British re-armament before World War II

[2] The policy was officially abandoned on 23 March 1932 by the Cabinet,[3] four months before Adolf Hitler's Nazis became the largest party in the German Reichstag.

A statement released cautioned that the decision was not an endorsement of increased armament spending, citing the grave economic situation in Britain and also indicating the British commitment to the arms limitations being promoted by the World Disarmament Conference, an event coinciding with the announcement.

The DRC set the focus of UK strategy throughout the early years of rearmament, leading to continuous tension between the three armed services, the Treasury and the Foreign Office.

The re-armament program enabled the RAF to acquire modern monoplanes, like the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire, such that sufficient numbers were available to defend the UK in the Battle of Britain in 1940, during the early stages of World War II.

[3] The British Army was supplied with modern tanks and weapons, for example howitzers, and the Royal Ordnance Factories were equipped to mass-produce munitions.