British Morale
“It was Hitler’s belief that the war from the air would terrorise London into defeat. He was wrong. The city’s inhabitants, on the contrary, took a perverse and particular pleasure from being the front line of the war. ‘We can take it’ became the catchphrase of the Blitz.” Jon E Lewis, London: The Autobiography
Britain's Commendable Attitude Under wartime restrictions, people could not simply leave their homes and move elsewhere. The poorest in London had to remain in the East End, which was hit the hardest by the bombings because of the docks that were based there. Unless the families here were specifically moved by the government, they could do little about their living situation. Instead of fighting the government over this, the residents of these areas adapted their lives to the constant night-time bombings, and developed what became known as 'war-time spirit.' Due to people like those living in the East End having such high spirits towards the bombings, the Blitz became one of Britain's finest moments of national unity. For Britain, the mutual suffering of everyone moved people toward a heightened sense of social solidarity and stoicism. British citizens proved that bombs can kill, but they can not destroy the indomitable spirit of the people of London. ("The Blitz and World War Two")
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