In 2002 the BBC conducted a poll among the people of the United Kingdom, asking them to name the greatest individuals in British history for the series 100 Greatest Britons. Winston Churchill ranked first. In roles as a soldier, statesman, Nobel Prize-winning author, artist, and political leader during the darkest days of the twentieth century, Churchill’s words and actions shaped the course of history and inspired not only British subjects but people all over the world.
He made his greatest mark on the world as Britain’s prime minister, but Churchill’s ancestors were from both sides of the Atlantic. His father, Lord Randolph Churchill, married American socialite Jennie Jerome and they had their first son, Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, on November 30, 1874. For the rest of his life one of Winston’s greatest inspirations to achieve and make a difference in the world was to honor the memory of his father, who died when Winston was only twenty-one.
Young Winston was educated at schools including St. George’s and the Harrow. He had a rather restless spirit and did not complete his studies with the stellar academic record one might expect. Three attempts at the entrance exam gained Churchill entrance to Sandhurst, the prestigious Royal Military Academy, in 1893. After graduation Churchill became a Second Lieutenant in the Queen’s Hussars. Early in his days as a soldier Churchill took up work as a war correspondent, reporting on battles for London newspapers, where the public first took notice of Churchill’s writing.
As a soldier Churchill saw active service in lands as far-flung as India, Cuba, Cairo, and South Africa. He distinguished himself among officers and earned numerous honors and medals.
Churchill gained a seat in Parliament as a member of the Conservative Party in 1900. He held a multitude of positions and titles over the years and switched from conservative to “radical” liberal and back again, all the while earning the respect and admiration of fellow politicians and British subjects for his crusades to better his nation. As Home Secretary Churchill supported liberal reforms and was instrumental in establishing the British welfare state. After becoming First Lord of the Admiralty in 1911 he concentrated his efforts on improving Royal Navy combat operations. In the midst of this activity, Churchill continued service in the military and managed a home life including marriage to Clementine Hozier, whom he had met at a dinner party in 1904. Their marriage in 1908 was followed by the birth of their five children, spread throughout the next fourteen years.
Early into the First World War, Churchill’s reputation took a hit after a failed campaign in the Dardenelles. He resigned from his post and again joined the British forces in battle as a commander in the Grenadier Guards and later the Royal Scots Fusiliers. Churchill returned to politics in 1917 as Minister of Munitions and later Secretary of State for War, for Air, and for the Colonies. His notable actions during this time include creating the Anglo-Irish Treaty giving Ireland independence, establishing the boundaries of the modern Middle East, intervention in the Bolshevik Revolution, and demobilizing British troops at the conclusion of World War I.
In 1924 Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin appointed Churchill Chancellor of the Exchequer. During his tenure in this position he oversaw a return to the pre-war exchange rate and the Gold Standard, which led to a severe economic crisis and rampant unemployment. Churchill lost his seat when the Conservatives fell out of power in the general election of 1929. He also clashed with Prime Minister Baldwin on the subject of independence for India and did not hold office under Baldwin. These were Churchill’s “wilderness years,” the nadir of his political career. Though out of power, Churchill continued to spread his world views, thoughts, and ideas through speeches, articles, and books.
During Churchill’s period in the wilderness, Fascist leadership spread across Europe led by German Chancellor Adolf Hitler. Churchill spoke out against policies of appeasement toward dictatorships. As Britain declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939, Churchill became First Lord of the Admiralty under Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. After Chamberlain resigned, King George VI asked Churchill to become the Empire’s Prime Minister.
The World War II years were Churchill’s “finest hour” and forever cemented his position as a purveyor of strength and will against the forces of tyranny. Churchill led the charge against Hitler and the Axis forces at the height of their power. His rousing speeches became legendary for electrifying the Allied nations and inspiring them to continue the fight, even as nation after nation fell to the Axis forces and Britain endured nightly bombings. In 1941, the United States entered the war, strengthening the Allied arms. Churchill’s strong alliance with national leaders, including United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt and France’s Charles de Gaulle, united the nations when they needed support the most.
Though in his late sixties and suffering at times from poor health, Churchill worked tirelessly in opposition to Hitler. He traveled at risk of his life over 100,000 miles for negotiations with the leaders of other nations and worked to establish plans that would continue the war until the “unconditional surrender” of Germany. War raged on into 1944 and 1945, but by then the Allied forces were dominant. The Battle of Normandy marked a turning point by sending the Axis soldiers out of France and back into Germany. Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945, followed by Japan on August 15.
Though Churchill was immensely popular, the public thirsted for a clean slate—a change of government to lead them out of wartime. The Labour Party came to power and Churchill became leader of the opposition, a role in which he continued to have enormous influence through to 1951, when the Conservative Party was restored to power. This period was marked by Cold War tensions with Russia, a problem which Churchill famously named the “Iron Curtain.” Churchill had suffered numerous heart attacks and strokes during the 1940s and ‘50s. Then entering his eighties, he resigned as prime minister in April 1955 and was succeeded by Anthony Eden.
In “retirement” Churchill continued to be active and was revered as a world leader who had seen his nation through its darkest times. Churchill passed away following a stroke in January 1965, at the age of ninety. Britain’s most honored prime minister was given a state funeral attended by Queen Elizabeth herself as a sign of his standing in the annals of British history. Half a century after his death, Winston Churchill remains a symbol of leadership and courage. His words live on to inspire generation after generation to maintain “a lion’s heart” in the face of adversity.