Winston Churchill Research Paper

Following the collapse of France during World War II, the conditions the Allied powers faced became bleaker by the day. The United Kingdom was standing alone in the face of Germany, and under Hitler’s reign, the German “blitzkrieg” or “lightning war,” a tactic involving bombardment, tanks, and ground troops in quick offense proved too much for many countries. Winston Churchill would be the one to place hope in the hearts of the British people, delivering his “Their Finest Hour” speech on the 18th of June, 1940. Churchill utilized persuasive rhetoric whilst appealing to the people's logic and emotions, to raise morale and spirit in the United Kingdom to fight.

The year was 1940; the world’s second great World War was in full swing, with Britain and Germany at the forefront. The fall of Britain’s closest ally, France, stunned the British Empire and threw it into disarray. Through the chaos, Winston Churchill emerged. Churchill would be an inspiring leader who was able to rally the entire nation in times of hardship. Through his leadership, the “British Bulldog” would face the Axis powers and come out victorious, as well as become a public hero for the British people. Yet, immediately after the war, Churchill did not return to the prime minister seat because of a shocking defeat in his re-election, despite his immense reputation he gained from the war. Though lauded by the British population for his prowess as a wartime leader, Churchill’s conservative politics were out of touch with a population ready for post-war relief and led to his defeat in the 1945 election.

In a total war, the home front must be entirely united to continue to fight and fund a war effort, and Churchill appeals to unity and patriotism. He asks the people of Britain to give what Churchill himself will be offering ‘“blood, toil, tears, and sweat”’ (32). If the Prime Minister can give his everything to fight in the war, it encourages the audience to want to participate as well. Churchill continues to appeal to unity through his use of words like ‘we’ and ‘our’ to unite the country with the government as they fight for one cause. By creating a ‘team’, they can effectively rally the audience into action. The public opinion may believe that the Germans are unstoppable, but Winston’s emotionally charged words that with total effort and war from all fronts with the support of God, the feat can be achieved (35). Because of the war, the Prime Minister conveys the necessity for “victory; victory at all costs; victory in spirt of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival” (38-40). By bringing the risk of destruction of the country should they fail, it further persuades the audience to want to give their all so they can win the war. After riling up the crowd with the emotionally charged pathos arguments, Churchill closes with a final remark: ‘“Come then, let us go

Even before the climactic World War II, Churchill’s mental war starts with the Indian Independence movement. Churchill was brusque about his opinion on the movement, knowingly showing his opposition to the public. “To Churchill, all Indians were the pedestal for a throne. He would have died to keep England free, but was against those who wanted India free.(Tondon, n.d.)” With this ornery still in the mind of the public and government officials, Churchill’s 1940 election was met with opposition. In Churchill and Orwell, “Peter Eckersley, a Tory MP, predicted that “Winston won’t last five months.”(Ricks, pg. 91)” The general public were critical of such a disposition leading the United Kingdom during a time struggle. Even with the public’s pessimistic prospect of him, Churchill’s resilience will become a favorable trait to exhibit in this psychological war.

Churchill was no fool however; he knew that the situation was still dire for him and his dear country. The British were vastly outnumbered and outgunned, and the loss of the Belgian army was a great blow. The speech was given even before France surrendered to the Germans

When Great Britain elected Winston S. Churchill to be prime minister of Great Britain, he announced, “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.” Certain great leaders in World War II were elected in times of crisis. However, all of them decided to fight back against it. Many of these leaders devoted their lives fighting for their country. They fought back against the Axis leaders (Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Emperor Hirohito) who wanted the world to be perfect from any evil. They wanted to annihilate the countries that would fight back. Europe was in trouble, and the countries didn’t want to give up control. Three great leaders led the Allies to fight Germany and paved the way to victory. First,

Had Germany defeated Britain , Hitler would have likely executed Operation Sea Lion, a ground invasion of Britian, and the war could have gone in a far more sinister direction, with Germany conquering Britain (White). This battle was a morale boost for Britian, a shock to Germany, who was expecting an easy victory, and the major turning point Britain desperately needed to win the war; much of Britain’s success can be attributed to Hugh

Churchill helped lead a successful allied strategy with the USA and the Soviet Union to defeat

Winston Churchill’s headstrong resiliency in the face of danger defined his career as a war leader. Former Prime Minister David Cameron states,” He was an incredible leader for our country, and indeed for the whole free world, at an impossibly difficult time.” (1). Five months before his inauguration, Churchill gave his speech “House of Many Mansions” wherein he urged the then Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and other world

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was born on November 30 1874 and died on 24 January, 1965. He was the son of politician Lord Randolph Churchill and Jennie Jerome (an American). He was a direct descendant of the first Duke of Marlborough. Physically he was a small man at 5 feet tall. Churchill attended Harrow and Sandhurst. When his father died in 1895, Churchill was commissioned in the fourth hussars. He later obtained a leave and worked during the Cuban war as a reporter for the London Daily Graphic.

He actually believed World War II could have been stopped, had people listened to him before Hitler became too powerful. He tried to warn them as far back as 1932 but was ignored. In the midst of the war, he also stood up for his own people. He denied the French’s pleas for support RAF (Royal Air Force) planes, knowing Great Britain needed them for themselves. This was a controversial decision, but it also showed his caring for his own people. In addition, Churchill refused to discuss anything with Hitler. He vowed to never surrender to Nazi Germany, and he and Roosevelt would only accept unconditional surrender from the Axis Powers. Even when close to defeat, when many major officers were ready to negotiate with Hitler, Churchill stood up and did not allow them to. This may have consequently saved Great Britain during World War II, by pushing military leaders to keep fighting. His words were always compelling. In one of his most powerful speeches, he is quoted as saying, “...we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender…” These words make it clear how moving his speeches were, and how set he was on the destruction of Nazi philosophies. Moreover, Churchill ordered that air raids be carried out on Berlin, a bold move. He even alerted the West to the post-war threat of Soviet

Even though I did not live through World War II nor am I British, listening to his speeches on YouTube really gives me the chills. I can easily realize why he was one of the most influential leaders during the War while being the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. His power to unite and motivate his people was amazing; many have ever since followed his speaking techniques. He literally led his country from the brink of defeat to victory with innate leadership abilities. He was a great strategist as well, the alliance he began with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and General Secretary Joseph Stalin was key for the imminent defeat of the Axis countries. I firmly believe that for this reasons Sir Winston Churchill was one of the most if not the most important key characters in the World War II. I chose this speech because, it effectively brought England together and indirectly invited the U.S into and alliance who was later key for the victory, it provided a warning on an imminent German invasion and a big load of encouragement to believe in a future victory. I will be analyzing the speech

Winston Churchill symbolized Britain during World War II. His image, and that of the British people as a whole, was one of defiance in the face of overwhelming adversity. His galvanizing and courageous leadership as Prime Minister of Britain during World War II was the catalyst for the stubborn resistance of the British and the ultimate victory of the Allied forces over Hitler. His speeches stirred the masses and mobilized the British. When everything continued to go wrong, when things could seemingly get no worse, he was there to encourage and give support to the Allied armies. With his inspiring speeches, he motivated the nation of Great

Nevertheless, it was his excellent leadership skills, his instinct for making beneficial wartime decisions, and motivational speeches, which inevitably lead to the success of Great Britain in World War II. Britain and the world free of Hitler and the Nazis looked to Winston Churchill for leadership. Because of his soldier's training, his historical knowledge, and a statesman's beliefs that had filled his mind for a long time, he considered the burden of leadership to be very light. Many still regard him as the greatest British leader of the last century.

It is difficult to examine leadership as a concept without mentioning Winston Churchill. He was at once a brilliant, petty and compassionate man. He is lauded in many texts as one of the greatest leaders of all times for his actions during World War II, and he received awards as the most recognizable person and greatest leader in the twentieth century. The qualities of leadership he displayed though can be widely debated because he was one thing before the public and another to the people closest to him. There is no doubt that without the redoubtable courage of Winston Churchill Strongly leading the charge, Britain, and maybe the world, would not have survived the chaos of World War II. But, he also did do some amount of harm because of his blind self-confidence. The research paper is about the leadership of Churchill, and it looks specifically at his background, capabilities, and then gives conclusions based on his life that give clues as to what leadership actually is.