Conclusions and Reflections

This historical study on the Imperial War Museum during the Second World War era explores how crises disrupt museums and the contrasting defensive and revolutionary approaches to crisis management which museums might take when resolving crises. The current chapter summarises and elevates the key findings presented over this study. It begins by considering the study’s context before moving consecutively to the themes of ‘museums and resilience’, ‘museums and crisis’ and ‘museums and reinvention’. In doing so, the chapter offers reflections for museum management during crises. It also comments on the contribution this study makes to the prevailing historiography on the Imperial War Museum.