Winston Churchill:

A Man of Dreams and Ideals

Sammy Carey

Honors Contact - Professor Adams

Winter 2016
 Churchill: his blood equals half-English, half-American; his life equals pure conflict.

Winston Churchill, throughout his lifetime, let both the British and American shine through in

his actions and personality from being a lost young man in political tradition, a rat to the party

system, a leader to the Allies, and a hero to the British people. Although he is often referred to as

the greatest English statesman, Winston Churchill's internal controversy over his idealistic dream

of the Anglo-American Alliance overcame the dictates of his conscience as he promoted the

humanity of civilization through the hands of the English-speaking peoples at the cost of the

progress of his beloved nation.

From a young age, Winston Churchill recognized his kinship with his American brethren

due to his mother's bloodline. He often times claimed that he held "a latch-key to American

hearts.”1 Lord Randolph Churchill raised his son to be an Englishman, striving to make an impact

on the England state through politics, but his mother's roots continually influenced his

personable soul. His parents' impact upon him was often noticeable to others, for even Mark

Twain once said "by his father an Englishman, by his mother an American, no doubt a blend that

makes the perfect man."2 Seeking out to understand half of his heart, Winston Churchill traveled

throughout all of America as a young man and truly admired what the New World had done with

the vast unknown continent. Churchill often made claims to his American heritage, especially

when he sought after the friendship of the United States. As historian Maxwell Philip Schoenfeld

put it, "He, better than any other British politician, could touch the American spirit and could

claim a kinship rising from his mother's American origin.”3 Americans were often fond of

Churchill, and they even awarded him an honorary degree. As much as Churchill was an

inspiration to his own people, he also provided much needed courage for the American people. 


1. Churchill, 1974, p. 149

2. Weidhorn, 1992, p. 112
3. Schoenfeld, 1972, p. 148
 Personality was a prominent yet complex matter for Winston Churchill. Regarding his

character, John Colville, a Liberal political, once stated that "in politics and indeed all his life,

[Churchill] was as strange a mixture of radical and traditionalist as could anywhere be found."4

He often times was a man of much character and is often prized for his positive characteristics

that helped make the British people more apt to hearken unto him. One of Sarah Churchill's

favorite recollections of her father's words was when he said "War is a game played with a

smiling face, but do you think there is laughter in my heart?"5 She always saw this as a testament

of his intense love and adoration for the human civilization as a whole, not just his people. As

preceding Prime Minister, Clement Attlee pointed out his greatest gift was 'his compassion'.6

Although possessing many strengths, Churchill's weaknesses might have been the biggest

contributor to his controversial nature. Winston Churchill was a man of many colors requiring

his colleagues to decipher which shade was his for the day. One of Churchill's most dubious

characteristics was his ability to convince himself a matter was true even when it was aligned

with many falsehoods. Charles Masterman, a Liberal political and journalist, felt that "in nearly

every case an idea enters his head from outside, it [would] then roll round the hollow of his

brain, collecting strength like a snowball. Then, after whirling winds of rhetoric, he become

convinced that it is right."7 This simple flaw that let circumstance outweigh the wisdom of ages

sometimes helped Churchill create hope within himself as well as those around him, but other

times led him to mistakes some of which could not be remedied.

Throughout his entire lifetime, Winston Churchill sought the glory of his idealized Island

of Britain. The American historian Gretchen Rubin feels strongly that "he held to a single glory:

the glory of England,"8 for Churchill often stated that "Naught shall make us rue, if England to 


4. Theakston, 2004, p. 235

5. Havardi, 2009, p. 290
6. Havardi, 2009, p. 290
7. Theakston, 2004, p. 231
8. Rubin, 2003, p. 157
itself do rest but true."9 He convinced himself of his island story filled with fictitious truths that

pointed to a history of brilliance and success more so than trial and error. Churchill felt that "no

country [was] more ruled by tradition than this island, and no country gains more by the

influence - the gentle, modifying, softening, and controlling influence - of tradition than [the

English] do."10 Churchill recognized that in order for Britain to remain the power of the world it

always has been, he must ensure the tiny island holds its grasp upon places throughout the world.

As the English remain influential in countries, the British Empire could never fall, no matter

what hit the island itself might take. At one point in time during the war, Winston Churchill

confidently stated, "Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we

can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into

broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including

all we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister,

and perhaps more protracted by the lights of perverted science."11 Churchill sincerely felt his

island could be the dominating power of the world, so he actively sought for the reality of this

ideal only to fall short of the dream by his death. In the end, Winston Churchill left behind this

world with the shattering truth that his island was no longer what it once was, yet he thought that

the time would come again when the British Island would have its chance to conquer the world.

In Churchill's mind, one of the biggest losses to the Island was those men who broke off

and formed their own nation. Churchill, although he esteemed America as the most powerful

nation upon the earth during his lifetime, constantly emphasized the United States would not be

where it were today if it was not for the influences of the Old World. He found much value in the

New World, specifically the ways they have changed habits of the old into reinvigorating traits of 


9. Rubin, 2003, p. 157

10. Churchill, 1974, p. 16
11. Havardi, 2009, p. 283
the new. In a speech he gave in 1947, Churchill commented that "The American Constitution,

with its checks and counterchecks, combined with its frequent appeals to the people, embodied

much of the ancient wisdom of this island."12 Churchill often found himself at a crossroads when

speaking of Americans, because he saw their flaws and successes, their stupidity and

intelligence, their losses and triumphs. He felt Americans were all-around well-breed individuals,

but he also believed the English would always be their better part. In regards to the American

Constitution, Churchill believed that it was 'one of the finest political documents'13, yet just as

with individuals, the British's unwritten constitution, built upon tradition and common law,

would always rank supreme. Through his many speeches given during his tour in America,

Churchill clearly points out the pitfalls of written constitutions emphasizing all the ones in the

United States. He increasingly saw the need for fluidity instead of rigidity in government, for

supreme power of the legislature instead of the courts, for a Parliament instead of a Congress,

and for a leader instead of a figurehead. As Churchill progressively pointed out the strengths and

weaknesses in these sister countries, he tuned into the capacity of the two to merge their

characteristics to produce an unstoppable superpower among the Earth.

To him, this superpower seemed like the only solution to his fear of what the world was

coming to due to the uprising governments springing about with all kinds of wild ideas. Although

he saw the flaws in the system of democracy, he placed the values of it about all the rest. He

recognized that "no one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said

that it is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from

time to time."14 Churchill had a deep-rooted extreme hatred for Communism and a nagging sore

from Fascism, seeking to not have any interaction with these forms of government other than 


12. Theakston, 2004, p. 18

13. Theakston, 2004, p. 18
14. Churchill, 1974, p. 39
stopping their existence. This need to not support Communism prevented Churchill from

graciously accepting their help in the war and instead he only desired the support and help from

the Americans, French, or other nations desiring democracy. To further this extreme desire,

Churchill did not even really enjoy the support of the French but only of the English-speaking

people, yet he recognized he did not necessarily want the others in the world against his cause

either. Schoenfeld wanted to point out that Churchill made it clear to Roosevelt that "he was not

an Old World reactionary imperialist but shared the same spirit of American democracy from

which his mother sprung."15 He recognized that democracy was the only way to truly liberate

people from entanglement with the State while still allowing for the progression of nations as a

whole.

To add to his love for democracy, Winston Churchill also admired the ideal of a world led

by the English-speaking peoples. This was ultimately his ideal world: one in which everyone

spoke the language of the elite and harmonized over the systems of democracy. He spent his

whole life seeking after the fulfillment of this vision. Churchill wanted the world to know that

"the experience of a long life and the promptings of [his] blood have wrought in [him] the

conviction that there is nothing more important for the future of the world than the fraternal

association of our two peoples in righteous work."16 He truly felt that the "collaboration of the

English-speaking peoples threatens no one. It might safeguard all."17 As much as he wanted his

island to be on top, Churchill felt this could only come through an alliance of the English-

speaking peoples. He further saw the importance of having the world's greatest power more than

just on his side but also on his team.


15. Schoenfeld, 1972, p. 147

16. Churchill, 1974, p. 167
17. Havardi, 2009, p. 213
 In an attempt to obtain rule by the English-speaking peoples, British Prime Minister

Churchill frequently sought to woo the American President Roosevelt to bring about the Anglo-

American alliance he really desired. Since his position as Admiralty, Winston Churchill was

constantly desiring the approval and friendship of Roosevelt. To prove his adoration of

Roosevelt, Churchill once stated that "no lover ever studied every whim of his mistress as I did

those of President Roosevelt."18 From the onset of World War II, the communications between

these two leaders was more extensive and frequent than any other national leaders of the past or

of their present time. Churchill truly felt "from the beginning that Britain's victory, and perhaps

even survival, depended on the United State's support"19, therefore he constantly promoted the

idea that the only hope for the English nation was if his people could hold out long enough for

the Americans to enter and to finish the war. If Churchill would have recognized the capacities of

his own nation, after his tireless efforts of rallying the citizens behind the cause of the war,

England could have defeated the Germans on top of the world powers instead of at the bottom

with only France below them. Out of fear of losing though, they simply looked forward to the

moment when the Americans joined rather than just fighting by themselves.

Many speculate as to why he held out and begged his people to simply have hope, instead

of just encouraging them to go into a full-out force believing they must defeat the Nazis on their

own. It seems though the main reason can be attributed to his long-lived ideal of creating an

Anglo-American Alliance. As historian and professor Manfred Weidhorn believes, by dragging

the United States into the war, Churchill recognized that "the Empire and the United States could

become members of one political body, in a healing of the scars, a righting of the wrongs of the

American Revolution”20 as they united against a common enemy to bring about the freedom of 


18. Rubin, 2003, p. 189

19. Rubin, 2003, p. 199
20. Weidhorn, 1992, p. 126
the 'Christian civilization'. He knew that during the time in which he lived the only time the

Americans would unite with the English is in times of peril, not in times of peace, due to their

desire to isolate themselves from the world. As Jeremy Havardi, a London political journalist and

author, points out Churchill was "aware of the strength of isolationist sentiment in America. He

wisely counseled European leaders not to 'count upon the armed assistance of the United States

even if his country were the victim of unprovoked aggression.'"21 By consistently encouraging

the United States to join before it was too late, he played upon their fears of not being able to

stand alone in isolationism. Churchill knew he could hold out alone, but he rather have the

Americans supporting him. He rather have the world be at the hands of the two greatest

superpowers in existence than left to his nation in ruins. As Weidhorn simply put it, "the wartime

alliance was probably inevitable, no matter who the prime minister, but only Churchill, semi-

American historian-prophet of English-speaking civilization, because of his lineage, character,

vision, personal contacts, charm, sense of the superiority of Anglo-Saxon culture, and eloquence

could endow it with an almost metaphysical quality."22

Eventually Churchill recognized that for the United States to full-heartedly join, he would

have to be willing to accept the Communist Russia's aid after they were betrayed by Germany.

He did not stand for this trade off but realized to get the Anglo-American Alliance he wanted, he

would have to stand for the cause of all humanity rather than just what he believed in. As the war

progressed, Churchill constantly tried cutting deals with the Americans, attempting to leave

Russia out of the equation, but this only backfired on him and his people "for the American

president did not fully reciprocate the special importance Churchill [placed] upon the Anglo-

American alliance."23 By the end of World War II, Churchill got the short end of the stick, being 


21. Havardi, 2009, p. 213

22. Weidhorn, 1992, p. 139
23. Schoenfeld, 1972, p. 151
left with nothing at the hands of the two new rivals of the fight between Communism and

Democracy. As Manfred Weidhorn stated, "in prominent positions during the crucial period of

displacement, [Churchill] naturally hoped that the ascendent American and descendent Britain

would become 'more and more mixed up together'."24 This point can be further emphasized when

looking at Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech, for he explicitly states that "the United States stands

at this time at the pinnacle of world power... Opportunity is here now, clear and shining for both

our countries... It is necessary that constancy of mind, persistency of purpose, and the grand

simplicity of decision shall guide and rule the conduct of the English-speaking peoples in peace

as they did in war."25 Churchill truly felt that the Americans would support and back his nation

after World War II, therefore his blind sighted vision of what the United States wanted left his

nation destroyed with only the help and aid given to all the others crippled by war. Instead of

persevering through the war for the cause of the strong Island, Churchill conceded to outside

support for the saving of human civilization, only to leave him in death with his dream

unfulfilled.

Churchill's ultimate failure was letting his ideals get in the way of reality, his destiny in

the way of his journey, and his dependence in the way of his courage. Winston Churchill could

have led his nation to the top of the world during World War II, but instead he took a backseat to

the causes of humanity. In the end though, it might be better for the world that Churchill died

simply a great English statesman who did much for his little island, rather than uniter of the two

nations, because who knows what the world would be like today if that did occur. For better or

for worse, Winston Churchill is a man who will be infamous for the space of time with his

tenacious mind, compassionate heart, and courageous soul.


24. Weidhorn, 1992, p. 139

25. Rubin, 20003, p. 190
 References

Churchill, Winston. If I Lived My Life Again. Compiled by Jack Fishman. London: W.H. Allen,
1974.

Havardi, Jeremy. The Greatest Briton: Essays on Winston Churchill's Life and Political
Philosophy. London: Shepheard-Walwyn, 2009

Rubin, Gretchen. Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill: A Brief Account of a Long Life. New
York: Random House Ballantine Publishing Group, 2003.

Schoenfeld, Maxwell Philip. The War Ministry of Winston Churchill. Ames: Iowa State
University Press, 1972.

Theakston, Kevin. Winston Churchill and the British Constitution. London: Politico's, 2004.

Weidhorn, Manfred. A Harmony of Interests: Explorations in the Mind of Sir Winston Churchill.
Cranbury: Associated University Presses, 1992.