Who was Prime Minister during World War Two?

Winston Churchill was Prime Minister from May 1940 to July 1945. He is famous for his inspiring speeches during the war.

D-Day (6 June 1944) was the Allied invasion of Normandy, France. It was the largest seaborne invasion in history and began the liberation of Western Europe.

Victory in Europe Day (8 May 1945) marks the end of World War Two in Europe, when Nazi Germany surrendered.

World War Two, Churchill and D-Day: Life in the UK Test

Key facts

Dates: 1939-1945
Prime Minister: Winston Churchill (from May 1940)
D-Day: 6 June 1944
VE Day: 8 May 1945
VJ Day: 15 August 1945

World War Two was the most devastating conflict in human history. Britain played a crucial role, standing alone against Nazi Germany for over a year before America joined the war.

Causes

Treaty of Versailles - Harsh terms on Germany after WWI
Rise of Adolf Hitler - Nazi Party came to power in Germany (1933)
Appeasement failed - Hitler invaded Poland on 1 September 1939
Britain declared war - 3 September 1939

Key Events

1940

Dunkirk - 338,000 Allied troops evacuated from France
Battle of Britain - RAF defended against German air attacks
The Blitz - German bombing of British cities

1941

Germany invades Soviet Union (June)
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor - USA enters war (December)

1944

D-Day (6 June 1944) - Allied invasion of Normandy

1945

Victory in Europe (VE Day) - 8 May 1945
Victory over Japan (VJ Day) - 15 August 1945

Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill became Prime Minister in May 1940. His leadership and speeches inspired the nation:

"We shall fight on the beaches..."
"This was their finest hour"
"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" (about the RAF)

The Home Front

Evacuation - Children moved from cities to the countryside
Rationing - Food, clothing, and fuel were rationed
Women - Worked in factories, farms, and the armed services
Blackouts - Lights covered to prevent German bombers finding targets

Legacy

Around 450,000 British people died
The British Empire began to decline
Welfare state created (NHS, free education)
United Nations founded
Europe was divided between West and Soviet East (Cold War)

Why it comes up in the test

Know the dates, Winston Churchill, key events like D-Day and VE Day.

Common traps

Confusing WWI and WWII dates
Forgetting that Britain stood alone in 1940-41
Not knowing who was Prime Minister

World War Two (1939-1945): common questions

World War Two lasted from 1939 to 1945. Britain declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939.

Written from Life in the United Kingdom: A Guide for New Residents (3rd edition), the only official source for the test. BritPass is not affiliated with the Home Office; if anything here differs from the handbook, the handbook is right.