History UsefulNotes / WinstonChurchill

->''[[RousingSpeech We shall go on to the end]], we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; [[{{Determinator}} we shall never surrender]], and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then [[TheBritishEmpire our Empire beyond the seas]], armed and guarded by [[UsefulNote/BritsWithBattleships the British Fleet]], would carry on the struggle, until, [[GondorCallsForAid in God's good time]], [[AmericaSavesTheDay the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the Old]].''

->''[[RousingSpeech We shall go on to the end]], we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; [[{{Determinator}} we shall never surrender]], and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then [[TheBritishEmpire our Empire beyond the seas]], armed and guarded by [[UsefulNote/BritsWithBattleships the British Fleet]], would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, [[AmericaSavesTheDay the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the Old]].''

->''We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the Old.''

* GoodNewsBadNews: Used in a reverse way in his WWII chronicles. Reportedly, after learning about the attack on Pearl Harbor and on the British possesion in East Asia, Churchill broke out a bottle of champagne and said, "We've won the war", since this meant AwakeningTheSleepingGiant, his longtime daydream.

* IWasQuiteALooker: Prior to looking like a very large ugly baby in a suit, he was actually a rather handsome man.

* RousingSpeech: Pretty much the [[TheEternalChurchill real-life king]] of this trope. Seriously, go read that page quote again. He's perhaps the only person in history to be awarded a Nobel Prize for his [[http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1953/ speeches.]] Someone once said that he "weaponized the English language for use against tyranny."

* The ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' series imply that he was a son of the Big Three; Hades, Poseidon or Zeus. Its Wiki reveals that he is the son of Poseidon

A real-life BunnyEarsLawyer, he once had a meeting with FranklinDRoosevelt while he was taking a bath, had little awareness of social mannerisms and sometimes wandered around his house naked. He more or less had a drink with him at all times, thus the, "You, sir, are drunk!", quote. [[CerebusSyndrome He also suffered from depression, which he called his "black dog".]]

** Churchill and the Conservatives were defeated by the Labour Party in 1945 (soon after Victory-Europe-day but before Victory-Japan-day) as the people deemed his martial traits and general agenda were not useful for a post-war Britain in need of reforms.

->''We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, thenour Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the Old.''

Churchill took over as Prime Minister after NevillChamberlain resigned in 1940 after the Nazis invaded Norway and invited the Labour Party to join his government. From 1940-1941, the {{UK}} was the only country fighting against Germany and Churchill made some of his most famous speeches around this time, which are credited for keeping the country's fighting spirit alive. The situation improved after the {{USSR}} and {{USA}} joined the following year. Churchill became a close friend of FranklinDRoosevelt and managed to [[EnemyMine work effectively with Stalin]], despite being strongly anti-communist.

Famously, his party were [[LandslideElection routed by the Labour Party in a general election]] a few months after the war ended. It appears voters considered a fine wartime leader but didn't think he would be good at governing the country in peacetime. This reflects the view historians have on him. He later recovered and did win a second term from 1951 until his retirement from frontline politics in 1955 (during this time, ElizabethII became Queen). [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks His second term as Prime Minister is generally regarded a lot less favourably than his first]]. He died in 1965, three months after retiring from Parliament, and his state funeral became one of the most watched and attended funerals in history.

Winning a world war (and funding the invention of the [[TankGoodness tank]]) will get a lot of people to forget your less popular policies, and some were very unpopular. Gallipoli and the gold standard are mentioned above. He was again isolated in the 1930s due to his opposition to Indian autonomy and the abdicated of Edvard VIII. Furthermore, in 1943, while PM, ignored a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_famine_of_1943 famine in Bengal]], which eventually killed 4 million people. Given that the war was getting increasingly desperate at that time, his distraction might have been somewhat understandable--but he also expressed disappointment at one point that Gandhi was not killed by it. He was also a noted racist, like many leaders and people at the time, believing that one should not help the Palestinians from subjugation by Israel, because "a superior race naturally conquers an inferior one", and supported the use of non-lethal gas on rebellious Iraqis and other "uncivilised tribes" who had been attacking those under nominal British protection. He was also known for supporting eugencies and especially the British Empire.

* Appeared in "Victory of the Daleks", the third episode of the 2010 series of ''Series/DoctorWho''. [[spoiler: He and the Doctor are apparently old friends, and he keeps trying to swipe the TARDIS key from the Doctor.]] He also turns up in the season finale "The Wedding of River Song" in an corrupted version of the universe where every time is happening at once, where [[spoiler: he intrinsically trusts the Doctor due to feeling echoes of their friendship in the proper timeline.]]
** Interestingly, in the latter, he is not prime minister; he is [[AnachronismStew Holy Roman Emperor]].

** You really shouldn't be surprised, this ''is'' Turtledove after all. Like how every time Sam Carsten comes back to the fore we have to be told how easily he burns, and how pale his skin is, and how he always has to wear zinc oxide cream while on deck duty, and how he's sensitive to the Sun, etc, etc. If he thinks something's worth saying, Turtledove says it over and over again.

** Churchill would have liked nothing more. Roosevelt, however, was convinced he had a rapport going with Stalin and that he could "deal with him".
** Roosevelt died in office in April 1945; his successor Truman was inexperienced and did not expect to be elevated to the Presidency. Stalin played on this inexperience, as he did when the British leadership changed following the general election of May 1945. Truman and Atlee were no match for the Russian leader, and both were naive enough to think Stalin could be trusted.
*** Probably not as it would have required a lot of blood and even he was tired of war by then. He would have liked to if he could snap his fingers and get rid of Stalin though.
*** I think the fact that military intervention in the USSR could only be considered and not acted upon is summed up by the name of the British plans for such an eventuality: Operation Unthinkable
* In ''Film/TheKingsSpeech'', about the abdication of Edward VIII and the ascension of George VI to the throne, Churchill was played by Creator/TimothySpall. He appears to encourage Albert to take on the role of king, and also shares how he too once had a speech impediment.
** Spall also played Churchill in the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 OlympicGames.

* BornInTheWrongCentury: Actually he was born in exactly the right century as he was born in the third quarter of the nineteenth and was in many ways a stereotypical Victorian. However most of his life was spent in the twentieth century. [[ZigZaggedTrope Which, as it happens, was the right century, since because of World War Two...]]

* CassandraTruth : He unsuccessfully spent the 30s trying to warn of the danger that Hitler posed to Europe, and of the lack of Britain's preparedness for war. The first chapter of his war memoirs is named [[AStormIsComing The Gathering Storm]].

* {{Determinator}}: Summed up in one of his catchphrases, "Keep Buggering On".
** Even in his own life. Nearly killed in a car wreck, lieutenant in the militia and later obese, cigar smoking and drinking like there was no tomorrow. And yet he STILL lived to 91!

* TheGoodChancellor: Well, that's what a Prime Minister is, right?
** Although Churchill's earlier stint as the ''actual'' Chancellor was rather disastrous.

* MilitaryMaverick: He criticized Kitchener in the press while a serving officer.
** That would also be ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections.

** Also Churchill diverting General Wavell's forces to defend Greece. Greece and Crete were lost anyway and the delay in the Libyan offensive enabled the Africa Corp time to deploy there.
*** However, as the Churchill Museum in London makes a point of noting, unlike Hitler Churchill never actually overruled his generals.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: At one point, when shown film footage of the bombing campaign against German cities, he burst out "Are we beasts? Are we taking this too far?"
** Also, his remark in his history of the Great War that the only atrocities that ''hadn't'' been committed by the "civilized" nations who fought the war had been "Torture, and Cannibalism; and those had been of doubtful expediency." As First Lord of the Admiralty he had been, of course, a senior political leader of one of the nations that had fought so dirty.

* RousingSpeech: Pretty much the [[TheEternalChurchill real-life king]] of this trope. Seriously, go read that page quote again.
** He's perhaps the only person in history to be awarded a Nobel Prize for his [[http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1953/ speeches.]] Someone once said that he "weaponized the English language for use against tyranny."

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Churchill almost met Hitler in person at a conference in the 1930s, but it ended up being cancelled, so they never met.

->''[[RousingSpeech We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air]], [[HeroicResolve we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be]], [[BadassBoast we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills]]; [[{{Determinator}} we shall never surrender]], and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, [[DayOfTheJackboot this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving]], then [[TheBritishEmpire our Empire beyond the seas]], armed and guarded by the [[BritsWithBattleships British Fleet]], [[YouAreNotAlone would carry on the struggle]], until, in God's good time, [[AmericaSavesTheDay the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the Old.]]''

* PassingTheTorch: In 1955, when he was very infirm, to the unsuccessful AnthonyEden. Most historians remark the transition was made too late, as Churchill's [[{{Sequelitis}} second term as prime minister was a failure]].

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill (1874-1965). [[KnightFever Knight of the Garter, Order of Merit, Companion of Honor, Territorial Decoration, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Fellow of the Royal Society]], [[NobelPrizeInLiterature Nobel laurate]], first Honorary Citizen in United States history, and almost the Duke of London.

British Prime Minister, 1940-1945, 1951-55. Helped win WorldWarII, then won a Nobel Prize for writing about it in a six-volume {{Doorstopper}}.

Switched political parties twice in his very long career (Conservative to Liberal, then back again). A very much beloved British Prime Minister, he is famous for his [[DeadpanSnarker constant wit]] (e.g. Bessie Braddock MP: "You, sir, are drunk!" Churchill: "And you are ugly. Tomorrow morning, madam, I shall be sober."), his cigar-smoking (his scowl in the famous portrait, shown above, is because the photographer took his cigar away) and the Victory salute ("the bird" inverted, although ''he'' didn't invert it.)

Winning a world war (and funding the invention of the [[TankGoodness tank]]) will get a lot of people to forget your less popular policies, and some were very unpopular. He resigned from the War Cabinet in WorldWarOne after the failure of Gallipoli and his opposition to Indian autonomy played a large part in his isolation in the 1930s. Furthermore, [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks his second term as Prime Minister is generally regarded a lot less favourably than his first; the general rule is that he's considered a fine wartime leader, but not very suited to peacetime.]] In 1943, while PM, he did nothing to solve a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_famine_of_1943 famine in Bengal]], which eventually killed 4 million people--instead expressing disappointment that Gandhi was not killed by it, however given that the war was getting increasingly desperate at that time, his distraction was somewhat understandable. He was also a noted racist, like many leaders and people at the time, believing that one should not help the Palestinians from subjugation by Israel, because "a superior race naturally conquers an inferior one", and supported the use of non-lethal gas on rebellious Iraqis and other "uncivilised tribes" who had been attacking those under nominal British protection.

[[OfficerAndAGentleman He'd been in the army before going into politics]] and was also a [[IntrepidReporter war correspondent]]. As well as his Nobel Prize-winning book on the SecondWorldWar (not the most reliable source, but an invaluable memoir), he wrote [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a history of the English-speaking peoples]] and a largely forgotten political thriller called ''Savrola: A Tale of the Revolution in Laurania''.

* {{Jerkass}}
** JerkWithAHeartOfGold

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill (1874-1965). [[KnightFever Knight of the Garter, Order of Merit, Companion of Honor, Territorial Decoration, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Fellow of the Royal Society]], Nobel laurate, first Honorary Citizen in United States history, and almost the Duke of London.

* Ken Follett's DoorStopper novel ''[[Literature/TheCenturyTrilogy Fall of Giants]]'' features Churchill during WorldWarOne.

* BigGood: While he wasn't exactly a grade A good guy, he held this postion with FranklinDRoosevelt during WorldWarII.

* DemocracyIsBad: As the man himself said, "The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter."
** But he did also say "No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time", so it would seem although he felt that democracy was far from perfect, it was still notably less imperfect than the alternatives.

Winning a world war (and funding the invention of the [[TankGoodness tank]]) will get a lot of people to forget your less popular policies, and some were very unpopular. He resigned from the War Cabinet in WorldWarOne after the failure of Gallipoli and his opposition to Indian autonomy played a large part in his isolation in the 1930s. Furthermore, [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks his second term as Prime Minister is generally regarded a lot less favourably than his first; the general rule is that he's considered a fine wartime leader, but not very suited to peacetime.]] In 1943, while PM, he did nothing to solve a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_famine_of_1943 famine in Bengal]], which eventually killed 4 million people--instead expressing disappointment that Gandhi was not killed by it, however given that the war was getting increasingly desperate at that time, his distraction was somewhat understandable. He was also a noted racist, like most leaders and people at the time, believing that one should not help the Palestinians from subjugation by Israel, because "a superior race naturally conquers an inferior one", and supported the use of non-lethal gas on rebellious Iraqis and other "uncivilised tribes" who had been attacking those under nominal British protection.

* In ''Film/TheKingsSpeech'', about the abdication of Edward VIII and the ascension of George VI to the throne, Churchill was played by Creator/TimothySpall.

* BornInTheWrongCentury: Actually he was born in exactly the right century as he was born at the end of the nineteenth and was in many ways a stereotypical Victorian. However he ''lived'' in the twentieth century. [[ZigZaggedTrope Which, as it happens, was the right century, since because of World War Two...]]

->''[[RousingSpeech We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air]], [[HeroicResolve we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be]], [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMoments we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills]]; [[{{Determinator}} we shall never surrender]], and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, [[DayOfTheJackboot this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving]], then [[TheBritishEmpire our Empire beyond the seas]], armed and guarded by the [[BritsWithBattleships British Fleet]], [[YouAreNotAlone would carry on the struggle]], until, in God's good time, [[AmericaSavesTheDay the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the Old.]]''