Winston Churchill's Role In Ww2

Winston Churchill
Peril, war, and desperation. The world at the brink of defeat. Yet, one man would never surrender. It was 20th century England. Germany had just announced its plan to conquer Europe; France, Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg were already being invaded; and there was only one nation left to defend the United Europe. I was there to lead during that time. Who was I? I might have been a rebellious student and made several political and military blunders, but my determination to stand up for the British Nation led to the defeat of Nazi Germany during World War II, the creation of the United Nations, the preservation of our modern world, and me becoming a notable figure in history; I was Winston Churchill. I was born at Blenheim
Palace, Woodstock, England on November 30, 1874 (1). I was born to an aristocratic family consisting of my father, Lord Randolph Churchill, and my mother, Jeanette Jerome. Later on, my brother John, or informally called, Jack, would be born. I was first enrolled at St. George’s School at Ascot during autumn 1882 (5). I was not a very serious student. My rebellious nature as a student was foretold by my immediate rejection of Latin. I was even late nineteen times in one month! (5) My skills finally improved in the last term of the 1884 year. The second school I was enrolled at was a Brighton school run by the sisters Kate and Charlotte Thomson. Starting in summer 1884, my learning skills improved due to taking subjects that I actually enjoyed (5). However, my skills were still held back from absences. During my stay at the school, I wrote a letter to my father while he was passing by on a business trip. One section read, “I cannot think why you did not come to see me … I was very disappointed, but I suppose you were too busy.” (5) During March 1888, I was transferred to Harrow School. My teachers remarked how good my grades were, but my negligence held me back. During my time here, my first form-master, Mr. Somerrell, fostered my love for English (5). I also placed 4th of 25th in a history competition at the age of 14 (5).
One of the most important moments of my life during this timeframe was an encounter with my father. In spring 1889, I visited my home. There, my father decided to inspect my collection of toy soldiers. After spending twenty minutes examining the correctly laid troops for an attack formation, he asked if I wanted to go into the Army (5). I said that I did, and from that point onward I decided to become a soldier. As such, I tried to enter Sandhurst, a military school. It took me three attempts, and I only passed at 95th of 389 (5). I had qualified for cavalry cadet, which disappointed my father, who wanted me to enter the infantry (5). I worked for the Fourth Queen’s Own Hussars in northwestern India and Sudan (1). I also participated in the Battle of Omdurman during 1898. Afterward, I wrote for the newspapers The Pioneer and the Daily Telegraph. I wrote two books about my military experience: The Story of Malakand Field Force, in 1898, and The River War, in the subsequent year, where I left the Army to become a military correspondent (1). I later wrote to the Morning Post, a conservative newspaper, on the action in the Boer War when I was captured by the Boers (1). I narrowly escaped and traveled nearly three hundred miles to Mozambique. This caught much attention. I wrote another book, this time focusing on the Boer War. It was entitled London to Ladysmith and was published in 1900 (1). After this, I entered Parliament as one of the six hundred fifty constituency representatives in the House of Commons (8). For those that do not know how Parliament works, think of Parliament as having three branches. The House of Commons is an elected chamber of members (MPs). The winning party that wins an election is called the Government. The leader of the winning party is called the Prime Minister (PM). All other parties in the House of Commons, collectively, are the Opposition. A second house, the House of Lords, consists of “life peers” chosen for their knowledge in specific fields of study. A final branch is the Monarch, who formally approves all Bills before they become Acts, or laws (8). I first joined the Conservative Party in 1900 for Oldham (in Manchester). I then switched to the Liberal Party in 1904 due to disagreeing views. In 1908, I was “elected a member of Parliament … and was appointed to the prime minister’s cabinet as president of the Board of Trade.” (1) I became the First Lord of the Admiralty and modernized the British Navy by ordering warships be fitted with oil-firing engines. I also set up the Royal Navy Air Service. After the disastrous Battle of Gallipoli during WWI, I resigned from my position (1). I thought to myself that if I could not have a position of power, I would have a position of honor. So, I briefly rejoined the Army as a front-line soldier. From there, I rejoined the House of Commons as the Minister of Munitions, where I oversaw the production of airplanes and certain weapons (1). In 1919-1922, I was the Minister of War and Air and Colonial Secretary under Prime Minister David Lloyd George. During the latter year, the Liberal Party was defeated; I switched to the Conservatives. As the Chancellor of the Exchequer, I controversially returned Britain to the gold standard and opposed the labor strike that threatened the British economy (1). Then, 1929, the Conservatives were defeated. During the time I was out of Government, I published A History of English Speaking Peoples. As Hitler rose in 1933, I advocated the dangers. Then, on 3 September 1939, Great Britain declared war on Germany. I was again appointed First Lord of the Admiralty and became a member of the war cabinet. Then, in April 1940, I starting chairing the Military Coordinating Committee. Finally, on 10 May 1940, I replaced Neville Chamberlain as prime minister and appointed myself the newly created Minister of Defense. At the same time, Germany invaded Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Two days later, France was invaded. In the end, Great Britain won what would later be known as World War Two. After the Great War, I was defeated in the July 1945 election for prime minister. I returned to Government in 1951; I became Minister of Dense from October 1951 to January 1952 and was prime minister starting with the month of the former year (1). While I was in Parliament, I lived an active private life. I married Clementine Ogling Hozier in 1908, whom wrote me frequent letters while I was on political trips (6). I had five children, Diana, Randolph, Sarah, Marigold, and Mary, of which two of them, Randolph and Mary, wrote books about us. I had several passions in life. For one, I put much care and effort into Chartwell, an 80-acre estate, where I had gardens, waterfalls, and a large lake with an island. I was also an avid bricklayer; as such, I built many buildings with my own hands (6). I also had a passion for animals. My first love for animals was horses. I was polo player and once said, “No hour of life is lost that is spent in the saddle.” (6) I cared for some pedigreed Middle White pigs and had several pets, one of which, my beloved poodle Rufus, once entered during a WWII meeting. Additionally, I had a passion for oil painting. While apprehensive and careful at first, the wife of Sir John Laveny taught me to paint more enthusiastically (7). My bodyguard Sergeant Edmund Murray took pictures for me to paint. Why am I notable? Much of my work led me to becoming notable. I am known for supporting many social reforms (1). I helped reform the prison system and create the first minimum wage. I contributed to the passing of the People’s Budget, which taxed the rich to fund welfare programs. I helped set up unemployment insurance and labor exchanges for the unemployed. Finally, I worked to pass the Mines and Quarries Act, which improved conditions for mine and quarry workers, and the Housing Repairs and Rent Act, which created standards for housing. However, I am more known for my work in turn around the potential disaster that was WWII.
As mentioned previously, I worked as prime minister to defeat the Axis powers. I created a coalition cabinet that combined the Labour, Liberal, and Conservative parties. I gave my famous “Battle of Britain” speech on June 18, 1940 (1). As a nation, we fought Nazi Germany using my Royal Air Force reserves. By September 15, 1940, we had run out of reserves, but luckily Adolf Hitler cancelled the invasion into Britain (9). During the war, around the time that Germany defeated our ally Greece, and Yugoslavia surrendered, the United States and Great Britain signed the 1941 Lend Lease Act, where we received war goods on credit (9, 1). We gained a new ally, Russia, when Germany violated their non-aggression agreement (9). We also strengthened our ties with the U.S. with the December 1941 Atlantic Charter 12. Finally, the United States joined the war on our side after the Pearl Harbor bombings occurred. During the war, we worked the intercept German messages. Collectively, us Allies obtained three “Enigma” machines, two of which were from my nation
(9). Toward the end of the war, our luck was turning around. At Stalingrad, during June of 1942 to February 1943, the Germanic Army could not invade further into Russia (9). We kicked out Germanic and Italian forces from El Alamein in October and November of the former year. Using the Second Front plans, American planes bombed at day, and British planes bombed at night. Then, on D-Day, June 6, 1944, we bombed Normandy using “Operation Fortitude” as a distraction to the Germanic forces (9). Finally, Germany surrendered during May 1945. The European side of WWII was finished. Through my work, I was able to become a notable person in history. There are many reasons why I am so. Besides my political leadership, I was known for my literary skills. According to the American war-correspondent, Edward R. Murrow, “[I] mobilised [sic] the English language and sent it into battle.” (3) I had no speechwriter; I was the speechwriter. In my speeches, I spent one hour rehearsing for every minute the speech would be broadcast (3). As early on in my career as 1901, local newspapers praised my ability to capture an audience’s attention. My skills also led me to winning the Nobel Prize of Literature in 1953 (5). Among my positive impacts, the social reforms I contributed to made it easier for new workers to survive, the elderly to get what they need, and more. My speeches during WWII kept public morale high in what would have been a despairing time. My speeches also strengthened the public’s trust in Parliament as they were very transparent. My work to end WWII finished the suffering of millions and prevented more deaths of soldiers. My determination is also something to be admired. This can be seen in my three attempts to enter Sandhurst; I would not give up. In my “Wars Are Not Won by Evacuations” speech during WWII, I said, “…[W]e shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender[.]” (3) In another speech, this one taking place in 1941 to the students at Harrow School, I told them, “…[N]ever give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in expect to convictions of honour [sic] and good sense.” (3) It is also certain that I will be remembered in history. In 1953, I was knighted by Queen Elizabeth. I started popular phrases such as “iron curtain” and “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” There are also many associated locations and educational institutes about me, such as the Churchill War Rooms, the National Churchill Museum at Fulton, the Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill College, and the English-Speaking Union. Why does this matter?
In my “Iron Curtain” speech, I cautioned of the Soviet Union’s search for power (2). With my warning to not let inaction occur, I successfully predicted the events surrounding the Berlin Wall and helped cause the unification of Western Europe after WWII. I also helped preserve today’s modern society. According to Michael Beschloss, had I not been alive, “…[there would be] a very good chance that Western Civilization wouldn’t exist.” (4) Due to my high positions in both WWI and WWII, I prevented the potential existence of a totalitarian society in our future. In my work, I realized that if we were to prevent future mass wars, we would need to form a union. This led to the creation of the United Nations. During my meetings with Ally leaders Franklin Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin in Teheran, Yalta, and Potsdam, we not only developed strategies for the war, but we also began crafting the post-war world using the United Nations as a central point (1). The early beginnings of this work can be seen in my 1947 speech “United Europe.” (3) I begin by claiming that all of the audience I gave the speech to can be described using a single word: “Europe.” I continued with this
quote:

But what is Europe now? … Has Europe’s mission come to an end? … Are the States of Europe to continue for ever [sic] to squander the first fruits of their toil upon the erection of new barriers, military fortifications and tariff walls and passport networks against one another? (3)

Here, I stated the four pillars of peace necessary to prevent further war: the U.S., Soviet Union, U.K., and a united Europe. We needed the French alliance, and, controversially, the redemption of Germany. I hoped to see a day where people are proud to say, “I am a European.” (3) What would the boundaries of this United Europe be? There would be none. All states would be accepted. I ended with the hope that this union could ensure safety and prevent future catastrophe. Thus, the seedling of the United Nations was, if not planted, nurtured. Toward the end of my life, my health broke down. I had two heart attacks, one while visiting the White House in 1941, and another while suffering from pneumonia in 1943. Ten years later, at the age of seventy-eight, I suffered from several strokes. In 1955, I retired from my position as prime minister; I later stepped down from Parliament completely in 1964. After having another stroke on January 15, 1965, I died nine days later on January 24, 1965, at the age of ninety. I was given the first state funeral of a commoner since the Duke of Wellington from a century earlier (6). Big Ben did not chime from 9:45 am until midnight. Six thousand attended, of which six were sovereigns and fifteen were Heads of State. “Britain mourned [my death] for more than a week.” (1) To conclude, I, Winston Churchill, may have begun as a rebellious student and caused several military disasters, but my perseverance to continue leading my country led to the defeat of Nazi Germany, the creation of the United Nations, the preservation of our modern world, and me becoming a figure in history not soon to be forgotten. My political and writing skills, with my determination is something to be recognized for. I reformed the social system and ended the suffering of millions in WWII. While my rebellious nature and military blunders held me back, I will still be remembered through my quotes, my phrase, and related institutions. And now, my work is finished. Our modern world has been preserved.