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In Munich on 30 August 1932, six months before Hitler took power in Germany, Winston Churchill came as close as he ever would to meeting Hitler face to face, amid sobering scenes of marching, chanting brownshirts singing Die Horst Wessel Lied.

"Wars are not caused by the build-up of weapons. They are caused when an aggressor believes he can achieve his objectives at an acceptable price." - Margaret Thatcher

The most tremendous monuments or prodigies of engineering crumble under the hand of Time. But words spoken two or three thousand years ago remain with us now, not as mere relics of the past, but, leaping across the gulf of ages they light the world for us today. In this article, Lewis E. Lehrman explains how Churchill and Lincoln were both students of history and were both determined to act historically.

"Churchill welcomed me with old-fashioned Victorian courtesy, bade me sit down, and we at once embarked on history, paying me the compliment of taking me for the professional, himself the amateur."

President Lincoln and Prime Minister Churchill found themselves challenged by wars of national survival. Even though their early lives appear to be different, there are similar aspects in their educational preparation.

Defying the notion that Winston Churchill has little to say to us today, over 500 registrants and 200 students attended a Hillsdale College seminar on the celebrated statesman sponsored by Hillsdale’s Center for Constructive Alternatives and Churchill Project for the Study of Statesmanship. Numerous participants who have dedicated their lives to Winston Churchill offered erudite remarks at the event, including Minnie Churchill.

Sir Martin Gilbert, the official biographer of Winston Churchill, speaks at Hillsdale College on September 22, 2005 as part of the Distinguished Fellow Lecture Series.

Churchill's speech, given at Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, on March 5, 1946, marked the advent of the Cold War between Russia and the West. Churchill’s message was twofold: both a warning of dangers of renewed conflict after World War II, and an outstretched hand seeking peace and stability.

Sir Martin Gilbert, the official biographer of Winston Churchill, speaks at Hillsdale College on September 7, 2006 as part of the Distinguished Fellow Lecture Series.

When and where possible, Churchill allowed as much devolution, self-government, and control of local affairs as he believed prudent. History has proved his cautions accurate and his decisions commendable in light of his circumstances and knowledge.

Watch Richard M. Langworth, author of Churchill in His Own Words, speak at Hillsdale College's National Leadership Seminar "Churchill's True Greatness: Lessons for Today" in Denver, CO, April 21.