Blackout

In the early European bouts of World War II, the British found themselves being attacked on the homefront through a constant barrage of air raids by the German air force. As the British government faced large casualties among their citizens, they implemented a number of social policies in order to minimize the destruction caused by German air craft. One of these policies was called a blackout. In order to maintain a daily atmosphere of darkness, citizens of targeted cities were forced to extinguish all sources of light at all times. Dark curtains were used to snuff out natural light and there were even concerns about lighted cigarettes. Also, vehicles were forced to use only their sidelights in between raids and completely put out all lights during a raid. However, these reforms nearly doubled the number of deaths caused by car accidents, and in 1939 the government was obliged to allow cars to use dipped head lights shining through three horizontal slips, while also painting road lines, curbs, and car bumpers white. During these blackout periods, harsh fines were forced upon those who disregarded the new policies. I believe these fines were appropriate and maybe a little bit soft because the times called for desperate measures. Of course there were substantial downsides to the blackout policy, as industry became less efficient and daily life revolved around national protection. In order to reduce the suffocating effects upon British citizens by the raids, the government needed to go straight to the source. This source would be none other than the German raids themselves. It was imperative for the British to gain a great amount of knowledge about the Luftwaffe in order to predict the times they would strike. Also, counter attacks became necessary and were soon in effect. Ultimately, the British prevailed because they were able to utilize the same tools of destruction in the air as the Germans.

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