History of London continued
The World at War
 |
Despite the death of the longest ever ruling monarch
- Queen Victoria - in 1901, the early years of the
twentieth century were in many ways a golden age
for London. Social, medical, and political advances
improved the living standards of more and more citizens,
and civic pride continued to manifest itself in impressive
buildings and other works.
By 1914, European political rivalries had bolied over
into conflict, and the resultant First World War
was to shake the complacent British society to its
foundations, and rob it of a generation of young
men. By the time the guns had fallen silent in
1918, millions had been lost to a futile massacre
on the battlefields of Europe. Despite being victorious,
Britain's influence was significantly weakened,
and the emergent USA was soon to claim world superpower
status in its stead.
The interwar years were marked by social advances
(women were granted equal voting rights in 1929) and
an initial period of economic prosperity. By the 1930's
however, prosperity had turned to Depression, as a
pall of poverty was cast over many millions
of Brits. Ominously at this time Hitler emerged
as a political force in Germany, and the war-weary,
economically brittle French and British governments
failed to act.
By 1939, Europe had again gone up in flames (the
Second World War) as Germany's armies went on
the march once more. London soon became a target
for the Luftwaffe's bombs, and thousands of lives
were claimed during The Blitz. Whole suburbs were
flattened, and much of London's historical or architectural
treasures either destroyed or damaged. War leader
Winston Churchill rallied the nation from his headquarters
below the streets of London, and eventually the tide
of the war turned, with German defeat by 1945.
Modern Britain
This second body blow to the British nation, economy,
and social fabric was to remove any vestiges of former
imperial glory, and some say that Britain has yet
to regain the prosperity and influence enjoyed
in the early twentieth century. This is partly true,
although standards of living are amongst the highest
in the world, and the British economy is still
a powerhouse that is matched by few nations. London
is the central cog in this economic machine, and is
a financial and business centre only rivaled to this
day by New York.
The political influence of the nation remains
strong on the world stage, and the current Prime Minister
is Tony Blair (Labour).
|
