Winston Churchill :: essays research papers

Winston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was born at Blenheim Palace on Nov. 30,1874. His father was shaper 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, slightlything he didnt really love. His teacherscaracterized him as bright, only when stubborn and obstinate. He loved to read historyand poetry, however, and was fascinated by soldiers and battles. From childhoodhe had an extraordinary memory. Winston Churchhill didnt want to go touniversity. Instead, he enrolled in the princely Military College at Sandhurst. Hegraduated in 1894. After service in Cuba and India, he worked as a war-correspondent in Northern India, Sudan and in South Africa, where he wascaptured by the Boers. His daring escape made him an overnight celebrity.Churchill always wanted to become a politician. His wish ca me true in 1900, whenhe was elected to the Parliment as a Conservative, and he quickly made his mark.His political 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 deposit 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 bill 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 from the Admirality when theConservatives (many of whom now detested him) joined the government in 1915.After a gunpoint of active military service in France, he was re-elected in theParliment. He became minister of munitions under the prime minister David LloydGeorge. He subsequently served as secretary of state for war and air and for thecolonies and helped negotiate the treaty that created the Irish Free State. Buthe lost both his office and his seat in parliament when Lloyd Georges coalitiongovernment fell in 1922.Over the next year or two, Churchill gradually moved back into alliance with theConservatives. He used to watch with a mischievous twinkle, "Any fool can rat,but I flatter myself that it takes a certain ingenuity to re-rat." Returning toParliament in 1924, he was offered the post of chancellor of the exchequer in