The Impact of the First and Second World Wars

The two World Wars (1914--18 and 1939--45) had a transformative impact on migration, empire, and the people of Britain. Both wars drew soldiers and workers from across the empire, reshaped attitudes to race and nationality, and accelerated the process of decolonisation.

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The First World War (1914--1918)

Empire and the War Effort

The British Empire mobilised on an unprecedented scale to fight the First World War.

Colony/Territory	Contribution
India	Over 1.3 million Indian soldiers served; fought in France, the Middle East, and East Africa
Canada	Over 620,000 Canadians served; the Battle of Vimy Ridge (1917) became a symbol of Canadian national identity
Australia and New Zealand	The ANZACs fought at Gallipoli (1915) and on the Western Front; Gallipoli became central to Australian and New Zealand national identity
South Africa	Over 136,000 South Africans served, including both white and Black troops (though in segregated roles)
West Africa and East Africa	African soldiers and carriers served in large numbers; over 100,000 East Africans died, mainly from disease
Caribbean	The British West Indies Regiment served in Egypt, Palestine, and France; faced racial discrimination from the British military

Exam Tip: Colonial soldiers made a vital contribution to the British war effort, but their service was often met with racial discrimination and was not properly recognised. This is a key theme for exam answers about the impact of war on empire and migration.

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Migration and the Home Front

Feature	Detail
Belgian refugees	Over 250,000 Belgian refugees arrived in Britain after the German invasion of Belgium (1914); the largest refugee influx in British history at that time
Enemy aliens	Germans and Austrians living in Britain were interned as "enemy aliens"; German-owned businesses were attacked
Women's migration	Women moved from domestic service into factory work, transport, and agricultural work (the Women's Land Army)
Colonial workers	Workers from across the empire came to Britain to work in factories and docks

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Post-War Impact

Impact	Detail
Expectations of colonial subjects	Indian, African, and Caribbean soldiers expected greater rights and self-governance after the war; these hopes were largely disappointed
Amritsar Massacre (1919)	British troops opened fire on unarmed Indian civilians at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, killing at least 379 people; this event intensified the Indian independence movement
Race riots (1919)	Racial violence broke out in several British ports (Liverpool, Cardiff, London, Glasgow) as demobilised white soldiers attacked Black and minority ethnic communities
Mandate system	Former German and Ottoman territories were distributed among the victors; Britain gained control of Iraq, Palestine, and Tanganyika (Tanzania)

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The Second World War (1939--1945)

Empire and the War Effort

The Second World War again required the mobilisation of the entire empire.

Colony/Territory	Contribution
India	Over 2.5 million Indian soldiers served --- the largest volunteer army in history
Africa	Hundreds of thousands of African soldiers served in North Africa, the Middle East, and Burma
Caribbean	Thousands of West Indians served in the RAF, the merchant navy, and the armed forces; many came to Britain to work in factories
Canada, Australia, New Zealand	Made major contributions to all theatres of the war

The Home Front

Feature	Detail
Evacuation	Over 1.5 million children were evacuated from cities to the countryside; this exposed class divisions, as wealthy rural families saw the poverty of urban children
Colonial workers and soldiers	Workers from the Caribbean, West Africa, and India came to Britain to support the war effort
"Enemy aliens"	Germans, Austrians, and Italians in Britain were interned; many were refugees who had fled Nazi persecution
The Blitz	German bombing of British cities (1940--41) killed over 43,000 civilians and displaced millions

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The Impact on the Empire

Impact	Detail
Weakened Britain	Britain emerged from the war economically exhausted and heavily in debt; it could no longer afford to maintain the empire
Rise of nationalism	Colonial soldiers returned home with heightened expectations of independence; nationalist movements intensified across Asia and Africa
Indian independence movement	The Quit India Movement (1942) demanded immediate British withdrawal; India gained independence in 1947
Atlantic Charter (1941)	Churchill and Roosevelt's declaration affirmed "the right of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they will live"; colonial subjects used this to argue for independence
American pressure	The USA, now the world's leading power, was generally opposed to European colonialism

Exam Tip: Both World Wars accelerated decolonisation by weakening Britain economically, raising the expectations of colonial subjects, and creating international pressure for self-determination. This is a key argument for linking war to the end of empire.

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Migration During and After the Wars

Period	Migration
1914--18	Belgian refugees, colonial workers, and soldiers to Britain
1919	Post-war race riots in British ports
1939--45	Colonial soldiers and workers to Britain; evacuees within Britain
1947	Indian independence; Partition causes massive migration within the subcontinent
1948	SS Empire Windrush arrives (see next lesson)

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Key Figures

Person	Role
Mahatma Gandhi	Leader of the Indian independence movement
Subhas Chandra Bose	Indian nationalist who sought to use WWII to liberate India from British rule
Winston Churchill	Wartime Prime Minister; staunch defender of the empire
Clement Attlee	Post-war Labour Prime Minister who oversaw Indian independence and the beginning of decolonisation

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Key Dates

Date	Event
1914--18	First World War
1919	Amritsar Massacre; race riots in British ports
1939--45	Second World War
1941	Atlantic Charter
1942	Quit India Movement
1947	Indian independence and Partition

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Extended Worked Paragraph: Q4 "Main Factor" Question

Specimen question: "War was the main factor weakening the British Empire in the first half of the 20th century." How far do you agree? Explain your answer with reference to war and other factors. [16 marks + 4 SPaG]