Churchill, Winston

Cultural  

1. An English political leader and author of the twentieth century; he became prime minister shortly after World War II began and served through the end of the war in Europe. Churchill symbolized the fierce determination of the British to resist conquest by the Germans under Adolf Hitler. He forged a close alliance with Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States and Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union in opposition to Germany. Stunningly defeated in elections in 1945, he returned to office as prime minister for several years in the 1950s.

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Churchill's appearance was distinctive, with his bowler hat, cigars, portly frame, balding head, and two-finger “V for Victory” sign.

Churchill was known for his fine oratory. When he became prime minister, he said, “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.” Concerning the British airmen who fought in the Battle of Britain, he said, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” He originated the phrase “Iron Curtain.” As an author, he is especially remembered for two histories, A History of the English-Speaking Peoples and The Second World War.