Britain's decision to declare war on Germany in September 1939 arose primarily from a new-found confidence in British military strength. How far do you agree with this judgment?

Answer 1

Apart from anyone's (e.g. YOUR) personal opinion on this, historians generally agree that this was not the prime reason. Although Britain's navy was superior to Germany's, its army was in 1939 vastly inferior in strength and equipment to Germany's army, and Britain knew it. Britain only declared war in 1939 because it was bound by a Treaty to do so since it had guaranteed Poland's independence. It then spent almost a year frantically building up its military strength which still proved insufficient a year later when the Germans attacked France. Britain's expeditionary army was easily driven back by the Germans and had to be evacuated from Dunkirk.