"The Man Who Saved the World"? - How the British Think About Winston Churchill Today

Author: Bernd Blasius
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3638525295
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 19

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Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1,7, University of Koblenz-Landau (I. f. Anglistik&Romanistik), course: Area Studies III, language: English, abstract: Often in history, people change their opinion about important historical figures. Statesmen despised by their people are often admired soon after their death or even right after they are deselected. People revered during their lifetime have become outcasts after historical facts turned up that proving they were failures or even felons. Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1955, has experienced both during lifetime. Before Winston Churchill became British Prime Minister, some people called him a “brilliant abnegator.“ But his courageous fight against Hitler during World War II had a lasting effect on Churchill’s reputation, and in the years after the war he was almost transfigured. Incredibly much has been written about Churchill as a politician, statesman, strategist and historian, a man with indomitable zest for action, a brilliant mind and a hot temper. As a consequence from the personality cult of his time, he was declared the “Anti-Hitler.“ John Charmley, a Churchill biographer, writes that „Churchill stood for the British Empire, for British independence and for an “anti-socialist vision of Britain.“ Yet not every aspect of his long and eventful life is viewed positively today: Charmley also points out that all Churchill had contributed to the European idea was “hardly more than an impressive speech.“ Churchill’s order to bomb civil residential areas of German cities in WWII to demoralize the people and to take revenge on the Germans for air raids on Coventry and London is seen as critically as his involvement in decisions that led to the to the expulsion on 12.4 million people after WWII. Yet most people agree that Churchill’s unbendingness saved the lives of millions of people. Other biographers often emphasized his racist attitudes, although these were still common among Europeans until the late 1950s. Churchill was convinced of the White - not to say Anglo-Saxon - supremacy. Most interestingly, under his government Britain started becoming a multicultural society. The same goes for the principles of eugenics, which he was convinced of, but which were also widespread among contemporaries. However, he also talked about the Jews as „the most impressive and remarkable race that has ever appeared on earth,“ which contrasts him from ideological racists of his time as well as the fact that many biographers mention his magnanimity as his predominant character trait. [...]

"The Man Who Saved the World"? - How the British Think About Winston Churchill Today

Author: Bernd Blasius
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3638525295
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 19

Get Book Here

Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1,7, University of Koblenz-Landau (I. f. Anglistik&Romanistik), course: Area Studies III, language: English, abstract: Often in history, people change their opinion about important historical figures. Statesmen despised by their people are often admired soon after their death or even right after they are deselected. People revered during their lifetime have become outcasts after historical facts turned up that proving they were failures or even felons. Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1955, has experienced both during lifetime. Before Winston Churchill became British Prime Minister, some people called him a “brilliant abnegator.“ But his courageous fight against Hitler during World War II had a lasting effect on Churchill’s reputation, and in the years after the war he was almost transfigured. Incredibly much has been written about Churchill as a politician, statesman, strategist and historian, a man with indomitable zest for action, a brilliant mind and a hot temper. As a consequence from the personality cult of his time, he was declared the “Anti-Hitler.“ John Charmley, a Churchill biographer, writes that „Churchill stood for the British Empire, for British independence and for an “anti-socialist vision of Britain.“ Yet not every aspect of his long and eventful life is viewed positively today: Charmley also points out that all Churchill had contributed to the European idea was “hardly more than an impressive speech.“ Churchill’s order to bomb civil residential areas of German cities in WWII to demoralize the people and to take revenge on the Germans for air raids on Coventry and London is seen as critically as his involvement in decisions that led to the to the expulsion on 12.4 million people after WWII. Yet most people agree that Churchill’s unbendingness saved the lives of millions of people. Other biographers often emphasized his racist attitudes, although these were still common among Europeans until the late 1950s. Churchill was convinced of the White - not to say Anglo-Saxon - supremacy. Most interestingly, under his government Britain started becoming a multicultural society. The same goes for the principles of eugenics, which he was convinced of, but which were also widespread among contemporaries. However, he also talked about the Jews as „the most impressive and remarkable race that has ever appeared on earth,“ which contrasts him from ideological racists of his time as well as the fact that many biographers mention his magnanimity as his predominant character trait. [...]

How Churchill Waged War

How Churchill Waged War PDF Author: Allen Packwood
Publisher: Grub Street Publishers
ISBN: 1473893917
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 374

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Book Description
An analytical investigation into Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s decision-making process during every stage of World War II. When Winston Churchill accepted the position of Prime Minister in May 1940, he insisted in also becoming Minister of Defence. This, though, meant that he alone would be responsible for the success or failure of Britain’s war effort. It also meant that he would be faced with many monumental challenges and utterly crucial decisions upon which the fate of Britain and the free world rested. With the limited resources available to the UK, Churchill had to pinpoint where his country’s priorities lay. He had to respond to the collapse of France, decide if Britain should adopt a defensive or offensive strategy, choose if Egypt and the war in North Africa should take precedence over Singapore and the UK’s empire in the East, determine how much support to give the Soviet Union, and how much power to give the United States in controlling the direction of the war. In this insightful investigation into Churchill’s conduct during the Second World War, Allen Packwood, BA, MPhil (Cantab), FRHistS, the Director of the Churchill Archives Centre, enables the reader to share the agonies and uncertainties faced by Churchill at each crucial stage of the war. How Churchill responded to each challenge is analyzed in great detail and the conclusions Packwood draws are as uncompromising as those made by Britain’s wartime leader as he negotiated his country through its darkest days.

Insurgent Empire

Insurgent Empire PDF Author: Priyamvada Gopal
Publisher: Verso Books
ISBN: 178478415X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 625

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Book Description
How rebellious colonies changed British attitudes to empire Insurgent Empire shows how Britain’s enslaved and colonial subjects were active agents in their own liberation. What is more, they shaped British ideas of freedom and emancipation back in the United Kingdom. Priyamvada Gopal examines a century of dissent on the question of empire and shows how British critics of empire were influenced by rebellions and resistance in the colonies, from the West Indies and East Africa to Egypt and India. In addition, a pivotal role in fomenting resistance was played by anticolonial campaigners based in London, right at the heart of empire. Much has been written on how colonized peoples took up British and European ideas and turned them against empire when making claims to freedom and self-determination. Insurgent Empire sets the record straight in demonstrating that these people were much more than victims of imperialism or, subsequently, the passive beneficiaries of an enlightened British conscience—they were insurgents whose legacies shaped and benefited the nation that once oppressed them.

Churchill's Legacy

Churchill's Legacy PDF Author: Alan Watson
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1408880237
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
Churchill's Legacy describes how Churchill wielded his influence in post-war politics to enable the restoration of Europe through two key speeches in 1946. Having first helped bring victory to the Allies in 1945, Churchill went on to preserve the freedom of the world by gaining the support of the United States in the restoration of Europe. In Fulton Missouri, Churchill alerted America to the reality of 'Uncle Joe' - a tyrant determined to dominate Europe at any cost. Churchill called for an Anglo-American alliance based on their shared values and the deterrent of America's possession of the atomic bomb. Churchill also urged the Americans to recognise the debt they owed Britain for opposing Hitler in 1940. In doing so, he contributed to the US thinking behind the need for the Marshall Plan. In Zurich, Churchill boldly proposed a partnership between France and Germany: a United States of Europe. The hatred stirred up by the war had to be replaced by partnership for Europe to recover its economic vitality and regain its moral stature. Together, the Anglo-American Alliance and a United States of Europe led by France and Germany would have the power to 'smite the crocodile' of Soviet ambition. To understand what Churchill intended with these two speeches requires perspective. The daring of his imagination and the scale of his architecture for a new Western Alliance was extraordinary. At the time, not many recognized the symmetry of what was proposed. At Churchill's funeral in 1965, commentators bemoaned the end of an era. In truth, Churchill was the catalyst of a new era-one built upon effective defence, economic revival, and European unity. His speeches have been added to UNESCO'S International Memory of the World Register.

His Finest Hour

His Finest Hour PDF Author: Christopher Catherwood
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1510720316
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 245

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Book Description
Who was Winston Churchill? Even fifty years after his death, he is one of the most iconic figures in British history. As a young man he was a maverick journalist; his many positions in politics before 1940 marked him as a courageous but foolhardy man. Yet it is Churchill’s record in war, which has recently been questioned, that confirms his genius as a military commander and national leader—someone who understood the dangers of Nazi Germany before 1939 and someone uniquely capable to lead the empire through the turmoil of the Second World War. Christopher Catherwood argues that it was Churchill’s stand in 1940-41 that saved Britain and that only he was able to bring together the allies that eventually defeated Hitler in 1945. Catherwood has produced a challenging yet lively reassessment of the life and career of Winston Churchill, lion of British history and flawed hero.

Churchill

Churchill PDF Author: Andrew Roberts
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 1101981008
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER One of The Wall Street Journal’s Ten Best Books of 2018 One of The Economist’s Best Books of 2018 One of The New York Times’s Notable Books of 2018 “Unarguably the best single-volume biography of Churchill . . . A brilliant feat of storytelling, monumental in scope, yet put together with tenderness for a man who had always believed that he would be Britain’s savior.” —Wall Street Journal In this landmark biography of Winston Churchill based on extensive new material, the true genius of the man, statesman and leader can finally be fully seen and understood--by the bestselling, award-winning author of Napoleon and The Last King of America. When we seek an example of great leaders with unalloyed courage, the person who comes to mind is Winston Churchill: the iconic, visionary war leader immune from the consensus of the day, who stood firmly for his beliefs when everyone doubted him. But how did young Winston become Churchill? What gave him the strength to take on the superior force of Nazi Germany when bombs rained on London and so many others had caved? In Churchill, Andrew Roberts gives readers the full and definitive Winston Churchill, from birth to lasting legacy, as personally revealing as it is compulsively readable. Roberts gained exclusive access to extensive new material: transcripts of War Cabinet meetings, diaries, letters and unpublished memoirs from Churchill's contemporaries. The Royal Family permitted Roberts--in a first for a Churchill biographer--to read the detailed notes taken by King George VI in his diary after his weekly meetings with Churchill during World War II. This treasure trove of access allows Roberts to understand the man in revelatory new ways, and to identify the hidden forces fueling Churchill's legendary drive. We think of Churchill as a hero who saved civilization from the evils of Nazism and warned of the grave crimes of Soviet communism, but Roberts's masterwork reveals that he has as much to teach us about the challenges leaders face today--and the fundamental values of courage, tenacity, leadership and moral conviction.

Churchill and the Jews

Churchill and the Jews PDF Author: Martin Gilbert
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 9780805088649
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 404

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Book Description
Details Churchill's support for Jewish rights while maintaining concerns for British interests in the Arab world through an examination of sources including private papers, speeches, and personal correspondence.

British Legends

British Legends PDF Author: Charles River Charles River Editors
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781986128551
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 88

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Book Description
*Includes pictures of Churchill and important people, places, and events in his life. *Includes a list of Churchill's greatest quotes. *Includes a Bibliography for further reading. "Winston Churchill led the life that many men would love to live. He survived 50 gunfights and drank 20,000 bottles of champagne...And of course, by resisting Hitler, he saved Europe and perhaps the world." - Mark Riebling in "Churchill's Finest Hour." Was he "the greatest human being ever to occupy 10 Downing Street" ? Or a man whose "brilliant but unsound judgement resulted in detrimental consequences for Britain and for the world." ? Nearly 50 years after his death, debate still rages over Sir Winston Churchill's contribution to history. Indeed, now that wartime nostalgia has mostly washed away, in Britain in particular the views on Churchill are more divergent than ever. On one point though, the biographers and historians remain unanimous: Churchill led an astonishing life as a soldier, world statesman, historian and Noble Prize Laureate. When he died at 90 in 1965, one of the most important figures in modern history had left the stage. From providing some of the 20th century's greatest soundbytes to successfully navigating Great Britain to victory in World War II against great odds, Churchill was at the forefront of global events for decades, becoming one of the most influential Britons in history. In 2002, he was named the Greatest Briton of All Time, and 40 years earlier he was the first person to be made an Honorary Citizen of the United States. Churchill will forever be most associated with World War II, but his life was far more adventurous and complex than that, and these other aspects of the man are often overlooked and overshadowed. British Legends: The Life and Legacy of Winston Churchill details Churchill's life and career, while humanizing the young child who was both aristocrat and hellion, and the young man who had to overcome a speech impediment to become one of the 20th century's most dazzling orators. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events in his life, you will learn about Sir Winston Churchill like you never have before, in no time at all.

Britain's Greatest Prime Ministers

Britain's Greatest Prime Ministers PDF Author: Charles River Editors
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781978291652
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 130

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Book Description
*Includes pictures of Churchill, Thatcher, and important people, places, and events in their lives. *Includes their famous quotes. *Includes a Bibliography on Churchill for further reading. "Winston Churchill led the life that many men would love to live. He survived 50 gunfights and drank 20,000 bottles of champagne. [...] And of course, by resisting Hitler, he saved Europe and perhaps the world." - Mark Riebling in "Churchill's Finest Hour." "Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't." - Margaret Thatcher Was he "the greatest human being ever to occupy 10 Downing Street" ? Or a man whose "brilliant but unsound judgement resulted in detrimental consequences for Britain and for the world." ? Nearly 50 years after his death, debate still rages over Sir Winston Churchill's contribution to history. Indeed, now that wartime nostalgia has mostly washed away, in Britain in particular the views on Churchill are more divergent than ever. On one point though, the biographers and historians remain unanimous: Churchill led an astonishing life as a soldier, world statesman, historian and Noble Prize Laureate. When he died at 90 in 1965, one of the most important figures in modern history had left the stage. From providing some of the 20th century's greatest soundbytes to successfully navigating Great Britain to victory in World War II against great odds, Churchill was at the forefront of global events for decades, becoming one of the most influential Britons in history. In 2002, he was named the Greatest Briton of All Time, and 40 years earlier he was the first person to be made an Honorary Citizen of the United States. Churchill is often cited as Britain's greatest prime minister for leading the United Kingdom against Hitler's Nazi war machine during World War II, and indeed he was the idol of the one person who many think might have surpassed him: Margaret Thatcher. Thatcher not only became Britain's first female prime minister, she also became its longest serving prime minister. The political precedents Thatcher set as a woman would be enough of a legacy in its own right, but Thatcher effectively wielded her power in a way that made a lasting contribution both to geopolitics and the perception of female politicians in general. Thatcher is widely credited, along with Ronald Reagan, as one of the principal Cold Warriors who brought about the demise of the Soviet Union, whose leaders gave her the famous nickname "Iron Lady." And of course, Thatcher was recently in the spotlight again with the release of the critically acclaimed movie The Iron Lady, starring Meryl Streep. With the success of that movie, Thatcher has undergone a cultural revival and re-iconization in many quarters for her political stances and political achievements. Britain's Greatest Prime Ministers details the lives and careers of Britain's two most famous prime ministers, humanizing both leaders and analyzing the legacies they left on Britain and the world. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events in their lives, you will learn about Sir Winston Churchill and the Iron Lady like you never have before, in no time at all.

Winston S. Churchill

Winston S. Churchill PDF Author: Gerald Flurry
Publisher: Philadelphia Church of God
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 73

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Book Description
There has probably never been a greater political watchman than Winston Churchill. His foresight saved the Western world from demise in World War II. Yet today, the West scorns his message. The biggest tragedy of World War II is that we didn’t learn from that shameful and near-fatal disaster. In this booklet: • Winston S. Churchill: The Watchman • Learning From History • Preparing for War • Illusion of Security • Winston S. Churchill: The Leader • A Final Warning