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.