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Q & A
Who was BW?
14
Apr
2017
What’s Best to Read on Churchill Postwar?
14
Apr
2017
“I shall be the one to save London”
14
Apr
2017
The Arts: “What are we fighting for”?
03
Feb
2017
1
By RICHARD M. LANGWORTH
There is a story that when Churchill was asked to cut funding to the arts in order to support the war effort in World War II, he responded “Then what would we be fighting for?” Although this quotation is not present in his writings, Winston Churchill valued the arts, especially painting and sculpture, as an essential component of national life.
Question Time: Churchill on Inconsistency
03
Feb
2017
By THE CHURCHILL PROJECT
Churchill reveled in answering questions from Parliament. He was remarkably skilled at doing so, as exemplified when he was accused of keeping inconsistent views. He simply responded: “My views are a harmonious process which keeps them in relation to the current movement of events.”
Churchill’s “Vast Gaps” of Knowledge
30
Jan
2017
By RICHARD M. LANGWORTH
Churchill, it appears, took the view that the mind is not infinitely expandable. Time and again, he exhibited vast gaps in economic and financial knowledge. His salvation was that he studied when he had to, and kept close knowledgeable friends to fill in the gaps. When it mattered, he sought out what he needed to know.
Criticizing Your Country Abroad
30
Jan
2017
By THE CHURCHILL PROJECT
As far as we can tell, there are no examples of Churchill criticizing British politics in speeches abroad. It is sometimes argued that criticizing one’s country is a sign of strength. Refraining from doing so, even if criticism is warranted, is a sign of greater strength. Churchill offered many apologies for British actions privately, when warranted, including overseas, in the course of World War II—but not in public forums.
“Wresting Victory…from the Narrowest of Margins”
12
Jan
2017
By THE CHURCHILL PROJECT
Question: I am editing a volume of papers and speeches by Field Marshal Lord Bramall, former Chief of Defence Staff and Chief of the General Staff here in Britain. He has quoted a saying from Churchill which I cannot pin down, and I wonder if you have it: “All the great struggles in history have been won by superior will power wresting victory in the face of odds or upon the narrowest of margins.”
HMS Cromwell? On the Naming of Warships
22
Dec
2016
“Americans Will Always Do the Right Thing…”
22
Nov
2016
Churchill’s Pride in his Father
22
Nov
2016
By THE CHURCHILL PROJECT
Churchill’s father, Lord Randolph Churchill, was his lifetime inspiration. The respect he felt was manifest early on, and continued throughout his life. Following his father’s death in 1895 at the age of only 46, Churchill wrote: “All my dreams of comradeship with him, of entering Parliament at his side and in his support, were ended. There remained for me only to pursue his aims and vindicate his memory.” This, Churchill certainly did.
Churchillisms: “Leave the Past to History” (which He will Write)
19
Oct
2016
2
By THE CHURCHILL PROJECT
Question: Malcolm MacDonald (son of Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald) records in his book, "Titans and Others," a Churchill confrontation with then-Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin in the House of Commons. “History will say the Rt. Hon. Gentleman is wrong in this matter,” Churchill says. “I know it will, for I shall write that history.” What was the date? Didn’t he say this frequently?