The Empire at Sunset: Production, Finance, and British Grand Strategy 1941-42
Date
2014-08-21
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Abstract
The year following the collapse of France was a dark one for Britain. It had become the sole great power resisting the Axis. Whilst lucky to have escaped from Dunkirk with its army, Britain had to leave most of its land-based military equipment behind on the beaches. It found itself fighting not only alone, but starting almost from scratch.
The nature of this period of the war, and Britain’s leading role in it, is overshadowed by subsequent British decline and the debate over it. The traditional narrative of the Second World War holds that during 1940-41 Britain was out-produced by Germany and by superior American industrial capacity, allowing America to save the day by supplying its allies and its own forces, with Britain playing an important, secondary role.
In fact, Britain’s 1941-42 is a success story—though one with high costs. It was the last time Britain harnessed its strength as the world’s greatest power. Britain knew well that to defeat Nazism, its place in the world must decline, the only question being, how far? To finance the war, Britain liquidated its own assets before Lend-Lease. It passively acquiesced when Canada moved away from the Imperial system. Production from the U.S. was not forthcoming and, even so, Britain sent aid to Russia, which it correctly calculated was the critical theatre of the war. This decision, in turn, damaged the strength of Britain’s own forces in North Africa, and indirectly in Singapore, and sullied its relationship with Australia. Britain’s 1941-42 is, then, a key moment when Britain made bold, costly and ultimately effective sacrifices for the greater good.
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Keywords
History--Canadian, History--European, History--Military
Citation
Roof, A. (2014). The Empire at Sunset: Production, Finance, and British Grand Strategy 1941-42 (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/28125