Churchill -- Biographies of World Famous People

Author: Zhang Jialin, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-10-01
Features: Winston Churchill (1874–1965) was a British statesman and strategist. He was born in Oxfordshire, England, at the Duke of Marlborough's family home. From a young age, he developed a stubborn personality. After graduating from the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, in 1895, he served as a cavalry officer and had the opportunity to meet the Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George V and Queen Mary, sparking his interest in politics. That same year, he joined the war in Cuba as a war correspondent to suppress the Cuban people's uprising. From 1896 to 1898, he accompanied the British army in suppressing the Indian nationalist uprising and the Mahdist revolt in Sudan. In 1899, he resigned from the military and joined the British army as a war correspondent in the Second Boer War, where he was captured but later escaped. Upon returning to the UK, he entered politics and was elected as a Conservative Party member of Parliament. In 1904, he switched to the Liberal Party. From 1906 to 1911, he served as Vice-Minister of Colonies, Minister of Commerce, and Home Secretary. He later became the Minister of the Navy. In November 1915, he was forced to resign due to the failure of the Dardanelles Campaign. He then served as a battalion commander in France. From 1917 to 1928, he held positions as Minister of Munitions, Minister of War, Minister of Air, and Chancellor of the Exchequer. During the Labour Party's administration from 1929 to 1939, he held no public office.
When World War II broke out, Churchill became the Minister of the Navy on September 3, 1939. On May 10, 1940, the very day Hitler launched the blitzkrieg against Western Europe, he became the Prime Minister of the British wartime cabinet, Minister of Finance and Minister of Defense, quickly shifting the national economy into a wartime. After the British army's evacuation from Dunkirk and France's surrender, he steadfastly led the British and British Commonwealth peoples in the anti-Fascist war, delivering a heavy blow to the German Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain and thwarting Hitler's attempt to invade Britain. Churchill particularly emphasized the protection of sea lanes and the unity of all anti-Fascist forces in the world. In September 1940, he approved an agreement with the United States to exchange 50 U.S. destroyers for British naval and air bases in the Western Hemisphere. In December, he requested President Roosevelt to increase aid and helped the U.S. pass the Lend-Lease Act. In January of the following year, he sent representatives from the Joint Chiefs of Staff to negotiate with the U.S. military, establishing the "Europe First" strategy.
On June 22, 1941, Hitler launched the blitzkrieg against the Soviet Union, and Churchill immediately announced aid to the USSR. On July 12, he signed a military agreement with the Soviet Union, stipulating joint actions and mutual support in the war against Germany, neither negotiating with Germany nor signing separate peace treaties. On August 13, he signed the Atlantic Charter with Roosevelt, outlining the joint Anglo-American policy and war objectives against Germany. On December 7, Japan launched a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, and the next day, Churchill declared war on Japan.
In January 1942, Churchill met with Roosevelt in Washington and decided to establish a Combined Chiefs of Staff Committee to coordinate Anglo-American strategy, jointly utilize resources and strategic materials, and participate in drafting and signing the Declaration by United Nations. On the issue of opening a second front in Western Europe, due to national interests, he repeatedly delayed and evaded. In January 1943, he met with Roosevelt in Casablanca and opposed opening a second front in 1943, advocating for strengthening the Mediterranean offensive and advancing into Italy. From November 22 to 26, 1943, Churchill met with Chiang Kai-shek and Roosevelt in Cairo and signed the Cairo Declaration. From November 28 to December 1, he met with Roosevelt and Stalin in Tehran, deciding to open a second front in Western Europe in May 1944, and discussed post-war Europe's new order and the establishment of international organizations, signing the Tehran Declaration and the Tehran General Agreement.
On June 6, 1944, as the German army was retreating on the Eastern Front, the Anglo-American forces launched the Normandy Landings, opening a second front in the war against Germany. In February 1945, Churchill met with Roosevelt and Stalin in Yalta and reached agreements on the division of Germany, the implementation of German control, the demarcation of Poland's borders, the composition of the government, and the voting procedures of the UN Security Council. From July 17 to 28, he met with Truman and Stalin in Potsdam. On August 2S, he resigned due to the Conservative Party's defeat in the election.
On March 5, 1946, Churchill delivered his "Iron Curtain" speech in Fulton, Missouri, advocating for a joint Anglo-American front against communism, marking the beginning of the post-war Cold War. In October 1948, he proposed the "Triple Circle" foreign policy, based on the special relationship between the UK and the U.S., the European Union, and the British Commonwealth. After the outbreak of the Korean War, Churchill opposed the U.S. expansion of the war and nuclear blackmail. In October 1951, he was re-elected Prime Minister and retired on April 5, 1955, due to old age. He authored works such as The Second World War.