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The People's War? - X0003/MMP01
This pack includes the book, The Second World War, which provides a concise account of the war, a DVD with a selection of film extracts from newsreel, documentary and feature film as well as original radio broadcasts from the period, and a Study Guide to take you through your study of the book and the DVD. The Study Guide also draws on some of the personal recollections of people who lived through World War 2 as they have responded to the BBC’s online project WW2 People’s War.It has been claimed that World War 2 was a ‘people’s war’ for Britain because all of society was involved in the war effort, and there was a strong sense of national unity. Governments at the time promoted this notion by encouraging people to ‘do their bit’. The Ministry of Information (MOI) was responsible for monitoring and maintaining morale, and produced a plethora of books, pamphlets and official films to support the idea that the war involved the entire population and had its whole-hearted support.
But how far did the official propaganda accurately reflect the wartime spirit? One of the things we do in this study pack is help you evaluate these sources and to question the extent to which they represent an authentic picture of British society during the war.
There is no definitive account of the Second World War, but we hope that the combination of the book, the questions we pose in this Study Guide, and the visual and audio material in the DVD will provide new perspectives on the war, and that it may persuade some of you to go on to further study.
Publication Year: 2004
ISBN: 9780749201487