others didnt like it at all. Some of the children were actually treated better than they were at their own homes, and now had a higher standard of living, they really enjoyed it, but then for some it was the total opposite. Some children were seen as just a nuisance to some hosts; they were ignored, mistreated and in some cases beaten by the hosts. The hosts were split on what to think about the policy, some liked it, some didnt mind and some hated it, but whatever they thought of it there was nothing they could do about it. But, at least they received some income for the children they took in, so wouldnt have to pay for them themselves.