![]() A generation later, former prime minister Harold Macmillan recalled in 1966 that, The Luftwaffe did not attack London immediately upon the outbreak of war, and while 40,000 British civilians were killed in the Blitz, this suffering was spread out over seven months, rather than concentrated in a few weeks.Īs terrible as it was, the Blitz was nothing compared to the knock-out blow that was feared before the war. The reality was very different, because the knock-out blow theory was wrong. Of course, the catch, if the knock-out blow theory was accurate, was that instead of soldiers it would be civilians who would bear the brunt of the death and destruction in the next war.īy 1939, the scale of the expected attack meant that the British people were facing the prospect of around 2.1 million casualties in the first two months of war, perhaps as many as 170,000 in the first 24 hours alone. Many were also determined to avoid the shocking number of deaths of young men over four years of stalemate and slaughter in the trenches of the Western Front. The idea of the knock-out blow was extrapolated from the limited experience of the first strategic bombing campaigns of the First World War. ![]() Surrender would inevitably follow within weeks or even days. Millions would flee into the countryside to escape the raids, and the economy would collapse. The great cities such as London would be destroyed by incendiary bombs and poison gas, causing such intense suffering that morale would collapse. The theory of “ the knock-out blow from the air,” widespread in the 1920s and 1930s, predicted that the next war would begin with shattering air raids by thousands of bombers. Despite the terrible suffering and mass casualties inflicted by Hitler’s Luftwaffe, Britain did not give in instead it survived to play a key role in defeating Nazi Germany. In particular, this meant enduring the Blitz, the German bombing of London and other cities between September 1940 and May 1941, with cheerfulness and courage – the so-called Blitz spirit. It embodies the “ stiff upper lip” of the British people in standing up to Hitler in the Second World War. Rather than merely being a nostalgic relic of a reassuring past, Keep Calm should be seen as a symbol of terror.Īs well as the elegance and simplicity of its design, Keep Calm’s popularity draws on an ideal of stoicism traditionally linked with the British national character. But while it is well-known that Keep Calm originated as British wartime propaganda, the original context is rarely appreciated. It’s a cultural – and marketing – phenomenon. It has spread further by being remixed and memeified: Keep Calm And Drink Tea, Now Panic And Freak Out, Change Words And Be Hilarious. Not just a few good workouts every week, but two or three minutes of stair climbing, brisk walking, stretching or yoga poses every hour or two allows you to shift the spotlight of your attention to your heart and limbs for a quick brain break and recharge.The original Keep Calm survivor at Barter Books, Alnwick. You may be tired of hearing about this research, but the best way to boost your brain’s executive power is to exercise at least a little every few hours. Take Care Of Your Body - To Take Care Of Your Brain So, what can you do to give your prefrontal cortex a boost and some additional support? Here are the top three ways I right my emotional ship when I hit stormy weather, and I recommend you try them. The way we live overloads and exhausts the brain’s “executive” region, the prefrontal cortex, which is the part that can calmly notice, assess, and manage our emotions, and enables us to carry on. It wasn’t having a great boss or a happy family or regular vacations, but the capacity to get our emotional balance back when we are blown off balance by negative emotions.Įasier said than done, you say, “I just can’t seem to pull myself out of my frenzy, let alone quickly calm down.” Not surprising in today’s world.
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