Blitz Spirit
Blitz spirit – which descends from the German word for lightening – was the motivation used consistently by the British government to keep morale up and the spirits of the British people. It was introduced through media and propaganda, projecting the image to the British people to keep their heads up and not to let the Germans win by getting the British spirit down.
The idea first arose from the Prime minister at the time during the war, Winston Churchill. He saw how civilian lives were turned upside down after the war began and the frequent bombing began to be the fear gripping every citizen in Britain. He saw that people lived in fear of losing their possessions, rationing and the ever present fear of being bombed. Furthermore, the continual sinking of ships that would bring food into Britain meant that the Germans had a clear objective; they had realised that in order to win this war they needed to starve Great Britain not just of food but of moral. So Churchill realised that in order to keep his war effort alive, he needed to focus on keeping the war moral of the civilians alive.
He inspired people to be their own heroes, to be the understated winners of the war and encouraged his people in their ‘finest hour’ through propaganda and his ever inspiring speeches conducted with passion and grandeur. But what represented the real blitz spirit was the people coming together through the desperate times and helping their neighbours in need. Civil Defence Forces would help find people in bombed out houses, people would take a homeless family in to live with them, and strangers would help clean up around the city. People didn’t give up because everybody helped each other which gave them a determination to survive.
Blitz spirit – which descends from the German word for lightening – was the motivation used consistently by the British government to keep morale up and the spirits of the British people. It was introduced through media and propaganda, projecting the image to the British people to keep their heads up and not to let the Germans win by getting the British spirit down.
The idea first arose from the Prime minister at the time during the war, Winston Churchill. He saw how civilian lives were turned upside down after the war began and the frequent bombing began to be the fear gripping every citizen in Britain. He saw that people lived in fear of losing their possessions, rationing and the ever present fear of being bombed. Furthermore, the continual sinking of ships that would bring food into Britain meant that the Germans had a clear objective; they had realised that in order to win this war they needed to starve Great Britain not just of food but of moral. So Churchill realised that in order to keep his war effort alive, he needed to focus on keeping the war moral of the civilians alive.
He inspired people to be their own heroes, to be the understated winners of the war and encouraged his people in their ‘finest hour’ through propaganda and his ever inspiring speeches conducted with passion and grandeur. But what represented the real blitz spirit was the people coming together through the desperate times and helping their neighbours in need. Civil Defence Forces would help find people in bombed out houses, people would take a homeless family in to live with them, and strangers would help clean up around the city. People didn’t give up because everybody helped each other which gave them a determination to survive.