London During the 20th Century

London during the Victorian period saw tremendous growth. The growth continued in the 20 th century as well with the population estimated to be over 7 million by the turn of the century. London would also be faced with a number of challenges throughout the course of the century.

In the early years of the century a number of firsts occurred in London. The first motorbus system started operating in 1904. An electric train that went under the ground was constructed in 1906. There were also many improvements made on London’s underground railway system.

World War I was the first major obstacle that the people of London had to deal with. German airships bombed the city and approximately 700 people were killed as a result. One of the most notable incidents of World War I is called the Silvertown explosion which occurred in 1917. It is estimated that 50 tons of TNT blew up at a factory that produced munitions for the war. Nearly 100 people were killed in the blast with several hundred more injured.

After World War I ended the London suburbs began to expand. More and more people were looking for less of a city lifestyle and choose to head away from the city of London. This was made possible because of the expanding Underground system and the availability of trams. It is also noted that many more people were beginning to buy their own automobiles as well.

In the 1930s London also felt the effects of the Great Depression. This period of time saw the uprising of extremist political parties. This caused a great amount of conflict which resulted in the Battle of Cable Street which occurred in 1936. The event was to be staged as a protest by the British Union of Fascists but groups in opposition tried to prevent the protest from occurring.

Following the Great Depression was World War II. Many of the Jewish people that were living in Germany fled to London. This led to a population high of around 8.6 million people that were living in London at the time.

The Luftwaffe began bombing London and caused a great deal of damage to the city. While a number of people living in London were evacuated, a great many people stayed in the city and were forced to take refuge underground when the bombings occurred.

Starting in early September of 1940 and lasting until May of 1941, Germany bombed London repeatedly during what is now known as The Blitz. For 57 consecutive nights, London was bombed. When the Blitz was over more than 43,000 people had perished in the bombings. The damage done in London was extensive and hundreds of thousands of homes were destroyed. Eventually German forces decided against an invasion of Britain.

he Summer Olympics were held in London in 1948 shortly after the end of World War II. The overall mood in London was optimistic and the rebuilding period quickly began. The one major problem that London was forced to deal with was the lack of housing because much of it had been destroyed in the bombings.