WINSTON CHURCHILL
Background Information
• Born on 30 Nov 1874
• Father was a prominent Tory
[Conservative Party, Great Britain]
politician, Mother was an American
• Educated at Harrow and the Royal
Military College
Blenheim Palace
Background Information
• Churchill was closer to his mother and
idolised her whereas he had an estranged
relationship with his father
• Sensitive and suffered from a minor
speech impediment
• Failed the entrance tests for Royal
Military College thrice before finally
passing
Background Information
• Soldier-journalist, went to Cuba and
the North-West Frontier in India
• Penned books of military campaigns,
including those he partook in
[Reconquest of Sudan/Boer War]
• Courageous and loved action,
escaped from a South African prison
First Term as Prime Minister
• Lost in his first attempt to enter the House of
Commons in 1894 but succeeded in 1900
• Focus on radical reforms of societal issues
• Staunch liberal, stressing civil rights and
utilising governmental policies to promote
social progress
First Term as Prime Minister
• Became Prime Minister after Chamberlain
resigned
• Refused to any peace agreement with
Germany
• Led Britain to success during WW2
• Anti-communist
– Hated Nazism more
Defeat
• Despite the success in WW2, Churchill had many
opponents.
• He expressed contempt for several popular ideas, eg
creating a system of national public health care;
improving public education.
• Working class felt that the Conservative Party had
failed them in pre-war days.
• Defeated in 1945 general elections by Clement Attlee
and the Labour Party.
Defeat
• After his defeat, he devoted himself to painting and
writing.
• By spring 1946 Churchill was once again involved in
politics.
• Spoke out against the threat of communism in his
famous "Iron Curtain Speech" in Missouri.
• Spelled out his vision for a United States of Europe at
Zurich University.
• In February 1949, he spoke of the need for a
European Court of Human Rights.
Second Term As Prime Minister
• Churchill was once again elected Prime
Minister in the 1951 general election.
• During his second term as PM, there is a
continued decline of British military and
imperial prestige.
• His domestic priorities were overshadowed by
a series of foreign policy crises.
Second Term As Prime Minister
(Anglo-American relations)
• Churchill devoted much of his time in office to
international relations
• President Eisenhower elected in 1952
• Churchill made haste in arranging a meeting in hopes
of establishing a stronger relationship with US.
• Eisenhower was rather aggressive and
confrontational, did not get on well with him
• Made four official visits to America during his second
term as PM.
Second Term As Prime Minister
(British-Soviet relations)
• Stalin died in 1953
• Churchill tried to establish better relations with the
Soviet Union
• The death of Stalin meant that the Soviet Union
would be under better leadership than before
• Seized the opportunity to establish better BritishSoviet relations.
Second Term As Prime Minister
(The Malayan Emergency)
• In Malaya, a rebellion against British rule had been in
progress since 1948.
• Churchill chose to use direct military action against
those in rebellion.
• Over 40,000 British troops were stationed in Malaya.
• As the rebellion was slowly being defeated, it was
equally clear that Britain’s colonial rule was no longer
plausible.
• Malaya became independent in 1957.
Second Term As Prime Minister
(Mau Mau Rebellion)
• In 1951, Kenya African Union demanded greater
representation and land reform.
• When these demands were rejected, Mau Mau
Rebellion was launched in 1952.
• British troops flown to Kenya to deal with rebellion.
• As both sides increased the ferocity of their attacks, a
full-scale civil war broke out.
• Churchill appointed General Sir George Erskine, who
implemented Operation Anvil in 1954 that defeated
the rebellion in the city of Nairobi.
Later Life
• In summer 1949, Churchill suffered a mild stroke
while on holiday in the south of France.
• In June 1953, when he was 78, he suffered a more
severe stroke after meeting the Italian PM.
• Churchill was beginning to show signs of aging.
• Refused to wear his hearing aid in meetings,
conversations had to be done at a screaming
volume.
Retirement and Death
• Churchill retired as Prime Minister in 1955 because
he was slowing down both physically and mentally.
• On 15 January 1965, Churchill suffered from a severe
stroke that left him gravely ill.
• He died at his home nine days later, at age 90, on the
morning of 24 January 1965.
• A state funeral service was held at St Paul's
Cathedral. The Queen attended the funeral.
• He was buried in the family plot at St Martin's
Church, Bladon, not far from Blenheim Palace.
Traits
Visionary
Decisive
Passionate
• Foresaw the threat of Hitler
• Gallipoli Campaign
• "Success is going from failure to
failure without loss of enthusiasm."
Traits
Positive
TaskOriented
“自强不息”
• “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every
opportunity; an optimist sees the
opportunity in every difficulty.”
• Stuck to his agenda
• Not affected by what others think
• Resilient
• Did not give up although he has lost the
elections in 1945
Analysis of Leadership
Leadership
Good Leader
Great Leader
• Integrity
• Passionate
• Empathy
• Charismatic
• Inspiring
• Visionary
Analysis of Leadership
Is Churchill a good or great leader?
“Great and good are seldom the same man.”
Analysis of Leadership
References
http://www.winstonchurchill.org/
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRchurchill.htm
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1953/churchillbio.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/people/winston_churchill
http://famousrelationships.topsynergy.com/Winston_Churchill/Characteristics.asp
Foo Tze Han
Yu Sheng Jie
Joshua Lim
3B1