A Brief History: Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill is one of the few men to solidify his place in history. He is, of course, known for his leadership during WWII–uniting the British people and whole nations with his charisma and powerful speech. The importance of his legacy lies in his direct impact on the war and the example he set by rising to the occasion in difficult times. Churchill’s preparedness as a leader was the result of numerous valuable experiences he sought out with a future political career in mind. From his scholastic struggles in childhood, to escaping a POW camp in the Boer War, to victory in WWII, Churchill led a life worth remembering.

He was born on November 30, 1874 at his ancestral home in Oxfordshire. His father–for whom he had great admiration–was an aristocrat and a politician and his mother was an American-born, British socialite. The two were estranged for much of Churchill’s childhood and he was raised largely by his nanny, Elizabeth Everest. He and Everest became very close and following her death Churchill said, “She had been my dearest and most intimate friend during the whole of the twenty years I had lived.”

At age seven, Churchill was sent off to boarding school and he hated it and struggled with his grades. He entered Harrow School at thirteen, barely passing the entrance exams. His father expressed much disappointment in the young Churchill and urged him to pursue a military career. After attempting the entrance exams three times, Churchill entered the Royal Military College. His father was further disappointed when, due to his poor grades, Churchill was unable to join the Infantry and settled for the Cavalry. His father died one month after Churchill’s graduation in 1895.

Eagerly beginning his military career as a journalist, Churchill used vast family connections to be posted to any battlefront. He travelled to Cuba in 1895 as an observer during the War of Independence. He developed a knack for pushing his way to the front and making himself noticed during action. His contemporaries later reported that he showed “real courage” during his military days.

In 1896, Churchill was sent to India for nineteen months and began his “self education”. He recalled, “It was not until this winter of 1896, when I had almost completed my twenty-second year, that the desire for learning came upon me. I began to feel myself wanting in even the vaguest knowledge about many large spheres of thought.” He read a range of topics including works by Plato, Charles Darwin and Edward Gibbon.

During the Boer War, Churchill was captured in South Africa while reporting for the Morning Post. He said “I hated captivity more than I hated any other period in my whole life.” Churchill escaped from the camp, resulting in a price on his head–dead or alive. After several days on the run with some help and some luck, he returned to England where his escape brought him notoriety. He then received a hero’s welcome upon returning to South Africa and hoped his newfound fame would aid him in securing a political career.

In 1900, at the age of twenty-five, Churchill ran for political office, launching a career that would span over sixty years. With no salary as a Member of Parliament, his income depended on his writings and lectures–of which, he gave thirty during one month in 1900. Like his father, Churchill began his career as a conservative but joined the Liberal Party in 1904 in dramatic fashion by physically walking from one side of parliament to the other. He became a cabinet member at just thirty-three and eventually became the spokesman for the Liberal Party. He pushed initiatives such as limited mine working hours, unemployment insurance, a “sweatshops” bill to protect workers and a “War against poverty” bill to establish old age pensions.

“Of all the talents bestowed upon man, none is so precious as the gift of oratory. He who enjoys it wields a power more durable than that of a great king. He is an independent force in the world.” - Winston Churchill

Churchill had an almost unparalleled oratory ability that was cemented into history through his speeches which raised morale and unified the nation against Hitler. His most notorious speeches were “Blood, toil, tears and sweat”, “We shall fight on the beaches”, and “This was their Finest Hour”–which was publicly broadcasted on the BBC. Despite his success, Churchill’s ability was not innate and he had a lisp and a slight stutter. Upon consulting a specialist in 1879, he was told that “practice and perseverance are alone necessary” to handle his impediments. Churchill was intensely motivated and spent hours rehearsing in front of the mirror. He also spent hours carefully editing his speeches and crafting his “off the cuff” remarks. A noticeable improvement was seen in Churchill’s abilities from his early days in parliament to his terms as Prime Minister.

After taking responsibility for the Dardanelles campaign–a terrible military failure–Churchill was forced out of Admiralty and this brought on a dark period for him. He resigned from the government and rejoined the army. He asked to be posted in France and arrived there in 1915 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Commanding a battalion of the 6th Royal Scots Fusiliers, Churchill led by example and involved himself in the dirty work. "Amid these surroundings, aided by wet and cold, and every minor discomfort, I have found happiness and content such as I have not known for many months," he said of this time.

To his officers he said, "Don't be careless about yourselves–on the other hand not too careful. Keep a special pair of boots to sleep in & only get them muddy in a real emergency. Use alcohol in moderation but don't have a great parade of bottles in your dugouts. Live well but do not flaunt it. Laugh a little & teach your men to laugh–great good hum'r under fire–war is a game that is played with a smile. If you can't smile, grin. If you can't grin, keep out of the way till you can." He could directly feel the impact of government policies in the war around him and was not fond of them. Churchill returned to Parliament six months later and was put in charge of all war industries as the Minister of Munitions. His military skill was apparent and the munitions office became much more efficient and effective under his control.

After WWI, in 1919, Churchill was appointed to the war office and in1921 he became Colonial Secretary. At this time he was heavily occupied with rising tensions in Ireland and the Middle East. In 1924, Churchill rejoined the Conservative Party as Chancellor of the Exchequer–the same position his father had held. In the first budget, he controversially restored the gold standard just before the New York stock market crash. This worsened the effects of the coming depression. Churchill’s budget also included: reduced state pension age, provision of widows pensions, reduced military expenditure and taxes on luxury items.

From 1929-1939, Churchill was mostly out of office during what are considered his “wilderness years”. He wrote prolifically during this time and continued to receive political information from senior civil servants. In 1930 he published a biography called “My Early Life”. He would publish “The World Crisis” the following year–a six volume account of the First World War. From 1933-1938 he completed a four volume biography of his ancestor John Churchill along with countless articles. During the early 30’s Churchill was also focused on recovering the losses he suffered during the stock market crash. He did this, in part, by embarking on a North American lecture tour which had its own complications. Churchill was early to point out Hitler’s destructive potential, sounding the alarm less than three months after Hitler gained power in 1933. He was first seen as an alarmist by many but the threat became obvious with time. In 1938, Churchill warned the government against appeasement, noting, in the House of Commons, that “the gravity of events cannot be exaggerated.”

Churchill became the Prime Minister of Britain on May 10, 1940. He said, “I felt … that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trail.” The very same day, Germany invaded France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. From 1940 to 1941 Churchill showed great leadership in Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain and the Blitz. He was heavily invested in military and political planning and brought the U.S. and Russia together to form the “Big Three” alliance. The “Grand Alliance” was formed in 1941. Appearing to be everywhere at once, Churchill constantly travelled to battlefields, to Washington, Moscow and all around Britain. He was 65 in 1940 and was regularly working eighteen hour days. WWII then came to an end on September 2, 1945. Having done his job–through health complications–Churchill was voted out of power by a landslide during a general election in 1945.

Churchill would serve a second term as Prime Minister, eventually stepping down in 1955 due to his declining health. He continued to serve as an MP until 1964. On Jan, 24 1965, Churchill died and was buried close to his birthplace at St. Martin’s Church in Bladon.

Churchill believed he was a “man of destiny” and given his life circumstances it is hard to argue otherwise. His overwhelming self belief and persistence along with a clear direction allowed Churchill to leave his mark on history. He was in the right place at the right time and was able to rise to the occasion when it was necessary. As Edward R. Murrow put it, “He took the English language and sent it into battle.”