Sir Winston Churchill's Role In Military History

Improved Essays
One of the most influential figures in World War Two (WWII) history is Sir Winston Churchill. Winston Churchill, who is best known for his political and strategic roles as British Prime Minister, was born in Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, on November 30th, 1874. As a young man he joined the British army as an officer, and after a slow start quickly moved upwards in the ranks. In 1940 he secured his position as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and remained in this position for five years. This paper will explore his progression through the ranks of the military. More specifically, this paper will discuss his role as a military history in world war one, his service in World War Two and its implication on the outcome of war and lastly, the recognition he received for his military service history and …show more content…
For his efforts during the Second World War, Queen Elizabeth II knighted him in 1953. In the same year Sir Winston Churchill won the Nobel Peace Prize in Literature, becoming the first and only British Prime Minister to win the award, for his six-volume historical study of World War Two. Later in his life in 1964, Queen Elizabeth II offered to create him the Duke of London, but he rejected on objections from his son, who would have had to inherit the title upon his father’s death. He was also the first person in U.S.A. history to be named an honorary citizen, and received 7 degrees from universities and colleges around the world, most notably by Harvard University. On January 24th, 1965, Sir Winston Churchill passed away at age 90. By the Queen’s decree a state funeral would be held at St. Paul’s Cathedral after his body lain in state for three days in Westminster Hall, a signal honour only rarely granted to anybody but a monarch. The Queen also attended his funeral which is a very rare

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Supreme Command Analysis

    • 1014 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The normal theory of civil-military relations contends that politicians should declare a military operation’s objective and then step aside leaving the business of war to the military. In his book, “Supreme Command,” Eliot Cohen deviates from this normalcy theory by arguing that active statesmen make the best wartime leaders, pushing their military subordinates to succeed where they might have failed if left on their own. According to Cohen civilian intervention at both strategic and operational levels was essential for military success. While Cohen’s account of civil-military relations in both Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln supports his general argument of supreme command, I find Churchill’s case more supportive based on the way he…

    • 1014 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During the 18th century the British military was seen as the World’s greatest superpower. Britain seemed to continually gain moment over the century, achieving many victories against other superpowers of the time, such as France and Spain. The British maintained dominating military might through their naval supremacy and a professionally trained army of more than 50,000 soldiers. Their navy was not only the best in terms of quality, but quantity as well, with 131 naval warships alone.…

    • 1336 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Jeffries, John W. Wartime America: The World War II Home Front Chicago, IL; Ivan R. Dee, Inc., 1996. The home front during the Second World War has often been characterized as a “watershed” and a “good war,” implying that the home front rapidly evolved from the depression era into a mobilized nation for the sake of fighting for the freedom of all people at home and overseas. John W. Jeffries argues that this analysis of the WWII home front history as a “watershed” moment and “good war” is an exaggerated account of what truly took effect in America prior, during, and after the Second World War. Jeffries’ interpretation of the home front and WWII is intriguing and thorough throughout his book. While his argument is vastly unlike the common interpretation of the home front, it is an intricate and…

    • 1350 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In 1939, many people were faced with conflict due to a second World War. Nazis captured Jews, Americans rounded up Japanese, many people responded to this sudden conflict in a negative way, but some responded in a positive way. Having a positive attitude is the best response to conflict, especially in the time of war. A couple of books represent how two people named Anne Frank and Winston Churchill respond to conflict when it comes their way. One of these is Anne Frank:…

    • 919 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The difference between the American’s direct strategy and the peripheral strategy of the British focused on Prime Minster Winston Churchill’s traditional approach through a naval based power and a large army by fighting small peripheral operations to gradually weaken the enemy. The United States with a powerful army felt a stronger direct fighting force of the German Army was the most effective strategy. The United States commanders argued for the invasion of France to end the war in Europe. The British advocated for operations in the Mediterranean.…

    • 1246 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    After graduating top three of his class, and before ever thinking or going into politics, Winston Churchill served and worked as a writer for the British Military post. Years into his military career, and numerous amounts of positions in the military branch, he was voted to be on the parliament seat after he left the army in 1899. In this position he faced many problems as to which political party he joined and agreed with, to the decisions that were made in the parliament which affected his reputation as a leader. Then when he was voted off and his conservative party was disbanded in 1929, he spent the next few years concentrating on his writing and began to publish his works. During 1933-1939, as Germany was rising to power, Churchill advocated the threat Hitler posed and at the same time criticized Prime Minister Chamberlain, yet his words were ignored.…

    • 1180 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Jack Churchill is an underrated legend of WWII, he went into combat using a Scottish broadsword and a long bow. He was the only man to get a confirmed kill with a longbow in WWII. He once was playing "March of the Cameron Men" on his bagpipes before throwing a grenade and running into battle. He escaped a nazi concentration camp with a royal air force officer trying to make it to the Baltic Sea but they were caught a few kilometers from their destination. During his service Jack Churchill received numerous medals and accolades.…

    • 197 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The main ideas presented in Major Problems in the History of World War II: Chapter 4 revolve around the analysis of the use of strategic bombing and its effects on the war. Documents presented in this chapter focus on the importance of naval and air warfare as well as the most effective way to defeat Germany as presented by allied leaders. Historians Richard Overy and Michael S. Sherry provide their analyses of the importance of airpower in the war and how it affected all parties involved in the war. Overy discusses the importance of naval and air power and how strategic bombings were able to shape the outcome of the war, while Sherry talks more about the destruction caused by the bombings during the war was directly linked to fanaticism that…

    • 1109 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    World War 2 Vs Ww2 Essay

    • 955 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Emily Broussard Mrs. Trahan English 10 p.1 9 November 2016 World War I vs. World War II World War I and World War II are two extensive outcomes of our world history. Not only did they occur at different time periods, but they also both are similar and different from each other. According to their reasons, outcomes, and approaches they each seem to have aligned in the same way.…

    • 955 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis of Their Finest Hours Their finest hour is a famous speech given by Winston Churchill on 18, June 1940. What happens in the unusual 1940? Let us walk into that year, an extremely terrible year, when England is fluttering about in the storm. Not long before the outbreak of the Second World War, under the Germany’s crazy assault, Austria, Finland, Belgium…have already licked the dust. Maybe the German is fully prepared, France, which claims to be the first power in the European Continent, capitulates to Germany in an unbelievably short time.…

    • 1459 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “The Battle of France is over. I expect the Battle of Britain is about to begin” Winston Churchill. The Battle of Britain was an aerial battle between Great Britain and the Nazi’s, a battle between Churchill and Hitler, and a battle between the Royal Air Force (RAF) and The Luftwaffe. The Battle of Britain had an affect on World War II because of the Airstrikes on British cities, the first uses of the air force, and the Nazi’s first big loss.…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In early June of 1940, France was on the verge of capitulation. After a series of failed maneuvers, British forces were forced to evacuate at Dunkirk; mainland Europe was being dominated by the armies of Nazi Germany. On June 18, as morale was sinking, newly incumbent British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill stood before the House of Commons to deliver what is now one of the most recognizable pieces of oratory of the Twentieth Century. In his “Finest Hour” speech, Churchill addressed the recent military blunders, and sought to assure Britons that the British Empire would fight with an untiringly, just as they had done a generation ago. The speech was also broadcasted on BBC Radio that evening to reach a greater audience.…

    • 975 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He wrote an article called “The Cult of the Offensive and the Origins of the First World War” and in this article he makes many points on why the Cult of the Offensive was the origination of the First World War. The primary argument for this article was that the Cult of the Offensive was the cause of World War I. He argues that this was very prominent in the decades leading up to the First World War. Military leaders as well as civilian elites glorified the offensive and strategies that came from them.…

    • 1147 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Contrasting World War I versus. World War II History is the past, and it’s important to reflect on the past, to help ensure that as a society we don’t repeat mistakes. At the time of both World War I and World War II, each became the largest war in history up until that point. Each war shared tremendous amounts of death, and the involvement of many countries, so it’s crucial to analyze the causes and the factors of each war to truly see the nature of the circumstances revolving both wars.…

    • 1610 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Darkest Hour Analysis

    • 1263 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Churchill was an ex-senior official in the British Army, who then sat on the House of Commons, and in 1940 became Prime Minister of Great Britain. Great Britain were going through a rough patch at the time of his appointment, Germany were about to invade France, and the country did not trust then Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to lead them through the war. The movie starts with Chamberlain resigning, which occurred on the 10th of May 1940. Despite doubt from a lot of the Conservative Party, who wanted Viscount Halifax as leader, the senior officials recommended Churchill to King George VI, who then appointed Churchill as Prime…

    • 1263 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays