Winston Churchill: Leading by Waging an Ethical War

Winston Churchill’s critics accused him being a warmonger through much of his early political career and the label often remains associated with Churchill even today. Before most, Churchill recognized the evilness of the Nazi regime and continual deterioration of freedom across the European Continent resulting from the rise of dictatorships in Germany, Russia, and Italy. Churchill’s desire to fight stemmed from an ethical resolve in the protection of freedom, democratic principles, and human life.

An article titled “Universal Human Values: Finding an Ethical Common Ground,” by Rushworth M. Kidder and published in Leadership Development Studies: A Humanities Approach, provides a link between courage and ethical leadership which Churchill strongly represents. In the article, Kidder quotes Nien Cheng’s thoughts on courage and ethics. Cheng said, “One should basically know what is right and what is wrong, and, when you know that, be courageous enough to stand for what is right” (Kidder 121).

Churchill strongly stood for his ethical convictions “On 1 October [1938], [when] Chamberlain [the British Prime Minister] returned to an ecstatic public reception in London following his meeting with Hitler at Munich” (Churchill 171) This was the day that Hitler made a peace agreement with Chamberlain “pledging that Britain and Germany would never again go to war” (171). For this, Chamberlain was credited as a hero. While celebrations of peace ensued, Winston Churchill courageously argued that the agreement was worthless and war would be inevitable. “At this point Churchill could number his political allies in the House on the fingers of one hand” (171).

Here is a video of the celebration of the "accomplishments" of Hitler and Chamberlain:

Facing enormous pressure, Churchill audaciously addressed his countrymen and shared his bleak vision of the future based upon Hitler’s peace agreement. A key aspect of the peace agreement allowed Nazi Germany’s occupation of Czechoslovakia to continue. Churchill despised this appeasement and felt that Britain and France failed the Czechoslovakian people. Further, he believed that Britain’s quest for peace created vulnerability for the entire European Continent.

Below are some of Churchill’s powerful and ethical words on 1 October 1938:

           

“Many people, no doubt, honestly believe that they are only giving away the interests of Czechoslovakia, whereas I fear we shall find that we have deeply compromised, and perhaps fatally endangered, the safety and even the independence of Great Britain and France. This in not merely a question of giving up the German colonies, as I am sure we shall be asked to do. Nor is it a question only of losing influence in Europe. It goes far deeper than that. You have to consider the character of the Nazi movement and the rule which it implies. The Prime Minister desires to see cordial relations between this country and Germany. There is no difficulty at all in having cordial relations with the German people. Our hearts go out to them. But they have no power. You must have diplomatic and correct relations, but there can never be friendship between the British democracy and the Nazi Power, that Power which spurns Christian ethics, which cheers its onward course by a barbarous paganism, which vaunts the spirit of aggression and conquest, which derives strength and perverted pleasure from persecution, and uses, and we have seen, with pitiless brutality the threat of murderous force. That Power cannot ever be the trusted friend of the British democracy” (179).

Works Cited

Churchill, Winston S. Never Give In!: The Best of Winston Churchill’s Speeches. New York: Hyperion, 2003. Print.

Kidder, Rushworth. “Universal Human Values: Finding an Ethical Common Ground.” Leadership Development Studies: A Humanities Approach. Jackson: Phi Theta Kappa, 2008. 117-121. Print.

Neville Chamberlain - Peace in our Time. Wolfmanwill, 2010. YouTube.Com. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.

Winston Churchill’s Greatest Attributes as a Leader: Articulating a Vision and Empowering Others

Winston Churchill is arguably the most successful captain and coach of the 20^th century. Churchill inspired a nation that strongly favored appeasement and peace to take up arms and go to war. He spoke of victory as if it were inevitable, even when it was doubtfully bleak. Ultimately, the European Continent and most likely the world would look tragically different today without the leadership of Winston Churchill.

In the 1930’s, Britain maintained a strong distaste for war because of the suffering endured by the previous generation and World War I. Hitler took advantage of this sentiment and took back German territory lost in World War I, while vastly expanding the German military and violating the World War I peace agreement, the Treaty of Versailles. As all of this occurred, Churchill wanted to intervene and stop Hitler. Churchill expressed his displeasure with appeasement in Parliament, with public addresses, and internationally with diplomatic addresses across Europe and the American Continent.

Once Hitler invaded Poland, France and Britain were forced to declare war on Germany. As a result, a weakened Neville Chamberlain left the office of Prime Minister and Winston Churchill assumed the position and established his wartime cabinet. Interestingly, Winston Churchill was the second choice for appointment to the position. However, Churchill’s often publicly expressed intuition of the Nazi agenda made him an extremely popular selection.

Churchill’s greatest challenge would be inspiring his British countrymen to fight and continue the fight for many years after France swiftly surrendered to Germany. Justin Lyons wrote the article “Winston Churchill and the Rhetorical Challenges of Democratic Statesmanship,” where he details Churchill’s greatness for inspiration: “To persuade a nation that desires peace above all to undertake the risks and effort of preparing for and waging war takes a leader who is both courageous and possessed of rhetorical skill” (Lyons).

In Churchill’s first speech as Prime Minister, he delivered a rousing speech to rally his call to war. One of the most inspirational lines in the speech was the following declaration: “We have differed and quarreled in the past; but now one bond unites us all – to wage war until victory in won, and never to surrender ourselves to servitude and shame, whatever the cost and agony may be” (Churchill xxi). As a leader, Churchill uses rhetorical tact to inspire both his political enemies and friends. He asks that all parties put their differences aside and unite under one ultimate a just cause.

According to Lyons, “Churchill's great gift was his ability to stamp his own unyielding courage and determination onto a fearful and vacillating populace” (Lyons). Churchill ultimately adhered to his own truth and never changed course. It was this attribute that earned him such great respect politically and it was this resolve that he provided to the British people during the war. 

Works Cited

Churchill, Wintson S. Never Give In!: The Best of Winston Churchill’s Speeches. New York: Hyperion, 2003. Print.

Lyons, Justin D. "Winston Churchill and the rhetorical challenges of democratic statesmanship." Perspectives on Political Science 35.1 (2006): Academic OneFile. Web. 22 Apr. 2013.

Winston Churchill Served His Country Long Before Serving All of Humanity

Winston Churchill began his military career by graduating from Sandhurst the Royal Military College. According to the National Churchill Museum, “Churchill displayed conspicuous physical courage on the battlefield,” and he documented the military experience for the British newspapers (National Churchill Museum). Further, Churchill’s newspaper writing gained him great fame in Britain and also established the foundation for his political career.

Churchill’s military service included action in the Northwest frontier command post in India, and the battle of Omdurman in the Sudan. Once Churchill’s service as a soldier ended, he continued to live and work at the British battlefronts as a correspondent. His accounts from the front lines turned into bestselling books and made Churchill a successful author.

In 1899, Churchill was taken as a prisoner of war in South Africa. “Two weeks later, Churchill scaled a wall and evaded recapture by traveling at night, receiving help from local British supporters, and stowing away on supply trains. With a ‘dead or alive’ price on his head, he traveled 300 miles in nine days to reach Portuguese East Africa (now Mozambique)” (National Churchill Museum.).

(Churchill as prisoner of war)

Robert Kagan, author of the New York Times published article “An Officer and a Bulldog,” wrote about Churchill’s love of danger and growing reputation: “By 1900 his fame as a soldier, along with his best-selling books, catapulted him into Parliament. That year Mark Twain introduced him in New York as the ‘hero of five wars, author of six books and future prime minister of England.’ Churchill was 26 years old” (Kagan).

Military service exemplifies a leader’s ability to serve for a greater cause. Churchill grew into a man during his military service, which set the stage for his incredible political career. Ultimately, Churchill would not have been such a successful wartime Prime Minister during World War II if it had not been for his military experience. However, his war cabinet and the American General Eisenhower would have preferred Churchill lead as a politician more than a war advisor during the Second World War. For better or worse, that just was not Churchill’s way.

Works Cited

Kagan, Robert. "An Officer and a Bulldog." New York Times 09 Nov 2008: C48. ProQuest. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.

National Churchill Museum. Westminster College, 2013. Web. 21 April 2013.

Winston Churchill: Realizing Change when it Counts

Winston Churchill’s political foes viewed Churchill as a stubborn and unwilling man. However, Churchill often benefited from his own intense determination and propensity to be correct. In at least one case, Churchill recognized strategic recklessness committed by Adolf Hitler and significantly changed his own rhetoric. Prior to “Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941,” Churchill publically expressed his disgust for communism and Stalin’s Soviet Union (Best 251). Further, Churchill despised the existing agreements between Stalin and Hitler. But, when Hitler broke that agreement, Churchill quickly took advantage of the situation.

According to Geoffrey Best, author of the book Churchill: A Study in Greatness, “His [Churchill’s] mind was not unprepared for this somersault….Churchill supposed that the makers of Soviet foreign policy, if they were sensible, would be as ready for a military alliance with ‘the West’; and ‘the West’, if it was sensible, ought to be ready for a military alliance with the Soviet Union” (252).

Churchill’s leadership decision to embrace the Soviets greatly aided in the overall war effort. Without British support, there was fear that the Soviets would once again compromise with Hitler and strengthen Germany’s war effort. Furthermore, once the Soviets were fully engaged in the war, the Hitler’s army was forced to fight on an eastern and western front. This significantly weakened the once strong German position.

Once the allies claimed victory in Europe, Churchill quickly became anti-communist and anti-Soviet Union once again. He made many efforts to warn America’s new President, Harry Truman, of the danger involved in reaching agreements with Stalin. Churchill’s intuition once again proved correct when the Soviet Army tore through China to reach Japan for several weeks after the Japanese surrendered to the Allies. Ultimately, Stalin’s motive was to extend the borders and power of the Soviet Union, not to make peace. As this disaster took place, the iron curtain was rising across Europe and Asia.

In 1944 Churchill reportedly said, “Trying to maintain good relations with a Communist is like wooing a crocodile. You do not know whether to tickle it under the chin or to beat it over the head” (251). 

(Churchill on left and Stalin on right)

Works Cited

Best, Geoffrey. Churchill A Study in Greatness. New York: Hambledon and London, 2001. Print.

Winston Churchill Speech - Hitler the Guttersnipe. Informative Entertainers. 2013. YouTube.Com. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.

Recent News: Winston Churchill Honored April 2013 with Placement on £5 Note

On April 26, 2013 BBC News reported that Sir Winston Churchill will be featured on the new £5 note.

Kevin Peachey authored article titled "Sir Winston Churchill to Feature on New Banknote." In the article, Peachey explains, "Sir Winston Churchill will feature on the the new design of a banknote which will enter circulation in 2016, the Bank of England has announced." Clearly, Churchill's contribution to the world and England are still being celebrated.

The Bank of England's Bank Governor, Sir Mervyn King, said of the note, "Our banknotes acknowledge the life and work of great Britons. Sir Winston Churchill was a truly great British leader, orator and writer.... Above that, he remains a hero of the entire free world. His energy courage, courage, eloquence, wit and public service are an inspiration to us all."

The full article can be seen here at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22306707

Peachey, Kevin. “Sir Winston Churchill to Feature on New Banknote.” BBC.co.uk. BBC, 26 Apr. 2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2013.