On May 10, 1940, an event was to change both British and world history: in the midst of the German invasion of France, Winston Churchill became Prime Minister of Great Britain.
Having already served in various government positions, Churchill was clearly an experienced politician. His path, however, was not without obstacles. After the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign during World War I, Churchill, as First Lord of the Admiralty, was held personally responsible for the defeat of the Allied forces and suffered a serious political blow: he was demoted to Chancellor of the Duchy of the Admiralty, or Minister of Revenue . His political opponents immediately disapproved of him, and many of his former allies distanced themselves from him. In fact, he went so far as to lose his seat in Parliament in the 1922 election. This defeat was partly due to popular discontent over his role in the disastrous outcome of the Gallipoli campaign and his association with the coalition government led by Conservative at the time. His political views and controversial positions on issues such as free trade versus protectionism and his opposition to Indian self-government also contributed to occasional electoral defeats in the following years. Despite these setbacks, Churchill remained resilient, often returning to Parliament after short absences, and continued to contribute to public life through his writings and speeches.
During the interwar period, as Germany rapidly rearmed in violation of the Treaty of Versailles, while the victorious powers continued to disarm, Churchill sounded the alarm, but his warnings went unheeded. A major concern for the experienced statesman was the development of the German air force, the Luftwaffe, especially at a time when Great Britain had no air defenses capable of repelling German attacks.
A turning point in these developments was the annexation of Austria by Germany (Anschluss) in 1938. In the meantime, the Chamberlain government pursued a policy of appeasement towards Hitler, believing that this was the only way to avoid another disastrous world war. But when German forces invaded Czechoslovakia in September 1939, Churchill and his supporters gained ground. The British people wanted Churchill in government, which he did. On 3 September 1939, Great Britain declared war on Germany – and Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty.
In the meantime, the Chamberlain administration continued to follow a discretionary policy, without undertaking the initiatives that would interrupt the course of Nazi Germany. In April 1940 Nazi troops invaded Norway. Reactions in Britain were strong, with the government losing the support of Parliament and the people more and more quickly.
In the early morning hours of May 10, the Germans invade Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, preparing the ground for their attack on France. The Labor Party refused to ally with Chamberlain’s Conservatives and serve under his leadership, but did not rule out working with another Conservative. All eyes were on Churchill and Lord Halifax, then Foreign Secretary. Halifax himself declared that he was unable to govern effectively and thus the way to the Prime Ministership was opened for Churchill. When King George VI gave him the prime ministership, Churchill felt that his whole life had been a preparation for that moment and that test, as he would later say.
A few days later, on 13 May, the new Prime Minister (who also took over the Ministry of Defense) took the floor of the House of Commons to cheers. On that day, Churchill would deliver one of his most famous speeches that would cement his place as one of the most important political leaders of the 20th century. The next day, Kathimerini published his speech:
“I received the evening of last Friday from A.M. the King the order to form the new government. Obviously the will and desire of the Parliament and the nation was that the new government should have as broad a base as possible to include all parties, both those that supported the previous government and those in opposition. I have already completed the most important part of this work. The War Council was made up of five members, representing with the liberals of the opposition the unity of the nation. Three party leaders were accepted to participate in the War Council. […]
“We must remember that we are in the preliminary stage of one of the greatest battles in history, that we are in action in many other places – in Norway and Holland – and we must be ready in the Mediterranean, that the air battle continues and that many preparations must be made in the country as well. […]
“I say to the Parliament, as they also said to the ministers, who are part of the Government, that I have nothing to offer to work until blood, tears and sweat. We have before us the rather tough test. We have before us many months of struggle and trial. If I am asked what our policy is, I say that it is to carry on the war (cheers), the war by land, by sea and in the air, the war with all the means at our disposal and with all the power that God has given us. gave, and to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, which exceeded the list of all dark and deplorable human crimes (cheers). This is our policy. If I am asked what our purpose is, I can give the answer in one word: It is Victory (cheers), victory in spite of all sacrifice, victory in spite of all danger, victory, no matter how long and hard the road to achievement is. her, because without victory the English empire and the ideals on which it is based cannot survive. I think I have the right at this moment to ask for everyone’s help and I say: Forward everyone with our united strength”.
The British counterattack had begun.
Column editor: Myrto Katsigera, Vassilis Minakakis, Antigoni-Despina Poimenidou, Athanasios Syroplakis
