Churchill, Winston

(1874–1965)

   Famous as a soldier and historian, but most well known as a national leader and statesman. Churchill’s reputation was made by his performance as Prime Minister inWorldWar Two, when he appeared to be the ‘man for the hour’ in 1940 and afterwards. He inspired people by his courage, restless energy, unshakeable faith in ultimate victory and memorable rhetoric.

   Yet for all of his fame today, if his career had stopped in 1939 it might have been seen as a disappointment, hence the title of James’s biography: Winston Churchill: A Study in Failure. He served as First Lord of the Admiralty at the outbreak of war and then became Prime Minister for the first time in 1940, a post he held for five years of war leadership. In the elections of 1945, the Conservative Party was defeated and he spent much time as opposition leader warning of the new danger presented by Soviet Russia and also supporting the idea of a United States of Europe. He was returned to office as Prime Minister in 1951 and lasted for four more years before handing over to Sir Anthony Eden. He stayed in the House of Commons until 1964.

   In wartime Britain, his premiership illustrated the full scope of the position of Prime Minister. Between 1940 and 1945, his power was enormous. After 1951, he placed much greater emphasis upon more collective decision- making in Cabinet.

   Further reading: R. Rhodes James, Winston Churchill: A Study in Failure, Penguin, 1973