Winston Churchill and His Leadership During World War II

Winston Churchill and His Leadership During World War II

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 Britain to do what they believed to be impossible.

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was born on November 30, 1874, at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire. His parents were Lord Randolph Henry Spencer Churchill and his American wife, Jeanette Jerome Churchill.

Churchill attended St. George's and Misses Thomson's for grade school. He did not do particularly well at either school. For high school, he went to the Harrow School, on the outskirts of London. He was accepted into Harrow only because of his father's reputation. While at Harrow he did poorly. He rarely studied and the only subject in which he did well was English. He had few friends at school. (Webb 6-14) According to Robert Webb, "Winston was a loner. He had no friends and apparently wanted none. What he did, he did by himself." (14)

After struggling through four years at Harrow, Churchill decided to attend the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. He failed the entrance exam twice, but was finally accepted after narrowly passing...

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.... (Webb 107-111)

Churchill's words during the war years have pertained equally well to himself as to the British people as a whole. "Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will say, "This was their finest hour." (Geib, Internet)

Bibliography:

Braakhius, Wilfried. "The World At War." 1997. (May 2000).

Bradick, Lynn and Norbert Schrepf. "Sir Winston Churchill." Verlag Norbert Schrepf, 1997. (April 2000).

Geib, Richard. "Sir Winston Churchill and Great Britain's Finest Hour." 1996. (May 2000)

Gilbert, Martin. Churchill. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1967.

"Sir Winston Churchill." Britannia.com, 2000. (May 2000).

Webb, Robert N. Winston Churchill, Man of the Century. New York: Franklin Watts, Inc., 1969.