However, Churchill made some mistakes in World War II; such as the sending of British troops, between May 10 and May 21, 1940. It was a disaster, because Churchill decided to send his whole force to Belgium, where they ended up being defeated and having to evacuate from Dunkirk (France) because of surrounding German Forces. However, people said it was a miracle that the troops managed to get evacuated in time. After Belgium and France surrendered, Britain was alone in the war.
People’s confidence in Churchill sparked when he defended Britain in the air battle of Britain in 1940. The failure of the German plan to destroy the RAF forces was a great success to Churchill. But initial success in Britain was overestimated when Britain had lost their precious military base of Singapore in 1942. Japanese forces had taken over the peninsula of Singapore. Churchill stated, “We shall not fail now. Let us move forward steadfastly together into the storm and through the storm.” Churchill was very determined to defeat Germany. In 1945, the war had ended, it was an immense victory. But then, a re-election for Prime Minister was proposed, because a coalition government was not needed anymore, and that the people of Britain wanted change. Churchill lost the elections, which was a great shock to him. Social reconstruction was needed in Britain, and Churchill was not the man for that. Clement Atlee, leader of the Labour party, had promised the people National Health Service, which came into use in 1948. His polices were more beneficial for the nation, and helped for reconstruction, along with bringing the nation out of depression after the bitter years of World War II. Churchill’s policies did not support that, but rather more aggressive policies used for wars ethics. Labour also ran more campaigns around Great Britain.
- Evaluation of the sources
Winston Churchill by Peter Neville: The origin of this source is Peter Neville’s book which was published in 1996. The purpose of this source is to evaluate and analyze Winston Churchill’s life, and how he made it to be Prime Minister, and as the savior of Great Britain. The value of this source is emphasized greatly on Churchill’s life. It stresses his accomplishments, along with his mistakes. This source can also be used for talking about World War II, because it describes many of the battles fought in World War II. However, this source has its limitations when for example, using the source for getting information about how the Germans contributed to the war, and their perspective on the whole war.
Road to Victory by Martin Gilbert: As a British historian, he has written volume books about Winston Churchill, starting from Churchill’s early years, to his death. The purpose of this source is to analyze the years between 1941 and 1945, focusing on Churchill’s policies in Great Britain and how he approached war-like situations. This has great value if someone was to use this source as reference to World War II, because it contains a lot of technical and personal information concerning the battles. This source does however have limitations, because it does not give a wide perspective on both sides of the war. It only focuses on Winston Churchill’s view, and how he dealt with the war.
- Analysis
When Churchill was first Prime Minister, many people thought his policies were too aggressive. However, Peter Neville, a British historian, wrote “Never perhaps was a political leader so well matched, at both an intellectual and emotional level, to the crisis which confronted him.” Peter Neville realized Churchill’s policies might be very effective for a warlike situation. As soon as Churchill became Prime Minister, he had initiated the sending of British troops to Belgium, and then the Evacuation of Dunkirk. The evacuation was a miracle, but many people were angry because Churchill had sent the whole expeditionary forces, which could have led to disaster. The British press stated that is was a “Disaster turned into triumph”. A British soldier named Arthur D. Divine was one of the men who managed to get evacuated from Dunkirk, and he wrote an extract about it. He described Dunkirk when evacuating, “There was always the red background, the red of Dunkirk burning. There was no water to check the fires and there were no men to be spared to fight them. Red, too, were the shell bursts, the flash of guns, the fountains of tracer bullets.” It was a battle saved by a miracle.
In February, 1942, the fall of Singapore left a tremendous impact on the British population. Dr Ong, a member of parliament of the Singapore government stated that, “Churchill took a calculated gamble – and lost.”After two major defeats, first the Belgium incident, and then the fall of Singapore, the British population was getting very worried and hit depression. Winston Churchill made a speech, stating that Britain must continue to fight. Harold Nicolson, a British worker, said that “The country is too nervous and irritable to be fobbed off with fine phrases”, this showed the British reaction to the situation. Martin Gilbert, a British historian, realized that Churchill was not promising hope for the nation; “Now, with the fall of Singapore, he seemed unable to turn the tide of depression.” After World War Two ended, people did not want Churchill’s war like policies, but rather more peaceful policies and policies that could work for the nation’s benefits. Although Churchill was the savior of Great Britain, they did not want him to remain Prime Minister. Anthony Eden, a British conservative who was Foreign Secretary during the reign of Winston Churchill, wrote in his memoirs that “Much gratitude to Winston as war leader, there is not the same enthusiasm for him as PM”. Churchill is seen here as a very significant war leader, but not Prime Minister. The people wanted change in Great Britain, especially after a terrible World War.
- Conclusion
Winston Churchill was the savior of Great Britain, and was truly a war hero. His ability to develop strong relations with the USA contributed greatly into winning the war. Deep inside, Churchill was a fighter, and he was put as Prime Minister at the right place at the right time, which is why he was victorious in World War II. There is no challenge to say that Winston Churchill was not a war hero Prime Minister. However, his policies were not beneficial to the nations needs in peace time. People in Britain wanted change after the war, which is why they voted for change. The labor party, unlike the conservative party, offered change to the nation. They offered to put in place a National Health Service, along with other national benefits for the people. The nation needed change after witnessing such a devastating war, and Churchill was not the man to bring change.
“You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory. Victory at all costs - Victory in spite of all terrors - Victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival.” – Winston Churchill
- Bibliography
Books
-
Gilbert, Martin. Road to Victory (1941-1945), Heinemann, London, 1986.
-
Neville, Peter. Winston Churchill, Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1996.
Further Reading….
-
Charmley, John. Churchill (The End of Glory), Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1993
-
Gilbert, Martin. Never Despair (1945-1965), Heinemann, London, 1988
Websites
-
"Winston Churchill Hero File." Moreorless - Heroes and Killers of the 20th Century. Web. 31 May 2010.
-
"Singapore - World War II." Country Studies. Web. 31 May 2010.
-
"The Evacuation of Dunkirk, 1940." EyeWitness to History - History through the Eyes of Those Who Lived It. Web. 31 May 2010.
-
"Great Speeches Collection: Winston Churchill Speech - Blood, Sweat and Tears." The History Place. Web. 31 May 2010.
-
"Winston Churchill Biography - Life, Family, Death, History, School, Mother, Young, Son, Book, Old, Information, Born, College, House, Time." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Web. 31 May 2010.
-
"United Kingdom General Election, 1945." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 31 May 2010.
-
YouTube - Into the Storm (part 9). YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 31 May 2010.
-
Winston Churchill. Web. 31 May 2010.
Appendix A
Map of the situation in WWII, during the Evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940. German forces are penetrating through Belgium and France. The German forces are then surrounding the British Forces on the Belgian and French coastline. British evacuate from Dunkirk, France to Dover, Great Britain. The Nazi sign represents the German Forces, and the Great Britain flags represent the British Expeditionary Forces.
