Winston Churchill :: essays research papers

Winston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was born at Blenheim Palace on Nov. 30,1874. His father was ennoble Randolph Churchill, who descended directly from the1st duke of Marlborough, of whom Winston was to write a biography. His motherwas Jennie Jerosme, an American. Churchills childhood was unhappy. He spentmost of his time at school, whateverthing he didnt really love. His teacherscaracterized him as bright, but stubborn and obstinate. He loved to read historyand poetry, however, and was fascinate by soldiers and battles. From childhoodhe had an extraordinary memory. Winston Churchhill didnt want to go touniversity. Instead, he enrolled in the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. Hegraduated in 1894. After service in Cuba and India, he worked as a war- alike in Northern India, Sudan and in South Africa, where he wascaptured by the Boers. His barefaced escape made him an overnight celebrity.Churchill always wanted to become a politician. His wish came true in 19 00, whenhe was elected to the Parliment as a Conservative, and he quickly made his mark.His semipolitical sympathies began to change, however, and he "changed sides" in1904, when he abandoned the Conservative party for the Liberals. When theLiberals came to power in 1905, Churchill entered the government as secretary ofstate for the colonies. In 1908, the year of his marriage to Clementine Hosier,he became a member of the cabinet as president of the Board of Trade. Winstonspolitical missions became more and more important, in 1910 he became a member ofthe Admirality. In 1913-1914 Churchill completed British naval preparations forwar. During World War Churchhill made some fatal mistakes in war strategy. Thiswas one of the main reasons that he was removed(p) from the Admirality when theConservatives (many of whom now detested him) joined the government in 1915.After a period of active military service in France, he was re-elected in theParliment. He became minister of muniti ons under the prime minister David LloydGeorge. He subsequently served as secretary of state for war and air and for thecolonies and helped negotiate the accordance that created the Irish Free State. Buthe lost both his stead and his seat in Parliament when Lloyd Georges coalitiongovernment fell in 1922.Over the next year or two, Churchill gradually moved backwards into alliance with theConservatives. He used to remark with a mischievous twinkle, " whatsoever fool can rat,but I flatter myself that it takes a reliable ingenuity to re-rat." Returning toParliament in 1924, he was offered the post of premier of the exchequer in