Winston Churchill

Who was he and what was his role in

World War II?
 Introduction
• On May10th 1940 Winston Churchill became prime
minister of Great Britain, the same day that that the
German soldiers attacked the Netherlands.
• Churchill decided on the faith of all Nations of the free
West.
• His determination, his love for fighting and tenacity was
crucial.
• At the age of 65 he became the leader of the war
cabinet. He was Hitler’s number one opponent.
• Many people were inspired by his voice and speeches.
• People still see him as the winner of freedom, the
defender of the free West, the greatest leader Great
Britain ever had.
 First years
• Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill
was born on November 30th 1874 at
the Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire,
were he spent his childhood.

• This beautiful palace was built for

John Churchill, one of his ancestors,
because of his role in a battle near
the German town Blenheim.
Winston’s father, Lord Randolph
Churchill, was minister of finance and
his mother, Jennie Jerome, was the
daughter of an American millionaire.
 Schoolyears
• His mother and father hardly looked after Churchill
and his older brother, therefore he was alone a lot.
• He didn’t do well at school and rebelled against the
school system.
• The only subjects he liked were poetry, writing
essays and history. His sports were swimming and
horse riding.
• He often wrote letters to his parents to beg for their
presence at parents day. Many of those letters have
been found and saved. His parents never came to
visit.
• He had a speech defect, a mild form of stammer and
had trouble pronouncing the ‘s’.
 Winston as a miltary observer and
war correspondent
• After his school years he went to the Royal
Military Academy von Sandhurst. He loved it.
• In 1895 he went as a military observer and war
correspondent to Cuba. After that he went to
Bombay India and in 1898 he fought in the war
in Sudan. Every time he wrote as war
correspondent for the English newspapers such
as The Daily Graphic and The Morning Post.
• All through his life he wrote articles and books.
• In 1899 he went to South Africa where the ‘Boer
War’ was taking place. He was captured and
was imprisoned but he escaped. He came home
as a hero.
 First experience in politics
• In 1900 Churchill went into politics, as a
representative of the Conservatives, the Tories.
• He always prepared his speeches well; he wrote
them first and later learned it by heart.
• In 1904 he changed over to the Liberal Party
because the Conservatives were against the
international free trade.
• In 1911 Churchill became minister of the
Marines. He felt totally in place; politics and
military force. He spent a huge amount of money
to modernize the marine enormously and
quickly.
 Winston during World War I
• During the WW1, Churchill organized the
Gallipoli-campaign. French and British
troops went ashore at Dardanelle to
conquer the Turkish Forts. This plan was
made in order to clear a supply route to
Russia. It turned out to be a bloodbath.
Churchill got the blame and was therefore
fired as minister of Marine. He was
heartbroken.
• Finally he went as major to the front lines in
Vlamingen, Belgium and joined the troops
in the trenches. He enjoyed the danger and
war. The men admired him for his courage
and his kindness towards his fellow man.
 Changes in politics
• He did miss participating in politics
and in 1917 he was allowed to come
back and became minister of
Ammunition.
• Later on he became minister of the
Colonies. He did a lot for the peace in
Ireland and the Middle East.
• In 1922 the government came to a
fall and because he, being critical of
the Labour Party, changed over again
to the Conservative Party and then
became minister of Finance.
• He felt more at home in that Party
because he was a patriot and anti-
communist.
 Painting and writing in between
• In 1929 he lost his political job again
because of the fact that the
Conservatives lost the elections.
• He started to paint en write again. He
wrote a lot of articles and books
because he then could still express
what he thought and also because he
needed the income.
• He repeatedly warned the
government about the rise of
Germany and Adolf Hitler but they
didn’t listen to him.
 Winston, back in the saddle
• September 3rd 1939 Great Britain and
France declared war to Germany.
Churchill instantly became minister of the
Marine, just like he did during WW1. De
marines were very happy and said:
“Winston is back”.
• The most important years of his life were
about to start.
• Winston wrote about the serious situation:
“Poland is fighting a ‘death battle’, France
is weak, Russia is no longer an ally, Italy
is not a friend and Japan no ally.”
 Churchill found his destiny
• When at May10th 1940 the
‘Blitzkrieg’ began, King Georg VI
asked Churchill to form a war cabinet
with him as Prime Minister, minister
of Defence, leader of the Lager
house and the Conservative Party .
• An unbelievable amount of power,
all in the hands of one man
Winston Churchill.
• Churchill wrote: “I had the feeling
that I finally found my destiny, as if
my whole life had been a preparation
for this moment and for this big task.”
Winston’s inspiring speeches at the
beginning of the War
• His speeches inspired the nation. His courage and
determination touched the hearts of the people. He led
them believe they could win!
• At May 13th 1940 he gave in the Lager House one of his
famous speeches (a short version) : “I only have to offer
you blood, tears, effort and sweat.” You ask me what is
your policy? War, on land, see and in the air. With all the
power we have. You ask me what is your goal? Victory.
Because without victory there is no way we can survive. I
know we will not fail. Let us go on with joined forces.”
• On June 4th the allied troops: Belgium, The Netherlands
and France had to surrender. Great Britain was now
alone in the battle against Hitler.
• Churchill: “You ask me if Britain will continue fighting? If
necessary for years, if necessary alone.”.
 The Battle of Britain
• On July 1940 the Battle of Britain began. The RAF and the Luftwaffe
fought a life and death battle above the Channel.

• Hitler also started bombing the food supply routes. This lead to
famine for the British people.

• Hitler thought he would win this battle quickly , but he was wrong.

• Churchill was so proud of the RAF pilots . In the Lager house he

said: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so
many to so few”.

• The RAF bombed Berlin. The Luftwaffe bombed British cities and
industrial areas.

• Churchill didn’t want to go in to bomb shelters. Several times bombs

exploded near Downing Street, but he remained where he was.
 Long and lonely fighting
• In retaliation to the German bombings Churchill wanted an intensive
bombing done in the Ruhr area of Germany.

• The Germans were finally defeated in the air. A German invasion on Great
Britain never happened.

• Churchill now had time to build up his war equipment receiving American
weapons and munitions. He had time to find allies. Great Britain was still
alone in the battle against Nazi-Germany. Because of Churchill’s firm
appearance and heart-warming speeches, he inspired the British people to
hold on in the battle against Germany, during the difficult first year of the
WWII.

• Churchill asked Roosevelt numerous times to participate in the war. He

explained to him that Great Britain was the last shield between America
and Nazi Germany. But it still would take some time before America joined
the war.
 fighting continues
• One of Churchill’s priorities was to protect the
provision routes over the Atlantic Ocean.

• Hitler tried bombing that route in order to starve

the British people.

• He also had to fight in the desert in North

Africa, the Balkans and in Greece. Churchill
knew that it was only a matter of time before
the war would also begin in the East. Again he
warned Roosevelt that the loss of Egypt, the
Suez canal and the Middle East would mean a
disaster.

• The British people still held out against Hitler.

Hitler had thought that he would have already
taken over Europe by now.
 Russia enters the War
• In the mean time Hitler was organizing
an invasion against Russia. On June
22nd 1941 the German soldiers
invaded Russia. The Russians asked
Churchill and Roosevelt for help.
• The pressure for America to deliver war
material and assistance increased. Now
Russia was also involved in the war.
• There was a lot of criticism that Russia
could not stand up to Germany.
Churchill replied heavily with the remark
that the same was said in 1940 about
Britain and that they were still standing
then.
 America joins at last
• On December 7th 1941 Japan
bombed Pearl Harbour and
America joined the war.
• Churchill had had to carry a lonely
responsibility. The British people,
the parliament and the King had
given him the authority and he did
his best to full fill his task.
• Because the situation had changed
Churchill was able to visit
Roosevelt and they started to
negotiate.
• Churchill finally had a partner in the
War.
 Invasion of Normandie
• Great Britain was one big storage place for the
allied troops, who were about to participate in
the invasion in Normandy.

• On June 6th 1944 the invasion took place.

Churchill visited the troops on the mainland
repeatedly, to mediate between the army-
commanders and to support the troops. He also
tried to persuade Roosevelt that the allies
should go to the East as much as possible.
Churchill was still worried about the communist
threat.

• Churchill could not prevent the Russian’s

advance in the East.

• He said: “The Balkan, except Greece, will

belong to Russia and there is nothing I can do
to prevent it.
 The end of World War II
• In May 1945 the War ended,
Churchill gave a radio speech:
• Between his words of victory,
he also warned the people not
to neglect conceptions such as
freedom, democracy and
liberation. He also asked the
British people to respect the
United States in order to
guarantee peace and to aim for
a safe and purified world.
 Churchill after the war
• For all his popularity as a war leader, Winston
Churchill lost the 1945 general election to
Labour’s Clement Atlee. His wife told him that it
might be a ‘blessing in disguise’. Winston
Churchill is said to have replied that it was ‘very
well disguised’.

• In October 1951, he became Prime Minister once

again. However, Churchill had suffered a stroke
in August 1949 and his health was now a big
concern. In 1951, at he age of 77, Winston
Churchill was not fit enough to involve himself in
day-to-day politics as required of a Prime
Minister.

• Winston Churchill died in 1965 and was buried

near Blenheim Palace. For many people, his
stubborn refusal to admit defeat during World War
II has given him a reputation few other politicians
have ever achieved.
 Recognition and awards
• In 1953 after the publication of his six volume
“The second World War”, Churchill was
awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature
• In 1953 he was made a ‘Knight of the Garter’
and became Sir Winston
• In 1955 he resigned from politics. In his
speech he said: “Never despair and make
sure that there is always a good relationship
with the USA”.
• In 1956 he received the ‘Karel de Grote’ prize
• In 1959 he was titled the ‘Father of the
House’, a political honour title
• He became an honorary American citizen in
1963 – an honour confirmed by Congress.
• In 2002 he was voted ‘the greatest Briton of
all time’
 Churchill’s quotes (1)
• “I am easily satisfied with the very best.”
• “We are masters of the unsaid words, but slaves of those we let slip
out”
• “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also
what it takes to sit down and listen.”
• “There are a terrible lot of lies going about the world, and the worst
of it is that half of them are true.”
• Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never - in nothing,
great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of
honor and good sense”
• Lady Nancy Astor: Winston, if you were my husband, I'd poison your
tea.
Churchill: Nancy, if I were your husband, I'd drink it.”
• Bessie Braddock: “Sir, you are drunk.” 
Churchill: “Madam, you are ugly. In the morning, I shall be sober.”
• “Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.”
 Churchill’s quotes (2)
• “Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to
unlocking our potential”
• “You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for
something, sometime in your life.”
• Please be good enough to put your conclusions and
recommendations on one sheet of paper in the very beginning of
your report, so I can even consider reading it”
• “I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us
as equals.”
• “Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it.”
• “When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the
old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in
his life, most of which had never happened”
• “There is no such thing as public opinion. There is only published
opinion.”
• “My most brilliant achievement was my ability to be able to persuade
my wife to marry me.”
 Homework activity
• Read all Churchill’s
quotes.
• Chose five of your
favourites
• Explain why you like
them, use at least
15 to 20 words for
each quote.