The British Bulldog: Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill

He witnessed both World Wars, saw the first car, the first plane and the first humans leave the bounds of Earth. He led Britain through World War II and smoked big cigars; ignoring the doctors’ instruction. He was Sir Winston Churchill, sometimes known as Winnie or the British Bulldog. He was the only British Prime Minister to receive a Nobel Prize in literature and also the first man to have honorary American citizenship.

Born with a golden spoon and switching to a rifle

Churchill was born on November 30, 1874, to the family of the Duke of Marlborough. From a very young age, he was distant from his parents. He often wrote letters to his mother, requesting her to come and visit him. But he never really talked much to his father. On 12 September 1908, Churchill married Clementine Hozier after a 4-year long romance. They had five children together.

Churchill had a poor performance record in school. He attended the Royal Military College and joined the British cavalry after that. During the war, he worked as a correspondent, writing the first-hand experience of the war, becoming quite famous. During the Second Boer War, he was captured by the enemy and held prisoner. But showing great courage, skill, and smartness, he escaped and traveled 500 kilometers before being rescued. When this news broke, he was hailed as a hero.

Rise to power

In 1900, Churchill was elected as a member of parliament from the Conservative party. But he switched to the Liberal Party in 1904. Over the next thirty years, Churchill would hold numerous posts in the Government. In this time, he re-joined the Conservative party, was estranged from politics, made many controversial decisions that left a mark in his reputation, wrote quite a few books and, at last, after World War I, tried to warn everyone about watching out for Germany.

World War II

As World War II came, Churchill was appointed as the First Lord of Admiralty, commanding the Royal Navy. The prime minister at that time, Neville Chamberlain, wanted to be in favor of Germany and Hitler. Sensing that it would cause a disaster, Churchill warned him against it and advised him to prepare to fight Germany. Indicating the Prime Minister, he said, “An appeaser is one who feeds the crocodile, hoping that it would eat him last.” Soon, the people lost confidence in Chamberlain, as the Germans were approaching, and Chamberlain had to resign. On May 10, 1940, Churchill became the Prime Minister of Britain.

He gained popularity throughout the country with his strong refusal to give in to the Germans, no matter what happened. In times of crisis, he kept up the morale of the country with inspiring speeches and his rock-hard resolution to never give up. He made important decisions that were crucial for the war, maintained a good relationship with the American President Franklin Roosevelt and an alliance with Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union. Needless to say, if Churchill wasn’t in power, Britain would have lost the war and if Britain lost, the outcome of WWII would have been very different, and Nazis would have triumphed.

In the post-war election, Churchill lost power. But he remained the leader of the opposition. He apprehended the Cold War against the Soviet Union and the Red Army. He regained

 power in 1951. He served as Prime Minister till his resignation in 1955 but continued to work as an MP till his death in 1965.

 

The Strong Leader, The Artist

Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 for his numerous published works. He was also an artist, preferring impressionist paintings of landscapes. He was also considered a great historian; his six-volume set “The World War II” was critically acclaimed by many.

Churchill was a man of tremendous strength. With an immovable determination and an unwavering show of patriotism, he led his country through a very difficult and critical time and made his place in history. When his father died at the age of 45, Churchill thought that he would die young too, and he wanted to make a mark before that happened. Seeing that the whole educated world knows his name and that he was named the “Greatest Briton of All Time”, and the fact that he is considered one of the most influential leaders in the world to have ever led, it is safe to say that he succeeded.