What did Winston Churchill do?

Although Winston Churchill did many things in his life, he is most famous for having led the United Kingdom through World War II.  Churchill was the Prime Minister of the UK from May 10, 1940 to July 26, 1945.  Those were the most important years of World War II in Europe and Churchill’s leadership is generally credited with allowing the UK to resist Hitler in the dark early days of the war.  He is also credited with helping the Allies defeat the Axis later in the war.

By the time World War II broke out, Churchill was already a relatively old man. He was 65 when he took office in 1940. He had been in government for decades, including the post of First Lord of the Admiralty in WWI. However, it is his actions during WWII that have made him a major historical figure.

WWII broke out in Europe in September of 1939.  At that point, Neville Chamberlain was prime minister. Chamberlain was responsible for the disastrous policy of appeasing Hitler and he presided as the Allied forces (including the British Expeditionary Force) were easily defeated by the Germans and driven off the continent.  Chamberlain resigned because of this poor performance.

At that point, Churchill stepped into office and was immediately aggressive in his stance against Germany.  Churchill rallied the English people with stirring speeches in which he vowed to resist German aggression with extreme vigor.  Churchill refused to allow the British to consider making peace with Hitler. He inspired Britons to persevere through the Blitz and through other events that made the Allies’ prospects seem dim.

Once the US entered the war, Churchill was also instrumental in the Allied victory. He formed a close relationship with American President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  This relationship helped the two countries work well together, ultimately defeating the Axis.

After the war, Churchill was voted out of office.  He later returned as prime minister in the early 1950s. Regardless of what he accomplished before and after WWII, Churchill is best-known as the aggressive and tenacious leader of the UK during WWII.