Winston Churchill

Who Was Winston Churchill?

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was a prominent British politician, military officer, and author who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. Ascending to the role of Prime Minister during a critical period, Churchill played a pivotal role in leading a successful Allied strategy alongside the United States and the Soviet Union during World War II, ultimately defeating the Axis powers and shaping the postwar peace landscape.

Early Years

Born on November 30, 1874, at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England, Churchill exhibited characteristics reminiscent of his father, Lord Randolph Churchill, a distinguished British statesman, and his mother, Jeanette “Jennie” Jerome, an independent-minded New York socialite. Raised in Dublin, Ireland, where his father worked for his grandfather, the 7th Duke of Marlborough, Churchill’s early life was marked by a complex familial relationship.

As a student, Churchill was known for his independent and rebellious spirit. After struggling at his initial schools, he enrolled at Harrow School in April 1888, where he quickly joined the Harrow Rifle Corps, setting him on a path toward a military career. Despite initial challenges, including failing the entrance exam for the Royal Military College on three occasions, Churchill ultimately succeeded, graduating 20th in his class of 130.

Churchill’s relationship with his parents was characterized by distance, though he held a deep admiration for them. Throughout his time at school, he frequently wrote emotional letters to his mother, pleading for her to visit, though her infrequent appearances left him yearning for connection. The death of his father when Churchill was just 21 years old further complicated his familial ties, as he knew Lord Randolph primarily through reputation rather than personal experience.

Military Career

Churchill embarked on a brief yet remarkable military career during the peak of British imperial power. He joined the Fourth Queen’s Own Hussars in 1895, participating in campaigns on the Indian northwest frontier and in the Sudan, where he notably fought in the Battle of Omdurman in 1898.

While serving in the army, Churchill distinguished himself as a writer, contributing military reports to the Pioneer Mail and the Daily Telegraph. He authored two significant works based on his experiences: The Story of the Malakand Field Force (1898) and The River War (1899).

In 1899, Churchill transitioned from military service to journalism, working as a war correspondent for the Morning Post during the Boer War in South Africa. He garnered international attention when he was captured by the Boers during a scouting mission but famously escaped, covering nearly 300 miles to reach safety in Portuguese territory in Mozambique. Upon his return to Britain, he chronicled his adventures in the book London to Ladysmith via Pretoria (1900).

Through his diverse experiences in both military and journalistic roles, Churchill laid the groundwork for his future political career, demonstrating the leadership and communication skills that would define his legacy.

Parliament and Cabinet

In 1900, Winston Churchill was elected as a member of the British Parliament representing the Conservative Party for Oldham, a constituency in Manchester. Following in his father’s footsteps, he embraced a strong sense of independence and became a proponent of social reform.

Dissatisfied with the Conservative Party’s commitment to social justice, Churchill transitioned to the Liberal Party in 1904. By 1908, he was elected as a member of Parliament again and subsequently appointed to the Prime Minister’s cabinet as the President of the Board of Trade.

During his tenure as President of the Board of Trade, Churchill collaborated with newly appointed Chancellor David Lloyd George in opposing the expansion of the British Navy. He championed several significant reforms, including the introduction of the first minimum wage, labor exchanges, and unemployment insurance, as well as implementing changes to the prison system.

Churchill played a pivotal role in passing the People’s Budget, which introduced taxes on the wealthy to fund new social welfare initiatives. This budget was passed in the House of Commons in 1909 but faced initial defeat in the House of Lords before being enacted in 1910.

In January 1911, Churchill displayed a more contentious side during a police siege in London involving two alleged robbers. His level of involvement remains debated; some accounts suggest he merely observed the situation, while others claim he directed police operations. Notably, during the siege, when the house caught fire, Churchill controversially ordered the fire brigade not to extinguish the flames, reasoning that it was safer to allow the building to burn rather than risk lives in a rescue attempt. The bodies of the two robbers were later discovered in the wreckage.

Wife and Children

In 1908, Churchill married Clementine Ogilvy Hozier after a brief courtship. The couple had five children together: Diana, Randolph, Sarah, Marigold (who tragically passed away in childhood due to tonsillitis), and Mary.

First Lord of the Admiralty

In 1911, Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty, where he initiated significant modernization efforts within the British Navy, notably advocating for the construction of oil-fired warships instead of those powered by coal. He was an early supporter of military aviation and established the Royal Navy Air Service, even taking flying lessons himself to grasp the military potential of aircraft.

Churchill also introduced a controversial amendment to the Mental Deficiency Act of 1913, which mandated sterilization for individuals deemed feeble-minded. While the bill ultimately passed in both houses of Parliament, it faced substantial ethical scrutiny.

World War I

Churchill remained First Lord of the Admiralty at the onset of World War I but was subsequently ousted due to his involvement in the ill-fated Battle of Gallipoli, leading to his resignation from the government at the end of 1915. He briefly rejoined the British Army, commanding a battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers on the Western Front, experiencing firsthand the realities of warfare.

In 1917, Churchill was appointed Minister of Munitions for the final year of the war, overseeing the production of tanks, aircraft, and munitions.

After World War I

From 1919 to 1922, Churchill served as Minister of War and Air and Colonial Secretary under Prime Minister David Lloyd George. During his tenure as Colonial Secretary, he became embroiled in controversy when he ordered the use of air power against rebellious Kurdish tribesmen in Iraq. At one point, he even suggested the potential use of poisonous gas to quell the uprising, a proposal that was considered but ultimately not implemented.

The fractures within the Liberal Party led to Churchill’s defeat as a member of Parliament in 1922, prompting his return to the Conservative Party. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer, reinstating Britain to the gold standard and taking a hardline stance against a general labor strike that threatened the British economy. Following the Conservative government’s defeat in 1929, Churchill found himself out of office and perceived as a right-wing extremist, disconnected from public sentiment.

Painting

In the 1920s, after his political exile, Churchill took up painting, describing it as a refuge during a challenging period in his life. He produced over 500 paintings, primarily working en plein air, while also experimenting with still lifes and portraits. Churchill believed that painting enhanced his observational skills and memory.

Sutherland Portrait

Churchill was the subject of a notable and controversial portrait by renowned artist Graham Sutherland, commissioned in 1954 to commemorate his 80th birthday. The unveiling of the modernist painting in Westminster Hall was met with widespread ridicule, and Churchill reportedly detested the portrayal. His wife, Clementine, later arranged for the portrait to be destroyed in a bonfire at their country estate, Chartwell, Kent.

‘Wilderness Years’

During the 1930s, often referred to as his “wilderness years,” Churchill focused on writing, producing a memoir and a biography of the First Duke of Marlborough. He also began work on his celebrated A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, although it would not be published until two decades later. Amidst growing calls for Indian independence, Churchill aligned himself with those opposing self-governance, expressing particular disdain for Mahatma Gandhi, whom he described as “a seditious Middle Temple lawyer.”

World War II

Initially, Churchill underestimated the threat posed by Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in the 1930s but gradually emerged as a leading advocate for British rearmament. By 1938, as Germany expanded its control over neighboring countries, Churchill became a vocal critic of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement.

On September 3, 1939, the day Britain declared war on Germany, Churchill was once again appointed First Lord of the Admiralty and became a member of the war cabinet. By April 1940, he took on the role of chairman of the Military Coordinating Committee. That month, following Germany’s invasion of Norway, Churchill’s proposal to preemptively occupy vital Norwegian resources was rebuffed by Chamberlain, leading to significant political fallout.

Prime Minister

On May 10, 1940, following Chamberlain’s resignation, King George VI appointed Churchill as Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. Almost immediately, Germany launched its Western Offensive, invading the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, with German forces entering France just two days later. As the threat of war loomed over Europe, Britain found itself standing alone against the German onslaught. Churchill served as Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945, leading Great Britain through the trials of World War II until Germany’s eventual surrender.

Battle of Britain

Upon taking office, Winston Churchill swiftly formed a coalition cabinet, enlisting leaders from the Labour, Liberal, and Conservative parties. His strategic appointments of intelligent and capable individuals to key positions were pivotal in navigating the tumultuous landscape of wartime Britain.

On June 18, 1940, Churchill delivered one of his most renowned speeches to the House of Commons, signaling the imminent onset of “the Battle of Britain.” Through his resolute rhetoric, he not only sustained resistance against Nazi dominance but also laid the groundwork for alliances with the United States and the Soviet Union.

Churchill had previously cultivated a relationship with U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt throughout the 1930s. By March 1941, he successfully secured critical American aid via the Lend-Lease Act, enabling Britain to acquire war materials from the United States on credit. Following the U.S. entry into World War II in December 1941, Churchill’s confidence in the eventual victory of the Allies grew. He closely collaborated with Roosevelt and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to devise a comprehensive Allied war strategy and to shape the postwar world order.

Key meetings in Tehran (1943), Yalta (1945), and Potsdam (1945) allowed Churchill to work alongside Roosevelt and Stalin to formulate a united strategy against the Axis Powers and to establish a framework for the postwar world, with the United Nations as a central element.

As the war drew to a close, Churchill proposed ambitious social reforms for Britain; however, he struggled to garner public support. Despite Germany’s surrender on May 7, 1945, he was defeated in the general election in July of the same year.

‘Iron Curtain’ Speech

In the six years following his electoral defeat, Churchill became the leader of the opposition and continued to influence global affairs. In March 1946, during a visit to the United States, he delivered his famous “Iron Curtain” speech, which warned of Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe. He advocated for Britain to maintain independence from European coalitions.

Churchill returned to government with the general election of 1951, becoming prime minister for a second term in October of that year and serving as minister of defense until March 1952. His administration introduced significant reforms, including the Mines and Quarries Act of 1954, which improved working conditions in the mining sector, and the Housing Repairs and Rent Act of 1955, which established housing standards. However, these domestic achievements were overshadowed by foreign policy challenges in Kenya and Malaya, where he ordered military intervention to quell uprisings. Although successful in these efforts, it became evident that Britain could no longer sustain its colonial empire.

Nobel Prize

In 1953, Churchill was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. That same year, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for his “mastery of historical and biographical description, as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values,” as noted by the Nobel Prize committee.

Death

Churchill passed away on January 24, 1965, at the age of 90, in his London home, just nine days after suffering a severe stroke. The nation mourned for over a week. His health had shown signs of decline as early as 1941, when he experienced a heart attack during a visit to the White House. Two years later, he suffered a similar attack while battling pneumonia. In June 1953, at the age of 78, he endured a series of strokes; however, this information was not disclosed to the public, with officials attributing his absence to exhaustion.

Although he recuperated and returned to his duties as prime minister in October 1953, it was evident to those around him that his physical and mental faculties were diminishing. He ultimately retired from the prime ministership in 1955 but remained a member of Parliament until the 1964 general election, at which point he chose not to seek reelection. Speculation arose regarding potential Alzheimer’s disease in his later years, though medical experts attributed his cognitive decline to prior strokes.

Despite his deteriorating health, Churchill remained active in public life, primarily from his residences in Kent and Hyde Park Gate in London.

Legacy

Churchill’s legacy is multifaceted, reflecting the complexities of his life and career. He is celebrated by many for his role in defeating Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime, having topped a 2002 BBC poll of the greatest Britons, surpassing figures such as Charles Darwin and William Shakespeare. Conversely, critics highlight his unwavering commitment to British imperialism and his staunch opposition to Indian independence, viewing these stances as indicative of a broader disdain for other races and cultures.

Churchill in Film and Literature

Over the years, Churchill has been depicted in numerous film and television portrayals, with actors ranging from Richard Burton to Christian Slater striving to capture his essence. Notably, John Lithgow’s acclaimed performance as Churchill in the Netflix series The Crown earned him an Emmy in 2017. That same year saw the release of two biopics: Churchill, starring Brian Cox, which focused on the events leading up to the Normandy invasion, and Darkest Hour, featuring Gary Oldman, who underwent a significant physical transformation for the role.

The stature of Churchill as a towering figure of the 20th century is underscored by the exhaustive research required for his major biographies. William Manchester published the first volume of The Last Lion in 1983, followed by the second volume in 1986, but he passed away before completing the third; it was finally finished by Paul Reid in 2012. The official biography, Winston S. Churchill, was initiated by Churchill’s son Randolph in the early 1960s, later transferred to Martin Gilbert in 1968, and eventually came under the stewardship of Hillsdale College, which published volume 18 of the series in 2015.