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British re-armament before World War II

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The DRC was created on 14 November 1933, as "the arena in which British strategic foreign policy was thrashed out among competing interests with competing views". Between November 1933 and July 1934 it set the UK's strategic priority as being to avoid conflict with
166:. Its primary aim was to deter German aggression by building a modernised air force. The DRC set the focus of UK strategy throughout the early years of rearmament, leading to continuous tension between the three armed services, the Treasury and the 98:. A statement released cautioned that the decision was not an endorsement of increased armament spending, citing the grave economic situation in Britain and also indicating the British commitment to the arms limitations being promoted by the 73:
said that a "great war" was not expected in the next ten years with the belief in its impossibility and the folly of preparing for it. Britain, therefore, made almost no investment at all in the development of new armament. The
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There are sources who describe the British re-armament immediately after the abrogation of the Ten Year Rule as uncertain, hovering between disarmament and re-armament. Even after the collapse of the
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was undertaken. Re-armament was deemed necessary, because defence spending had gone down from £766 million in 1919–20, to £189 million in 1921–22, to £102 million in 1932.
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was not considered a threat during the 1920s, but the situation changed radically when Hitler came to power in 1933 and withdrew
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In October 1933, when the failure of the Disarmament Conference was evident, a Defence Requirements Sub-Committee (DRC) of the
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and a series of large cruiser classes were ordered and expedited. Britain also accelerated building programmes such as the
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The DRC's initial proposal was to spend £71m on rearmament over the next five years (1934-39) in order to re-equip the
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had 290,000 personnel and around 23,000 aircraft. In the mid-1930s, the Royal Air Force's front-line fighters were
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were largely unmodernised - lacking improvements to horizontal armour, large command towers and new machinery.
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was a period in British history, between 1934 and 1939, when a substantial programme of re-arming the
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was appointed to examine the worst deficiencies of the armed forces. The group first considered the
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forced the plan's reduction to £50m, halving the Army's expansion budget and doubling that of the
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Leadership in International Relations: The Balance of Power and the Origins of World War II
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Military rearmament carried out in the United Kingdom between 1934 and 1939
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Incidents and International Relations: People, Power, and Personalities
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in 1931. The policy was officially abandoned on 23 March 1932 by the
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was supplied with modern tanks and weapons, for example
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Government munitions production in the United Kingdom
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Military Effectiveness: Volume 2, The Interwar Period
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in 1935, the re-armament policy had been tempered by
500:. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 226. 445:A Guide to the Sources of British Military History 151:and concentrate on Germany as the main threat. 102:, an event coinciding with the announcement. 8: 468:Millett, Allan; Murray, Williamson (2010). 255:were completely modernised, others such as 143:, but soon looked at dangers nearer home. 385:. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. pp.  328:were equipped to mass-produce munitions. 498:Churchill: A Study in Failure, 1900-1939 353: 419:. Westport, CT: Praeger. p. 123. 415:Kennedy, Greg; Neilson, Keith (2002). 581:The War Office and Rearmament 1935–39 117:Collapse of international disarmament 7: 519: 517: 438: 436: 410: 408: 406: 372: 370: 214:in 1940, during the early stages of 128:from the League of Nations and the 447:. London: Routledge. p. 453. 158:for combat in Europe. However the 25: 94:became the largest party in the 362:The Realities behind Diplomacy 1: 530:The English Historical Review 137:Committee of Imperial Defence 130:Geneva Disarmament conference 226:Re-armament also led to the 100:World Disarmament Conference 638:1930s in the United Kingdom 664: 578:Harris, John Paul (1983). 377:Roth, Ariel Ilan (2010). 364:. Fontana, 1981. p. 231. 326:Royal Ordnance Factories 542:10.1093/ehr/118.477.651 524:Neilson, Keith (2003). 67:The War To End All Wars 443:Higham, Robin (2015). 43: 18:Rearmament (UK, 1930s) 293:Equally importantly, 86:, four months before 35: 494:Rhodes James, Robert 306:Singapore Naval Base 208:Supermarine Spitfire 648:Technological races 230:acquiring five new 178:Government-backed " 47:British re-armament 602:uk.bl.ethos.289189 552:– via JSTOR. 338:German re-armament 44: 623:UK War Production 507:978-0-297-17944-3 295:aircraft carriers 212:Battle of Britain 107:League of Nations 80:invaded Manchuria 76:British Admiralty 16:(Redirected from 655: 612: 610: 608: 566: 560: 554: 553: 536:(477): 651–684. 521: 512: 511: 490: 484: 483: 465: 459: 458: 440: 431: 430: 412: 401: 400: 384: 374: 365: 358: 204:Hawker Hurricane 190:In 1918 the new 180:Shadow Factories 96:German Reichstag 21: 663: 662: 658: 657: 656: 654: 653: 652: 628: 627: 619: 606: 604: 577: 574: 572:Further reading 569: 561: 557: 523: 522: 515: 508: 492: 491: 487: 480: 467: 466: 462: 455: 442: 441: 434: 427: 414: 413: 404: 397: 376: 375: 368: 359: 355: 351: 334: 314: 224: 192:Royal Air Force 188: 186:Royal Air Force 176: 164:Royal Air Force 119: 59: 39:Prince of Wales 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 661: 659: 651: 650: 645: 640: 630: 629: 626: 625: 618: 617:External links 615: 614: 613: 573: 570: 568: 567: 555: 513: 506: 485: 478: 460: 453: 432: 425: 402: 395: 366: 360:Paul Kennedy, 352: 350: 347: 346: 345: 340: 333: 330: 313: 310: 223: 220: 187: 184: 175: 172: 168:Foreign Office 118: 115: 58: 55: 51:United Kingdom 26: 24: 14: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 660: 649: 646: 644: 641: 639: 636: 635: 633: 624: 621: 620: 616: 603: 599: 595: 591: 587: 583: 582: 576: 575: 571: 564: 559: 556: 551: 547: 543: 539: 535: 531: 527: 520: 518: 514: 509: 503: 499: 495: 489: 486: 481: 479:9780521425896 475: 471: 464: 461: 456: 454:9781317390213 450: 446: 439: 437: 433: 428: 422: 418: 411: 409: 407: 403: 398: 396:9781349290369 392: 388: 383: 382: 373: 371: 367: 363: 357: 354: 348: 344: 343:Ten Year Rule 341: 339: 336: 335: 331: 329: 327: 323: 319: 311: 309: 307: 303: 301: 296: 291: 289: 288: 282: 281: 275: 273: 268: 266: 261: 260: 254: 253: 247: 246: 240: 238: 237:King George V 233: 229: 221: 219: 217: 213: 209: 205: 201: 197: 193: 185: 183: 181: 173: 171: 169: 165: 161: 157: 152: 150: 144: 142: 138: 133: 131: 127: 123: 116: 114: 112: 108: 103: 101: 97: 93: 89: 85: 81: 77: 72: 71:Ten Year Rule 68: 64: 57:Ten Year Rule 56: 54: 52: 48: 41: 40: 34: 30: 19: 605:. Retrieved 585: 580: 558: 533: 529: 497: 488: 469: 463: 444: 416: 380: 361: 356: 318:British Army 315: 312:British Army 299: 292: 286: 279: 271: 264: 258: 251: 244: 236: 225: 216:World War II 189: 177: 156:British Army 153: 145: 134: 120: 104: 88:Adolf Hitler 60: 46: 45: 38: 29: 300:Illustrious 232:battleships 202:, like the 174:Re-armament 111:appeasement 63:World War I 632:Categories 607:22 October 426:0275965961 349:References 324:, and the 228:Royal Navy 222:Royal Navy 200:monoplanes 65:, dubbed " 586:kcl.ac.uk 322:howitzers 257:HMS  250:HMS  243:HMS  37:HMS  594:59260791 496:(1970). 332:See also 252:Warspite 196:biplanes 160:Treasury 141:Far East 550:3489289 297:of the 287:Repulse 272:Revenge 234:of the 126:Germany 122:Germany 84:Cabinet 600:  592:  548:  504:  476:  451:  423:  393:  283:, and 280:Barham 269:, the 265:Nelson 262:, the 245:Renown 61:After 598:EThOS 546:JSTOR 302:class 274:class 267:class 239:class 149:Japan 92:Nazis 609:2016 590:OCLC 502:ISBN 474:ISBN 449:ISBN 421:ISBN 391:ISBN 316:The 285:HMS 278:HMS 259:Hood 248:and 206:and 538:doi 534:118 90:'s 634:: 596:. 584:. 565:. 544:. 532:. 528:. 516:^ 435:^ 405:^ 389:. 387:54 369:^ 276:, 218:. 170:. 132:. 113:. 611:. 540:: 510:. 482:. 457:. 429:. 399:. 20:)

Index

Rearmament (UK, 1930s)

HMS Prince of Wales
United Kingdom
World War I
The War To End All Wars
Ten Year Rule
British Admiralty
invaded Manchuria
Cabinet
Adolf Hitler
Nazis
German Reichstag
World Disarmament Conference
League of Nations
appeasement
Germany
Germany
Geneva Disarmament conference
Committee of Imperial Defence
Far East
Japan
British Army
Treasury
Royal Air Force
Foreign Office
Shadow Factories
Royal Air Force
biplanes
monoplanes

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