The Myth of the Blitz

by Angus Calder

The Myth of the Blitz was nurtured at every level of society. It rested upon the assumed invincibility of an island race distinguished by good humour, understatement and the ability to pluck victory from the jaws of defeat by team work, improvisation and muddling through.

In fact, in many ways, the Blitz was not like that. Sixty-thousand people were conscientious objectors; a quarter of London's population fled to the country; Churchill and the royal family were booed while touring the aftermath of air-raids; Britain was not bombed into classless democracy.

Angus Calder provides a compelling examination of the events of 1940 and 1941 - when Britain 'stood alone' against the Luftwaffe - and of the Myth which sustained her 'finest hour'.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War, British Literature, World War II

302 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Angus Lindsay Ritchie Calder was a Scottish academic, writer, historian, educator and literary editor with a background in English literature, politics and cultural studies.

He was a man of the Left, and in his influential book on the home front in the Second World War, The People's War (1969), he complained that the postwar reforms of the Labour government, such as universal health care and nationalization of some industries, were an inadequate reward for wartime sacrifices, and a cynical betrayal of the people's hope for a more just postwar society.

Other books include Revolutionary Empire (1981), The Myth of the Blitz (1991) and Revolving Culture: Notes from the Scottish Republic (1994).

Reviews

[Graham Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not some crazed conspiracy theory, but a look at the enduring narrative of "The People's War", and the large role the media played in its creation and propagation. It's interesting to read a more realistic description of Dunkirk, and the essential assistance America provided even before getting involved militarily. It seems to lose its way a bit towards the end, but there's also a interesting brief look at the longer-term legacy of the Myth, which if written today could easily include Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic.

[AngieA Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a casual student of WWII, I have often asked myself about the convivial atmosphere of London during the bombing of 1940-41. Were people really as friendly, kind, helpful, and cheerful as they were portrayed in books, movies, and TV? When I saw The Myth of the Blitz by Angus Calder, I thought, finally, I will get an objective look at this phenomenon. This book is well researched and covers several angles of how the Myth was born and perpetuated. It covers the subject from the POV of political parties, social classes, the entertainment and news business, and the wonderful information available from Mass Observation, the journal entries of every day Britons. I found the entire journey interesting and entertaining. The prose is not dry at all; there is an abundance of quotes from famous people (Noel Coward, Winston Churchill, etc.) as well as the observations of the common working people in London at the time. Once Churchill made it clear that Britain would fight even if they had to do it alone, until the USA officially entered the war, the Myth began to build.

The greatest single fact suppressed by the Myth of the Blitz is this: in 1940, because Churchill refused to give in, world power passed decisively away from Britain to the USA. And, ironically, the creation of the Myth, by Churchill and others, was intended to secure the US involvement in the war which would produce that very effect. However, the Myth accorded Britain, standing alone, a moral victory over Germany.

Calder then goes on to show how this played out in all the areas of life.
I found this a compelling read and very interesting. I found one attitude particularly telling.

Home Intelligence concluded that America was "not really regarded as a foreign country, to be wooed with praise, but as a close relative, to be chided freely for her shortcomings".

The chapter on political parties ( Celts, Reds and Conchies ) speaks to the issue of restricting the press of certain Communist publications and there was talk of a ban. It was voted down.
There is a lot of great information here and you won't be disappointed. There is a bibliography and index. Highly recommend.

[Glenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought it might be useful for collecting facts, but doesn't spend enough time dealing head-on with the myth. The general argument is not particularly clear either. The better chapters deal with a straightforward recounting of the history (and rebuffing of the myth), while the rest delve into clumsy literary theories and other nonsense. The second half focuses more on how the myth was made, and almost entirely abandons trying to de-bunk it.

Crucially, Calder never really critically approaches the wartime 'consensus' (including the coalition government) or the role of the labour movement (and especially the CP). It's a typical 'left' history; lefty words, lefty love of Cockneys and Clydeside workers, but very little class analysis.

[Amanda Artist Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, I only skimmed through this book. Maybe I had the wrong expectations for it, I really wished this would be a good reference for my historical fiction novel about World War Two Britain, but, I don't know, the information is a bit scattered all over the place and disorganised, disconnected. There was a whole lot more about politics than the Blitz themselves. Perhaps it meant "The Lies The Government Told During The Blitz That Glorified Britain Far Too Much", not tales of the blitz. Though to be fair, there are plenty of interesting facts in there that helped me find different resources.

[David Bird · Rating 4 out of 5]

This work is predicated upon the definition of ‘myth’ as an emotionally satisfying story, immune from falsification, rather than as false story. It takes a while to fully develop its case, but ultimately succeeds in considering how the received narrative came into being.

Reading it in the Corona-virus Summer of 2020, I am struck by the contrast, how the lack of unifying voices now have made this experience one of fragmentation rather than unity, isolation rather than shared travail.

[EleanxrC. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Groundbreaking for it's time, this texts brings a really interesting perspective to how we view the second world war in society today and why.

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[Martin Empson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating book, but not as sharp a work of history as his People's War. My full review: http://resolutereader.blogspot.co.uk/...

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. Very thought provoking.

[Pieter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Escape from Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, all have been honoured and glorified in British history. The British Isles as last stronghold against the German steamroller. But the author highlights that many more Germans died from airstrikes than Londoners did. I was even surprised that more British aircrew died during the bombing of Germany than London civilians did due to the Blitz. Mr Calder elaborates on the peace movement during the thirties (communists, trade unions, Welsh, Scottish and both Tory and Labour politicians) and civilians being arrested during the beginning of the war as being considered as posing a risk to domestic security (Italians living in the UK). In post WW II Britain, former PM Tatcher used Churchillian speak to regain the Falklands. The myth lives on.