The outbreak of the Second World War
The 20th century1901 to 1945
Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933, and from there he rebuilt the German military and pushed for more territory, testing how far the other European powers would let him go. Britain and France tried to avoid another war, but when Germany invaded Poland in 1939 they declared war rather than let the aggression continue.
The fighting reached Britain soon enough. German forces swept through France in 1940, forcing a hurried evacuation from the beaches at Dunkirk, where civilian boats joined the Navy in bringing troops home and turning a dangerous retreat into a morale-boosting rescue. That same year Germany tried to win control of the skies before attempting any invasion, and was fought off in the Battle of Britain. Away from the battlefield, medicine also moved forward: in 1928, while researching influenza, the Scottish doctor Fleming discovered penicillin, a breakthrough whose full importance would only become clear as the years went on.
What to remember
| The German invasion of Poland | 1939 It brought the UK and France to declare war on Germany. |
|---|---|
| The evacuation of Dunkirk | 1940 About 300,000 men were rescued, many by volunteers in small boats. |
| The Battle of Britain | 1940 The air battle between Germany and Britain. |
| The discovery of penicillin | 1928 Discovered by Alexander Fleming, a Scottish doctor. |
| Hitler coming to power in Germany | 1933 His rise set in motion the policies that led to the Second World War. |
| German forces advancing through France to the Channel | 1940 The collapse of allied defences in France led to the Dunkirk evacuation. |
Everything in The 20th centuryor the whole course, from the beginning