Winston ChurchillPrime Minister of England

“A prisoner of war is a

man who tries to kill you

and fails, and then asks

you not to kill him.”

“War is very cruel. It goes on for so long.”

“Before Alamein we

never had a victory.

After Alamein we never

had a defeat.”

1910 Election

Following the 1910 General Election, Churchill became Home Secretary. Churchill introduced several reforms to the prison system, including the provision of lecturers and concerts for prisoners, and the setting up of special after-care associations to help convicts after they had served their sentence. However, Churchill was severely criticized for using troops to maintain order during a Welsh miners’ strike.

World War II

Winston Churchill was appointed Prime Minister of Britain on May 10, 1940, a time of great trial. He described this period of time as “A cataract of disasters.” Churchill entered office during World War II, just when the Germans had launched a major offence on the west. Within weeks, Holland and Belgium had been overrun. The British Expeditionary Force, with the help from the remnants of the French Seventh Army, had been cut off and driven into a narrow pocket around the Channel port of Dunkirk.

Few believed that Britain could continue the war alone. In Winston Churchill’s speech to parliament on June 4, 1940, Churchill established the spirit of defiance and of grim resolve that characterized Britain under his leadership for the remaining years of the war.

“We shall defend our island whatever the task may be. We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight on the fields and industries. We shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.” – Winston Churchill; June 4, 1940 speech

“Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.”

World War II Continued..

Winston Churchill lead Great Britain for most of World War II and Churchill’s bulldog, spirit, seemed to lighten up the mood of Britain’s people even during the bad times, such as Dunkirk, and also in the inspirational victories, such as the Battle of Britain.

During Dunkirk, while under leadership of Churchill, British people set about the defense of their island with an unexampled determination. Though besieged by sea and air, morale remained buoyant and belief in eventual victory unassailable.

During the World War II, Winston Churchill also held a number of meetings with other war-time leaders. He met with Franklin D. Roosevelt, the American president, on nine occasions between 1941 and 1945. He also had five meetings with the Russian leader Joseph Stalin between 1942 and 1945.

Many have argued that Churchill was too sensitive to the Mediterranean as a theater of war. His resistance to the idea of a second front, while the Germans advanced into Russia, has also been questioned. There has been many debates over the courses he pursued at international conferences, such as those at Yalta, in February 1945.

Some people believe that a few of Churchill's policies were responsible for the "cold war" of the 1950s and 1960s, in which the Eastern Communist powers and Western powers came to a stand-still over nuclear arms.

“War is very

cruel. It goes

on for so

long.”

Churchill’s Last Years

In 1955, Winston Churchill retired from his career in public life.

He settled in at his family estate to paint landscapes, write books, and continue to express his strong opinions about British life and international politics.

Sir Winston Churchill, past away on January 24, 1965.

“Never in the field

of human conflict

was so much owed

by so many to so

few.”

“Say what you have to say and the first time you come to a sentence with a grammatical ending - sit down.”

“Politics is more dangerous than war, for in war you are only killed

once.”

Facts

Winston Churchill valued Joseph Stalin’s military power and saw clearly the threat of his ambitions. The more ingenuous Roosevelt, was unable to see the global dangers of Russian expansionism and too often sided with Stalin.

“History of the English Speaking Peoples,” Written by Churchill, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953.

Churchill entered politics in 1899, and had a political career of more than sixty years.

Winston worked particularly hard at resolving problems of unemployment.

He stressed the need to address the issue of poverty an called on private business to work for the good of society.

Resources

Book sources:

-“Churchill” By: Charles Eade; Copyright: 1953

-“Winston Churchill” By: Quentin Reynolds; Copyright: 1963

Internet sources:

- http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWchurchill.htm

- http://www.encyclomedia.com/winston_churchill.html