World Wars & Modern London
The Blitz (1940–41)
From September 7, 1940, to May 1941, the German Luftwaffe bombed London for 57 consecutive nights — and then sporadically until 1945. Over 30,000 Londoners died, and 70,000 buildings were destroyed. The East End docks and the City were hit hardest. Londoners took refuge in the Underground stations (which served as air raid shelters — today you can book tours in the Aldwych tunnel) and displayed the stoic "Blitz Spirit", which remains part of British identity to this day. Churchill governed from the War Cabinet Room under Whitehall (now: Churchill War Rooms, admission: £25 — absolutely worth seeing!).
Post-war Era & Swinging London
The Empire disintegrated after the war: India became independent in 1947, followed by Africa in the 1950s and 60s. Immigration from the Commonwealth — Caribbean (Windrush Generation), India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Africa — transformed London into the multicultural metropolis it is today. In the 1960s, London became the center of pop culture: the Beatles on Abbey Road, the Rolling Stones at the Marquee Club, Carnaby Street as a fashion mecca, and the British Invasion conquered the world.
London Today
Since the 1980s, London has reinvented itself: the Docklands became a financial center, the Tate Modern opened in a power station, the 2012 Olympics regenerated the East, and Brexit (2016) turned London's relationship with Europe upside down — London voted 60% for "Remain". Today, London is a Global City of superlatives: 9 million inhabitants, 300+ languages, one of the largest economic outputs of any city worldwide, and despite (or because of) all its problems — housing costs, Brexit consequences, social inequality — one of the most exciting cities in the world.
