A MERCURIAL POLITICIAN, 1901-14
Elected to Commons from Oldham as a Conservative (Tory), 1900
Edward VII, r. 1901-10 Britain was a great power and, after the Boer War, at peace
Churchill served in Commons first as a Conservative, then as a Liberal... And back to the Conservatives
6 decades in the House of Commons, 1901-1964 (except 1922-24)
1902: Socialist Beatrice Webb met Winston, age 28, at a dinner Restless almost intolerably so, without capacity for unexciting labor egotistical, bumptious, shallow-minded and reactionary, but with a certain personal magnetism... Talked exclusively about himself... Restless, self-regarding personality, and lack of moral or intellectual refinement.
Conservatives promoted tariffs on all but imports from the Empire
Joseph Chamberlain called for Imperial Preference like Brexit
1904: Left the Conservative Party due to his opposition to higher tariffs Actually he thought the Tories would go out of office and his chances of advancement were better in the Liberal Party
Liberals represented working and middle classes
An unequal class system
Winston discovered poverty only when he read about it
Churchill thought slums were unbelievable
1905: As a Liberal he was named Under- Secretary for the Colonies
Churchill wrote a constitution acceptable to the Afrikaners BUT IT LEFT AFRICANS, 90 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION, WITH NO RIGHTS THE SEEDS OF APARTHEID
When Oldham deselected him, Winston won in Manchester, 1906
Young Winston dated American actress Ethel Barrymore when she played on the London stage He had a huge crush on Ethel. But who didn t?
350 porters and servants on Winston s private safari in East Africa,1907
Slaughtered 23 species in 10 days
1906: Winston s two-volume biography of his father
At 32, a very eligible bachelor
Clementine Hozier, 1885-1977 Granddaughter of the Earl of Airlie Met Winston at a dinner party, 1908
courting
Winston proposed in the Temple of Diana, Blenheim Palace
1908 Winston arriving for his wedding to Clementine
St. Margaret s Westminster and the Abbey
Winston s and Clementine s wedding Their marriage lasted 57 years. They had five children
Happily married for the rest of his life
33 Eccleston Square, London
1908: Elected as M.P. for Dundee
1908: Churchill rose to cabinet rank under P.M. Asquith, as President of the Board of Trade F
Liberals improved conditions of employment
Labour exchanges were popular
1910: Appointed to the cabinet office of Home Secretary
1911: Home Secretary Churchill directed the Sidney Street siege
Army besieges Latvian anarchist robbers and killers
I thought it best to let the house burn down rather than risk good British lives to rescue those ferocious rascals. WC testimony in House
Liberal David Lloyd-George encouraged Churchill s desire for reform
George V (1910-36) The king threatened to swamp Lords with newly created beer barons and bathtub earls self made men (and possibly rather uncouth) Lords caved in to the threat
The unelected House of Lords lost significant power in 1911 by their own vote of 131 to 114.
Winston was thought to be arrogant, disloyal, and overly ambitious but brilliant
Churchill advocated sterilization
October 1911 Prime Minister Asquith named Churchill First Lord of the Admiralty
Admiral Sir John Fisher, 1841-1920 Churchill relied on Fisher s advice on naval matters
Churchill watching German maneuvers with the Kaiser
As First Lord Churchill spent three months each year aboard Admiralty yacht Enchantress
Admiral von Tirpitz convinced Wilhem II to build a navy to rival Britain s
After this incident Churchill concentrated on arming against Germany d
Churchill must decide between guns and butter defense or welfare
WC converted the fleet from coal to oil. Britain had coal but no oil
To supply the fleet, British got oil leases from Persia later Iran
Certainly this could never cause a problem (?) Right?
Dreadnought class battle ships
Fleet at Spithead sailed past the king s yacht for 6 hours, July 1914
1912: Winston took flying lessons until Clementine grounded him
Winston went up 140 times before his last flight November 29, 1913.
June 28, 1914, Sarajevo Bosnia
Age 40: First Lord of the Admiralty, in charge of the world s greatest navy If Churchill got through the war without a major blunder, he would be prime minister by age 50
Thanks for your attention