Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1939
Encyclopedia
The Emergency Powers Act 1939 was emergency legislation passed just prior to the outbreak of World War II
by the Parliament of the United Kingdom
to enable the British Government to take up emergency powers to prosecute the war effectively. It contained clauses giving the government wide powers to create Defence Regulations
which regulated almost every aspect of everyday life in the country. Two offences under the regulations were punishable with death.
The Act was passed in reaction to the Nazi-Soviet Pact
of 23 August 1939 and provided the government with powers from 24 August 1939.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
by the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
to enable the British Government to take up emergency powers to prosecute the war effectively. It contained clauses giving the government wide powers to create Defence Regulations
Defence Regulations
During the Second World War Defence Regulations were a fundamental aspect of everyday life in the United Kingdom.They were emergency regulations passed on the outbreak of war and during it to give the government emergency powers to prosecute the war. Two Acts of Parliament were passed as enabling...
which regulated almost every aspect of everyday life in the country. Two offences under the regulations were punishable with death.
The Act was passed in reaction to the Nazi-Soviet Pact
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially titled the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and signed in Moscow in the late hours of 23 August 1939...
of 23 August 1939 and provided the government with powers from 24 August 1939.
See also
- Treachery Act 1940Treachery Act 1940The Treachery Act 1940 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland enacted during World War II to facilitate the prosecution and execution of enemy spies, and suspended after the war and later repealed...
- Defence of the Realm Act 1914Defence of the Realm Act 1914The Defence of the Realm Act was passed in the United Kingdom on 8 August 1914, during the early weeks of World War I. It gave the government wide-ranging powers during the war period, such as the power to requisition buildings or land needed for the war effort, or to make regulations creating...
- Capital punishment in the United KingdomCapital punishment in the United KingdomCapital punishment in the United Kingdom was used from the creation of the state in 1707 until the practice was abolished in the 20th century. The last executions in the United Kingdom, by hanging, took place in 1964, prior to capital punishment being abolished for murder...