Determination Of Some British People example essay topic

History Coursework Britain in the age of total war 1939-1945 The statement "The impression that the British faced the blitz with courage and unity is a myth", can be argued for and against. The British people were supposed to have been showing the British "grit" but this seemed to deteriorate towards the end of the blitz. People lost interest and just wanted it to stop. The people became very distressed and started arguing amongst each other. You can see this in source D. There are two people arguing over possessions. The one man is seen pointing his finger at the other man suggesting that the other man is trying to steal one of his possessions.

If the man was not so tired and annoyed by the blitz he would most likely tell the man politely, "excuse me sir, I think that is mine". The source was not published until late on in the blitz, as it does not show courageousness or unity. The government wouldn't want anybody to see people arguing as this would lower morale. Source E agrees with the statement as well. It says that when the sirens went that people would flee for the nearest shelter or try to run away from the city. This shows that people did not face the blitz tried to run away, they were only interested in protecting themselves.

It shows that the people were scared and started to panic, which was the wrong thing to do. Source F shows that the people were not happy with the blitz and were finding it hard to cope. "Even the king and queen were booed", this shows just how the British people were finding it and were not facing it with courage. If they were then they would get on with life and not complain. Apart from these sources there is other information and sources, which shows how people didn't face the blitz with courage and unity. A report produced by local government officials states how there was a sense of unplanned hysteria and how "There was no humor or laughter".

You would expect this after your homes have been bombed but if the British "grit" is to be shown you have to keep your spirits up. More reports spoke about the panic within the people and how they were finding it hard to cope. Some people even resorted to stealing, "Looting and wanton destruction had reached alarming proportions". This shows that people are giving up hope in the government and resorting to stealing to get their possessions back. This goes against the idea of people working together. They took goods from work, drew rations under false names and bought forged or stolen ration coupons on the black market.

These were difficult times for the British people and you can see why sometimes they thought about helping themselves and not others. Although there is a strong argument agreeing with the statement, you can also disagree with it and say that the British people did face the blitz with courage and unity. Some people did show the British "grit" and tried to live as normal lives as possible during the difficult times. Source A is taken from a book that explains how the British people were determined to come through. It states how they "Didn't have to be in uniform to be heroes". This shows how everybody was unified and willing to work together.

Source B also shows this. It is showing a bombed girls school in Catford. There are men and women helping each other put the dead bodies in sacks. This shows even in terrible times like these the people were helping each other people out and working together. Source C shows how the people were coping with the blitz and just got on with their lives.

It shows many people near a block of houses posing for a photograph with smiles on their faces and thumbs up. Although this photograph may have been staged as they are all posing it does show them getting together and they all look pleased. Even though this blitz was going on a large amount of people still went to work. It explains in source G that many of the people who went "trekking" were the same people who continued to turn up for work. During the raids people headed for shelters. Many Londoners ended up buying platform tickets for the underground and refused to leave.

As many of the people came together and did this the government ended up letting them and 70 stations were used as shelters. An example of people working together during the blitz was the Salvation Army. This together with the Women's Voluntary Service providing buns and drinks at the various stations. Many of the household shops continued to open during these times. Even though they were damaged the owners refused to close. This shows the determination of some British people.

The people were determined to keep their spirits up as they thought bombing civilian people was cowardly, as they could not fight back. Because people were pulling together like this community spirit was kept high during the blitz. Stella Hughes a survivor of the blitz illustrates this point during an interview in June 2001. She explains how she danced to the sound of the bombs dropping and how everybody lived each day to its fullest. They did not know if it would be their last.

Some people tried to carry on with their lives as well as they could but some got depressed and gave up. Milkman would carry on delivering milk daily, walking through the rubble of the streets. This shows real determination to live without the blitz affecting you. There are many reports that there was no panic or fear in London. There was only determination and confidence that they would get through the blitz. One reporter states, "It can only destroy buildings and kill people.

It cannot kill the unconquerable spirit and courage of the people of London". This is quite true but not all the people of Britain thought like this. In conclusion I would say that there are areas in Britain where I would agree with the statement. Although, there are areas where I would disagree with the statement.

I basically think that there were some areas of Britain that were determined and courageous during the blitz. Sadly there were also areas that weren't. People were running around panicking finding the best place for themselves, being selfish and not thinking of others. So I cannot say whether I agree or disagree with the statement.

There are different areas and different people in the world and they all react differently to difficult times.