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India
Churchill on Amritsar: An Imperialist Speaks Out for Human Rights
“What I mean by frightfulness is the inflicting of great slaughter or massacre upon a particular crowd of people, with the intention of terrorising not merely the rest of the crowd, but the whole district or the whole country. We cannot admit this doctrine in any form. Frightfulness is not a remedy known to the British pharmacopoeia.” —WSC
Winston Churchill, Algernon West and “Superfluous Millions,” 1898
Churchill’s did tell West that “a philosopher,” not himself, might be unmoved by the loss of “superfluous millions.” That doesn’t altogether divorce him from what must seem a heartless remark today. In 1898 he was very young. Few of us would welcome hearing some of our words at age 24 represented as our lifetime philosophy. And Churchill is one of the most quoted historical figures.
“Why hasn’t Gandhi died yet?” Another Remark Churchill Never Said
Wavell’s and Churchill’s actions to ease the Bengal Famine are explained elsewhere. We focus here only on a misrepresentation of Churchill based on Viceroy Wavell’s diary: “Winston sent me a peevish telegram to ask why Gandhi hadn’t died yet!” Wavell did write this but it was not a quote—and fairly peevish itself. Why don’t the critics publish what Churchill actually said? Here it is…
Cambridge University Ends its Commission on Churchill’s Racism
To understand Winston Churchill, should we not be concerned with the truth—the actual evidence of what happened in the past?
The Effects of Race and Caste on Relief in the Bengal Famine, 1943-44
Communalization and politicization of food during the Bengal famine widened the chasm in Bengali society along the lines of religion.
Churchill and the Genocide Myth: Last Word on the Bengal Famine
Famine and Relief: Far from seeking to starve India, Churchill sought every possible way to alleviate the suffering without undermining the war effort.
Fake History Abounds in the film, “Viceroy’s House”
A recent film, Viceroy's House, narrates the story of the massacre in India following its independence and partition. While absolving the man most responsible—Louis Mountbatten—it charged Winston Churchill and his military secretary Hastings Ismay with the deaths of millions.
Did Churchill Exacerbate the Bengal Famine?
Reviewing a recent book, The Churchill Factor, by London Mayor Boris Johnson, a reviewer repeated a widespread canard that Winston Churchill caused the Bengal Famine. This allegation false; Churchill did everything he could in the midst of world war to save the Bengalis, and without him the famine would have been worse.