Week 3: Winston Churchill

Monday, June 20, 2011

Full name: Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill

Born: November 30, 1874

Died: January 24, 1965

Importance: A British politician and statesman known for his leadership and speeches, especially during World War II.

Pictures:

Winston Churchill

Churchill's defining speech:

Key Facts

Churchill was involved in politics for 50 years, most notably as prime minister of the United Kingdom, a position he held twice: 1940-45 and 1951-55.

He is the only British prime minister who has received the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Churchill was the first person to be made an honorary citizen of the United States.

Andy’s Thoughts on Winston Churchill:

“I’ve always been fascinated by Winston Churchill’s role in history. He was a person who went very much against the grain, very much against the accepted beliefs of the day. And he was a very flawed individual. He suffered from depression; he was prone to anger and rage, and yet this was the guy who was supposed to bring hope to the masses. And he led them—not just England—but Europe. They call him the savior of Europe.”

Quotes from Winston Churchill

“Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality that guarantees all the others.”

“The whole history of the world is summed up in the fact that, when nations are strong, they are not always just, and when they wish to be just, they are no longer strong.”

“What is the use of living, if it be not to strive for noble causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone? How else can we put ourselves in harmonious relation with the great verities and consolations of the infinite and the eternal? And I avow my faith that we are marching towards better days. Humanity will not be cast down. We are going on swinging bravely forward along the grand high road and already behind the distant mountains is the promise of the sun.”

“If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory is sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.”

Excerpt from Andy Andrews:

Excerpt #1 from The Final Summit:

“I was merely mentioning the fact that in my own first act, I was secretary of state. I was colonial secretary. I was Parliament’s chancellor of the exchequer. My point being…I did not lack for success. Then, during the ’30s—and might I remind you that was an entire decade—I was out of office and out of favor.”

“I was alone. By myself. Except, of course, for those who were close enough to point at me—usually as a good example of a bad one. Success, the ability to lead…all gone to the valley of the Shadow and all that.” Churchill took a deep breath. “But!” He exhaled. “But I seemed to be the only one in that Valley at the time. And the view from there gave me a frightening perspective. While France and Poland and Belgium and our own prime minister fretted about taking lunches and talking appeasement and treaties, I alone in my hole could see what they could not.”

“One cannot make peace with a monster. To attempt to do so is folly and merely baits the monster’s trap. I saw Hitler rearming for war. And loudly though I rang the gong of warning, none would listen. Inevitably, when the Nazis invaded France and Poland and Belgium and our own prime minister resigned in shame, the British people came to the Valley…for they knew indeed where I resided. At that moment, my second act had begun.”

The Final Summit