ABSTRACT
World War II began; Adolf Hitler wanted to make sure that its effects were kept to a minimum on the home front. When the war broke out, the British navy was the country's only military branch that was combat-ready, and the British government under Neville Chamberlain moved unevenly with wartime preparations. The government immediately used the navy to impose a naval blockade against Germany. Following Winston Churchill's accession to power in May 1940 and the sense of political unity that emerged as the country stood alone in Europe that summer in defiance of Germany, Britain's economic mobilization accelerated. Churchill brought Labour Party leaders into his government, including Ernest Bevin – a matter-of-fact trade union head – who was assigned to oversee all labor-related matters. As one country after another in Europe fell victim to Nazi-led Germany early in the war, their heads of state, including kings, queens, and presidents, often left for Britain where they established governments-in-exile.
