Legacy

Main articles: Cultural depictions of Winston Churchill and Honours of Winston Churchill

The statue of Churchill (1973) by Ivor Roberts-Jones in Parliament Square, London

The historian Robert Rhodes James stated that Churchill had lived an "exceptionally long,
complex, and controversial life", one which—in the realm of British parliamentary politics—was
comparable only to Gladstone's in its "length, drama and incident".[665] According to Allen
Packwood, director of the Churchill Archives Centre, even during his own lifetime Churchill was
an "incredibly complex, contradictory and larger-than-life human being".[666]
Addison noted that Churchill had become a "great historic figure".[667] Churchill was rated as one
of the most influential leaders in history by TIME.[668] The later British Prime Minister Boris
Johnson related that Churchill "saved this country and the whole of Europe from a barbaric
fascist and racist tyranny, and our debt to him is incalculable".[669] Churchill's reputation among
the general British public remains high: he was voted number one in a 2002 BBC poll of the 100
Greatest Britons of all time.[670] He is also held in respect in the United States; in 1963 he was
made an Honorary U.S. Citizen,[671][672] and in 1995 the U.S. named a new Arleigh Burke-
class destroyer the USS Winston S. Churchill.[673]
Throughout his career, Churchill's outspokenness earned him enemies.[69] By the time he entered
the House of Commons, he was already controversial, perceived by many as "an adventurer and
a medal-hunter",[674] someone who was egotistical and self-absorbed, and whose choices
reflected poor judgement.[675] According to Addison, Churchill was seen as "a politician obsessed
by personal interest, pushing himself relentlessly forward in a blaze of publicity at the expense of
worthier men."[566] Up until 1939, his approach to politics generated widespread "mistrust and
dislike",[665] an attitude exacerbated by his repeated party defections.[599] For some High Tories in
the Conservative Party, Churchill was—according to Addison—"little short of a traitor to his class"
for switching to the Liberals.[566] When First Lord of the Admiralty, many "critics denigrated him" as
being "reckless, ignorant, and unprincipled, a political upstart with no understanding of the
glorious traditions and methods of work of the Royal Navy".[676]
Churchill's response to the Rhonda Valley unrest and his anti-socialist rhetoric also brought
condemnation from the left, with many British leftists regarding him as a reactionary who
represented imperialism, militarism, and the interests of the upper classes in the class war.[677] His
role in opposing the General Strike earned the enmity of many strikers and those in the labour
movement more broadly.[678] When Churchill joined Britain's left in warning against Nazi Germany,
many leftists saw him as doing it purely because he feared a German threat to the British
Empire.[679] The historian Edward Moritz Jr. noted that while some on the left presented Churchill
as "a vicious reactionary and a hater of the working class", this did not take Churchill's domestic
reforms into account.[680] Jenkins remarked that Churchill had "a substantial record as a social
reformer" for his work in the first part of his parliamentary career;[579] similarly, Rhodes James
thought that as a social reformer "his achievements were considerable".[681] In Rhodes James'
view, this had been achieved because "as a minister [Churchill] had three outstanding qualities.
He worked hard; he put his proposals efficiently through the Cabinet and Parliament; he carried
his Department with him. These ministerial merits are not as common as might be thought."[682]

Bust of Churchill in Yael's Garden, Mishkanot Sha'ananim, Jerusalem.

Churchill's belief in the superiority of white Europeans, a widespread view among his
contemporaries, has generated accusations of racism.[666] His role in the Bengal Famine has been
one source of particular criticism;[669] the historian Walter Reid has stated Churchill was "very
wrong in relation to India, where his conduct fell far below his usual level."[683]
Between 1966 and 1988, an eight-volume biography of Churchill was published, started by
Randolph Churchill but completed largely by Martin Gilbert after the former's death in
1968.[684] Rhodes James suggested that this official biography was a "labour of love" for Randolph
Churchill, and that "what was so admirable in the son, was ... less desirable in the
biographer."[685] By 1980, there was already a very extensive published array of material on
Churchill.[686]
Churchill's legacy continues to stir intense debate among writers and historians.[669] In 1980,
Addison noted that there are many people "so prejudiced for or against Churchill" that they had
no interest in critically assessing him as a historical figure.[686] In 2018, the broadcaster Afua
Hirsch described encounters with two historians who were concerned that researching more
controversial elements of Churchill's life would hinder their academic career.[687]
Churchill has been honoured throughout the Commonwealth, particularly in Canada.
In Edmonton, the central square is named after Churchill, as is one in St. John's, Newfoundland.
In Mississauga, Ontario, a major road is named Winston Churchill Boulevard, and busts of
Churchill are found in many cities, including prominently next to Toronto's City Hall.