WINSTON CHURCHILL

BRITAINS MAN OF THE 20

TH
CENTURY
2013
ABSTRACT
Winston Churchill was a British politician, best remembered as the tenacious and forthright
war leader that led his country against the seemingly undefeatable Nazis during World War II.
He was also a legendary orator, a prolific writer, an earnest artist, a long-term British
statesman and, as a well-desered reward, the only British prime minister to hae receied
the Nobel !rize in "iterature and the first person to be made an Honorary Citizen of the #nited
$tates. %s !rime minister, his steadfast refusal to consider defeat, surrender, or a compromise
peace helped inspire British resistance, especially during the difficult early days of the War
when Britain stood alone in its actie opposition to %dolf Hitler. Churchill was particularly
noted for his speeches and radio broadcasts, which helped inspire the British people. He is being
widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the &'th century.
INTRODUCTION
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, best known for his leadership of the United
Kingdom during the Second World War, was an officer in the British Arm, a historian, a writer
and also an artist! "e held man positions during his long career and was an accomplished ci#il
ser#ant! Churchill was an effecti#e leader and statesman because of his uni$ue strategic insight, his
relentless passion and his imperturbable personalit! %ne of Winston Churchill&s chief attributes as
a leader was his capabilit of inspiring people, regardless of the circumstances! "is de#otion to his
countr made me regard him as one of the most complete leaders in the histor and an e'ample to
be followed!
1. Military Service
Winston Churchill was born on () *o#ember +,-. at Blenheim /alace in %'fordshire! "is
father was the prominent 0or politician, Lord 1andolph Churchill! Churchill attended the 1oal
2ilitar College, Sandhurst, before embarking on an arm career! "e graduated from there in
3ecember +,4. and was appointed as a Second Lieutenant in the .th 5ueen&s %wn "ussars on 6)
7ebruar +,48!"e also took an interest in war correspondence and wrote his own books about the
campaigns and acted as a war correspondent for se#eral London newspapers! "is writings brought
him to the attention of the public!
9n +,48, Churchill tra#elled to Cuba to obser#e the Spanish fight the Cuban guerrillas!
Churchill had fond memories of Cuba as a :large, rich, beautiful island:! While there, he soon
ac$uired a taste for "a#ana cigars, which he would smoke for the rest of his life! "e staed there
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until he was informed of his nann&s illness, when he returned to ;ngland and from that time on,
staed with his nann until she died after a week or so!
0he ne't ear he was transferred to Bomba, then a part of the British 9ndia, where he
de#eloped a passion for /olo, being considered one of the best polo plaers in his regiment and led
his team to man prestigious tournament #ictories!
9n +,4-, Churchill heard that three brigades of the British Arm were going to fight against
a /ashtu tribe in the *orth West 7rontier of 9ndia and he asked his superior officer if he could <oin
the fight! "e fought under the command of =eneral >effer and after the #ictor of the British Arm
he wrote an account of the fight, which was published in+4)) as ?(he $tory of the )ala*and +ield
+orce@! An a#id writer, Churchill wrote se#eral articles and columns for the newspapers during the
war, for which he recei#ed a huge sum!
Churchill was ne't sent to ;gpt in +,4, where he ser#ed in the Sudan under the leadership
of =eneral "erbert Kitchener! While in the Sudan, he acti#el participated in the battle of
%mdurman and worked as a war correspondent for a newspaper! Upon his return to ;ngland, he
wrote an account of the recon $uest of the Sudan which was published in the ne't ear as ?(he
,ier War@! 9n +,44, he resigned from the Arm and unsuccessfull bid for /arliament in %ldham
in the b-election the same ear!
2. Political Career to the Second World War
9n +4)), Churchill became a 2ember of /arliament in the Conser#ati#e /art for %ldham, a
town in 2anchester! 7ollowing his father into politics, he also followed his fatherAs sense of
independence, becoming a supporter of social reform! Uncon#inced that the Conser#ati#e /art was
committed to social <ustice, Churchill switched to the Liberal /art in +4).! "e was elected a
2ember of /arliament in +4),, and was appointed to the /rime 2inisterAs Cabinet as /resident of
the Board of 0rade!
While ser#ing as 7irst Lord of the Admiralt since +4++, Churchill helped moderniBe the
British *a#, ordering that new warships be built with oil-fired instead of coal-fired engines! "e
was one of the first to promote militar aircraft and set up the 1oal *a# Air Ser#ice! So
enthusiastic was he about a#iation that he took fling lessons to understand firsthand its militar
potential! 0hough not directl in#ol#ed in the disastrous Battle of =allipoli, Churchill resigned his
post because he felt responsible for proposing the e'pedition! 7or a brief period, he re<oined the
British Arm commanding a battalion of the 1oal Scots 7usiliers on the Western 7ront and seeing
action in :no manAs land!: 9n +4+-, he was appointed 2inister of 2unitions for the final ear of the
war, o#erseeing the production of tanks, airplanes and munitions!
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7rom +4+4 to +466, Churchill ser#ed as 2inister of War and Air and Colonial Secretar
under /rime 2inister 3a#id Llod =eorge! As Colonial Secretar, Churchill was embroiled in
another contro#ers when he ordered air power be used on rebellious Kurdish tribesmen in 9ra$, a
British holding! 7ractures in the Liberal /art led to the defeat of Churchill as a 2ember of
/arliament in +466, and he re<oined the Conser#ati#e /art! "e ser#ed as Chancellor of the
;'che$uer, returning Britain to the gold standard, and took a hard line against a general labor strike
that threatened to cripple the British econom! With the defeat of the Conser#ati#e go#ernment in
+464, Churchill was out of go#ernment! "e was percei#ed as a right-wing e'tremist, who was out
of touch with the people! "e spent the ne't few ears concentrating on his writing and published ?%
History of -nglish $pea*ing !eoples@!
0hough not at first seeing the threat that Adolph "itler posed when he rose to power in
+4((, Churchill graduall became a leading ad#ocate for British rearmament! B +4(,, as =erman
began controlling its neighbors, Churchill had become a staunch critic of British /rime 2inister
*e#ille ChamberlainAs polic of appeasement toward the *aBis! %n September (, +4(4, the da that
Britain declared war on =erman, Churchill was appointed 7irst Lord of the Admiralt and a
member of the War Cabinet, and, he became chairman of the 2ilitar Coordinating Committee!
Later that month, =erman in#aded and occupied *orwa, which was a setback for *e#ille
Chamberlain, who had resisted ChurchillAs proposal that Britain pre-empt =erman aggression b
unilaterall occuping #ital *orwegian iron mines and sea ports! 9n 2a, debate in /arliament on
the *orwegian crisis led to a #ote of no confidence toward /rime 2inister Chamberlain! %n 2a
+), King =eorge C9 appointed Churchill as prime minister and 2inister of 3efense! Within hours,
the =erman Arm began its Western %ffensi#e, in#ading the *etherlands, Belgium and
Lu'embourg! 0wo das later, =erman forces entered 7rance! Britain stood alone against the
onslaught!
5uickl, Churchill formed a coalition cabinet of leaders from the Labor, Liberal and
Conser#ati#e parties! "e placed intelligent and talented men in ke positions! %n >une +,, +4.),
Churchill made one of his iconic speeches to the "ouse of Commons, warning that :the Battle of
Britain: was about to begin! Churchill kept resistance to *aBi dominance ali#e, and created the
foundation for an alliance with the United States and the So#iet Union! Churchill had pre#iousl
culti#ated a relationship with U!S! /resident 7ranklin 3! 1oose#elt in the +4()s, and b 2arch
+4.+, was able to secure #ital United States aid through the Lend Lease Act, which allowed Britain
to order war goods from the United States on credit!
After the United States entered World War 99, in 3ecember +4.+, Churchill was confident
that the Allies would e#entuall win the war! 9n the months that followed, Churchill worked closel
with U!S! /resident 1oose#elt and So#iet Union leader >oseph Stalin to forge an Allied war strateg
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and post-war world! Churchill collaborated with the two leaders to de#elop a united strateg against
the A'is /owers, and helped craft the post-war world with the United *ations as its centerpiece! As
the war wound down, Churchill proposed plans for social reforms in Britain, but was unable to
con#ince the public! /erhaps seeing him onl as a :war-time prime minister: he was defeated in the
general election in >ul +4.8!
3uring the ne't si' ears, Churchill became the Leader of the %pposition /art and
continued to ha#e an impact on world affairs! 9n 2arch +4.D, while on a #isit to the United States,
he made his famous :9ron Curtain: speech, warning of So#iet domination in ;astern ;urope! "e
also ad#ocated that Britain remain independent from ;uropean coalitions and maintain its
independence!
After the general election of +48+, Churchill returned to go#ernment! "e was appointed
2inister of 3efense between %ctober +48+ and >anuar +486, and became prime minister in
%ctober +48+! 9n +48(, Churchill was knighted b 5ueen ;liBabeth 99! "e introduced #arious
reforms such as the 2ines and 5uarries Act of +48., impro#ing working conditions in mines, and
the "ousing 1epairs and 1ent Act of +488, establishing standards for housing! 0hese domestic
reforms were o#ershadowed b a series of foreign polic crises in the colonies of Kena and
2alaa, where Churchill ordered direct militar action! While successful in putting down the
rebellions, it became clear that Britain was no longer able to sustain its colonial rule!
3. i! Retire"ent and Death
Churchill had shown signs of fragile health as earl as +4.+, while #isiting the White "ouse!
At that time, he suffered a mild heart attack and after two ears, he had a similar attack while
battling a bout of pneumonia! At age -,, he suffered from a series of strokes at his office! 0he news
was kept from the public and /arliament, with the official announcement stating that he had
suffered from e'haustion! "e recuperated at home, and returned to his work as prime minister in
%ctober! "owe#er, it was apparent e#en to him that he was phsicall and mentall slowing down!
Churchill retired as prime minister in +488! "e remained a 2ember of /arliament until the general
election of +4D., when he did not seek re-election!
0here was speculation that Churchill suffered from AlBheimerAs disease in his last ears, but
man medical e'perts feel that his reduced mental capacit was more a result of the strokes he had
suffered! 3espite his poor health, Churchill was able to remain acti#e in public life, albeit mostl
from the comfort of his homes in Kent and "de /ark =ate, in London!
%n >anuar +8, +4D8, Churchill suffered a se#ere stroke that left him gra#el ill! "e died at
his London home nine das later, at age 4), on >anuar 6., +4D8! Britain mourned for more than a
week!
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ChurchillAs funeral was the largest state funeral in world histor up to that point in time, with
representati#es from ++6 nationsE onl China did not send an emissar! %nl 9reland did not
broadcast the ser#ice li#e on tele#ision in ;urope, where (8) million people watched, including 68
million in Britain! B decree of the 5ueen, his bod la in state for three das and a state funeral
ser#ice was held at St /aulAs Cathedral on () >anuar +4D8! Unusuall, the 5ueen attended the
funeral! Later in +4D8 a memorial to Churchill, cut b the engra#er 1enolds Stone, was placed in
Westminster Abbe, a large, mainl =othic church, in the Cit of Westminster, London!
Concl#!ion
0o conclude, Winston Churchill was one of the greatest politicians and militar leaders of the
United Kingdom! What is admirable at him is that he managed to become a national figure at
a #er earl age, that he en<oed an e'ceptional success in his political life from the #er
beginning and held man important positions during his career! Winston Churchill rallied the
British people during World War 99, and led his countr from the brink of defeat to #ictor
with his uni$ue skills! An ingenious militar strategist, a brilliant diplomat and a patriot,
Churchill should be taken as an e'ample b e#erone, especiall b militar students! "e is
considered to be ?the "an $ho !aved %#ro&e' d#rin( the Second World War) there*ore
thi! "an de!erve! o#r (ratit#de and ad"iration.

+i,lio(ra&hy-
F+G =ilbert, 2artin, Churchill. a "ife, *ew HorkI 1andom "ouse, 6)))
F6G >enkins, 1o, Churchill / a Biography, LondonI 2acmillan, 6))+
F(G www!bbc!co!uk
F.G www!biograph!com
F8G www!number+)!go#!uk
FDG www!spiegel!de
F-G www!thefamouspeople!com
F,G www!winstonchurchill!org
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