Why Was Britain So Weak?

Yes, I know WW1 ruined it.

But really, WW1 ruined all of Europe, and yet Germany rose from defeat and nearly conquered the entire continent.

Britain, meanwhile, was hanging on by threads.

But yet they were the masters of the world's largest empire, with the largest {though surpassed by the U.S} economy.

Why is it Britain performed so poorly during WW2?*

*Please don't bring up how well they fought or the heroism they showed, yes yes I agree that the British fought hard and well. But on a grand scale, they did horribly for quite a while.
 
They weren't weak- it was just that no one could have predicted the course of the war in Europe and so resources weren't in position to deal with what actually happened.

Britain and France, expected to be able to hold the Germans in France and the Low Countries. No one could have predicted the fall of France in 6 weeks, freeing up German manpower for a drive on the Balkans. The Greeks had pretty handily held off the Italians and the British were just there in a supporting role. The forces in theatre weren't really meant to be able to hold against a full-on German attack.

Where Britain was actually able to marshal it's manpower and resources- North Africa- the tide quickly turned.

the same problem was true of South East Asia- wilful obstinacy and incompetence lost Britain Malaya and Singapore.

The British Empire wasn't weak- it just wasn't prepared for the war it would have to fight.
 
Top