Sir Winston Churchill, the noble that gave the exact time in the policy of the 20th century

Without a doubt, Winston Churchill is one of the best politicians offered by the 20th century, as well as one of the most famous in history. His life, with good and evil, with disappointments, betrayals, ambitions and passion, to reach, under the star of destiny, to the position of prime minister of Great Britain and the one who contributed decisively to the defeat of Hitler. On January 24, 60 years have passed since the British nobleman died and we look at history, in the times when the countries had leaders, speeches and ideas, not dozen politicians with logic and strategy brakes.

Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was born on November 30, 1874, at the Blenheim Palace, located in Oxfordshire, somewhere in southeast of England, his grandfather’s headquarters, VII Duke of Marlborough. His father, Lord Randolph, was a prominent conservative politician, and his mother, the daughter of a New York financier. The one who would be one of the best politicians the world had in the twentieth century was a noble blood: on the paternal line, the family tree takes us far, at the beginning of the Middle Ages, with a solid branch only of politicians, deep Conservatives (as we go to modernity). Even somewhere in the mid -1600s, we find Sir Winston Churchill, politician, soldier, historian.

Little Winston did not see his parents so often as he wished. At the age of 13 he entered the lowest class from Harrow, one of the boys boarding schools. Randolph, believing that his son was not academically suitable for politics or law, he enrolled in the army class. At 19, after three attempts at the entrance exam, Churchill entered Sandhurst, the Royal Military College. A year and a half later, when he was still a cadet, his father died, at just 45, without having the chance to strengthen his relationship.

The death of the father had a profound impact on Churchill: he convinced that it is necessary to put his mark early. His first public speech came in an unexpected framework: the Empire Theater in Leicester Square. Involved by the newly raised screen that restricted access to bars, Churchill led to the cadets to the revolt, before holding an improvised speech.

Hero between the wars of others

In February 1895, Churchill obtained his place in the IV of light cavalry of the Husar. During the 21st anniversary, Churchill was gone to Cuba, where he noticed the War of Independence against Spain and transmitted reports to the newspaper “Daily Graphic” in London. From there, the politician remained with two habits for life: the Havana and Siesta cigars. The following year, Churchill sailed with his regiment to India and in 1898 fought in Sudan. Already determined to pursue a career in politics, he was pursuing with interest the political news at home. Concerned about the lack of university studies, he read everything he caught, even studied the old parliamentary debates, bringing his own imaginary contributions.

The Boer Republics (independent states founded by European, French and German colonists from South Africa) declared war on Britain on October 11, 1899, and Churchill traveled to South Africa to cover the conflict as a war correspondent. On November 15, he was in a native armored train when he was caught in an ambush. Was captured and closed in a prairie camp. On December 12, when the guards returned with their backs, he took the opportunity to escape and climb over the prison wall during the night. He jumped into a passing train, hiding among the bags. Churchill arrived in a city on the East Coast, where Portuguese spoke. Back to the UK, the stories about his endeavors made him famous.

First step in politics

The fame allowed to promote its political ambitions, so, in the 1900 general elections, she became a deputy for Oldham. Churchill held his first speech in Parliament in 1901. And because he did not shy to face his bosses, along with his friend, Lord Hugh Cecil, organized a group of young conservative parliamentarians who specialized in harassing his party leaders. : “The Hughigans”.

Since May 1903, Churchill was in total disagreement with much of his own conservative party, when he opposed the proposed tariff reforms. Self -confident and extremely sure of his own opinions, he took an attitude against the influential politician Joseph Chamberlain. He left the Conservative Party and took place on the Liberal Banks. The move gave fruit: in 1908 he became the youngest minister in the cabinet in 1866, and the social reforms he initiated with David Lloyd George laid the foundation in the country.

The year 1908 was one with luck for Churchill: not only did he take a big step in politics, but he married his soul mate, Clementine, who was with him until the last moment of his life and with whom he had five children.

First world conflagration

In 1911 he became the first Lord of the Royal Navy and supervised the rapid expansion in the naval weapons race with Germany. With the beginning of the First World War, Churchill was determined to get involved. The fleet was ordered to enter the battle stations and, in the crucial discussions of the cabinet, he argued firmly against unwavering colleagues like David Lloyd George. Germany invaded Belgium on August 4, 1914; Until 11:00 pm, the UK was at war.

Churchill was strongly criticized because he presided over a series of British naval failures in the first months of the war, with significant losses. In September 1914, three British cruisers were submerged in the North Sea. In December, German fighting ships bombed Scarborough. Churchill sought to give a decisive blow: his plan was to sail through the Dardons and to force Germany, Turkey, to leave the war. The attack was a failure, and Churchill was forced to resign.

Two steps forward, one back

By the end of the First World War, Churchill returned to official positions, but Gallipoli was still a stain on his reputation. At the beginning of the interwar period, he followed his instinct to return to the conservatives with whom, in 1924, he won the elections, and was appointed as Chancellor (Chancellor of the Exchequer), a high-ranking one in the British cabinet. .

Churchill restored the gold standard – a currency assessment system that fixes the value of the pound at a certain amount of gold. The movement was disastrous. An overvalued pound made the demand on the export markets collapse, and the industry suffered. In 1926, over one million miners were blocked from their mines and prevented from working after a dispute with employers who wanted them to work for several hours for less money. At the general elections of 1929, Laborists won, and Churchill left office again.

During the period before World War II, Churchill’s ideas seemed to be outdated and thus marginalized. No one took into account when he warned of Hitler’s power ascension, people preferring to believe the forecast of a firm peace of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.

“This Was their Finest Hour”. From Dunkirk to D-Day

Hitler invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. On 3, the UK was again in war with Germany. Churchill was immediately recalled from his political exile, becoming again the first Lord of the Royal Navy. Until May 1940, the allies lost the war. In front of the non-bruising march of Nazis in Europe, Chamberlain worshiped the pressures and resigned from the position of prime minister. When Lord Halifax refused the role, Churchill was the only credible alternative to lead. He also took over the position of Minister of Defense and responsibility for the war effort-in history, the period 1940-1945 would remain one marked by Churchill’s speeches.

In 1940, the “Dunkirk miracle” took place: the Allied troops were surrounded by the Germans, but after mobilizing after the speech “We Shall Fight on the Beaches”, the English, French and Belgian soldiers were saved. France Capitula. The United Kingdom continued to fight alone until 1941, when the US and USSR joined them.

Churchill had learned from recent mistakes, so in 1944, the biggest invasion that ever took place was made with caution – over 150,000 soldiers landed on French soil. D-day, day Z or landing in Normandy was a victory.

In May 1945, the Allies won the war against the axis, Churchill being the leader who led his country to victory. However, in the July elections, the Conservatives were defeated by Labor, and the place of prime minister was taken by Clement Attlee. While preparing his return, Churchill focused on foreign policy: the European unity and the Iron Curtain-in 1946, in the US, he spoke about the Soviet sphere that included the Eastern European countries.

Last shouting

In 1951, he had not turned 77, that Winston Churchill again led the conservatives to the election victory. Although visibly ill (in 1953 it remained partially paralyzed after suffering a stroke), the British Prime Minister tried to open communication channels between the US and the USSR, but also brought on the table of nuclear weapons: he authorized the program of Nuclear weapons of the United Kingdom in 1954, and his last major speech in the Commune Chamber, 1955, addressed the threat of nuclear destruction.

In April 1955, the great politician resigned and lived the last nine years of his life without giving people any of his speeches. He spent his days more at home and sometimes on the French Riviera, in a deep depression, who had visited him in his youth. He suffered both physically, with numerous strokes, but also souls, the children moved away from him, and one of the daughters committed suicide.

Operation “Hope Not”

On January 24, 1965, 70 years since his father’s death, Winston Churchill gave his last breath. World leaders gathered at the funeral service on January 30. Silent huge crowds lined up on the streets to pay tribute while his coffin slowly traveled through the center of London to the “Sf. Paul. ” Other millions from all over the world have watched the procession transmitted live at the BBC. Churchill was buried in Oxfordshire, near the ancestral headquarters of his family, at the Blenheim Palace, where he had been born 90 years before. The entire process of funerals was carefully performed by Churchill, as a true monarch, under the name “Hope Not”.