Peace In Their Time

The struggle for India never truly stopped during the 1930s, although the resistance to the British Raj was hardly ever as straight-forward as it is portrayed in the West. Bouts of open protests and resistance marked the first half of the decade, but the second half saw the opening up of political offices across the country. This result in a rush for power that stabilized the Raj, but only just. 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Sarkar, Sumit Modern India 1885-1947 Macmillan India Ltd 1983
2. Brown, Judith Modern India: The Origins of an Asian Democracy Oxford University Press 1994

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Leaving the British isles behind for now, I'm going to be spending the next couple of episodes covering its empire's crown jewel, India. The turn of the decade to the 30s saw the British Raj in crisis as laws confirming the colony's system of government had to be approved, and the Indians were not about to have the status quo get reaffirmed. Resistance would materialize in the form of Gandhi's celebrated Salt Satyagraha, but that would merely be the first round in the renewed struggle with the British authorities.   

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Sarkar, Sumit Modern India 1885-1947 Macmillan India Ltd 1983
2. Brown, Judith Modern India: The Origins of an Asian Democracy Oxford University Press 1994

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Today is the last of the military overviews for the foreseeable future, and I'm covering the Royal Air Force! They were famous for their fighters, but their extensive pool of bombers dominated the attentions of the branch's planners until close to the outbreak of the war. 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Philpott, I.M. The Royal Air Force 1930-1939 Pen & Sword Books Ltd 2008
2. Bishop, Chris The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II Barnes & Noble Inc 1998
3. Chant, Chris Allied Fighter Aircraft 1939-45 Amber Books Ltd 2009
4. James T.C.G. Growth of Fighter Command, 1936-1940: Air Defense of Great Britain, Volume 1 Routledge 2013

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Now that I've gone off on the army leadership for the British, I switch topics to the actual weapons they used. Which was a far brighter story, just don't ask about the tanks. 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Gordon, David Weapons of the WWII Tommy Pictorial Histories Publishing Co. 2011
2. Bishop, Chris The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II Barnes & Noble Inc 1998
3. Porter, David World War II Tanks: Western Allies 1939-45 Amber Books 2009
4. Taylor, Dick The Second World War Tank Crisis: The Fall & Rise of British Armor 1919-1945 Pen & Sword Books Ltd 2021

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

The British Army had a rough go of it in the years leading up to the war and during the first few years. Today I take a look at why that was, and the challenges that had to be addressed under live fire. 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Dannatt, Richard & Robert Lyman Victory to Defeat: The British Army 1918-40 Osprey Publishing Ltd 2023
2. Fraser, David And We Shall Shock Them: The British Army in the Second World War Hodder & Stoughton 1983
3. Taylor, Dick Armored Warfare in the British Army 1914-1939 Pen & Sword Books Ltd 2022
4. Taylor, Dick The Second World War Tank Crisis: The Fall & Rise of British Armor 1919-1945 Pen & Sword Books Ltd 2021

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

I finally get to go over the notable ships of one of the big navies!

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Hobbs, David British Aircraft Carriers: Design, Development, and Service Histories Seaforth Publishing 2013
2. Friedman, Norman The British Battleship 1906-1946 Seaforth Publishing 2015
3. Konstam, Angus British Aircraft Carriers 1939-45 Osprey Publishing 2010
4. Friedman, Norman British Cruisers: Two World Wars and After Seaforth Publishing 2010
5. Konstam, Angus British Destroyers 1939-45: Pre-War Classes Osprey Publishing 2017
6. Konstam, Angus British Destroyers 1939-45: Wartime Built Classes Osprey Publishing 2017
7. McCartney, Innes British Submarines 1939-45 Osprey Publishing 2006
8. Martindale, E.V. Submarines of World War II 1939-45 Amber Books 2024
9. Bishop, Chris The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II Barnes & Noble Inc 1998

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

I finally get to cover one of the truly big navies of the period! In this first episode covering the Royal Navy, I'll be taking a look at the planning and strategy of the British admiralty in the 1930s. Obviously things didn't go according to plan, but it's good to have context on what their intentions were going into the war. 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Field, Andrew Royal Navy Strategy in the Far East 1919-1939: Preparing for War against Japan Frank Cass 2004
2. Gordon, G.A.H. British Seapower and Procurement between the Wars: A Reappraisal of Rearmament Macmillan Press 1988
3. Harding, Richard The Royal Navy, 1930-2000: Innovation and Defense Frank Cass 2005

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Rearmament presented the leadership of the UK with a dilemma. The economic recovery afforded the military the means necessary to lay at least the groundwork for future success, but not in every branch. And not perfectly anywhere, which hey was the story everywhere else too. What ensued were years of back-and-forth over how the country's slender resources would be allocated. 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Shay Jr, Robert Paul British Rearmament in the Thirties: Politics and Profits Princeton University Press 1977
2. Levy, James P. Appeasement and Rearmament: Britain 1936-39 Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc 2006
3. Price, Christopher Britain, America, and Rearmament in the 1930s: The Cost of Failure Palgrave 2001
4. Gordon, G.A.H. British Seapower and Procurement between the Wars: A Reappraisal of Rearmament Macmillan Press 1988

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Today I switch over to events in the UK during the 30s and how they handled the challenge of the Axis. I'll be starting off with a look at their economic situation in the aftermath of the Depression and leaving the Gold Standard. Which for once was mostly good news, but still very much a recovery from years of disaster. 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Taylor, AJP The Oxford History of England, Vol 15 Oxford University Press, 1978
2. Moway, Charles Loch Britain Between the Wars Methuen & Co, 1972
3. Hattersley, Roy Borrowed Time Little, Brown, 2007

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Today I wrap up this miniseries with a look at French diplomacy during the 30s. Upon recording this episode I realized there may have been not one single success during this entire period, an impressive record even by the standards of this show. 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Jackson, Julian The Popular Front in France: Defending Democracy, 1934-38 Cambridge University Press 1988
2. Nere, J. The Foreign Policy of France from 1914 to 1945 Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd 1975
3. Jordan, Nicole The Popular Front & Central Europe: The Dilemmas of French Impotence, 1918-1940 Cambridge University Press 1992
4. Bernard, Philippe and Henri Dubief The Decline of the Third Republic, 1914-1938 Cambridge University Press 1988
5. Adamthwaite, Anthony Grandeur and Misery: France 1914-1940 Arnold, 1995
6. Wright, Gordon France in Modern Times, 4th Ed WW Norton Company, Inc, 1987
7. Fortescue, William The Third Republic in France 1870-1940 Routledge, 2007

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com