Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill

"Calling for a United States of Europe"

Full name:

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill

Date and place of birth:

30 November 1874, Blenheim, Oxfordshire, England

Date and place of death:

24 January 1965 (aged 90), London, England

Education:

  • He attended Harrow school in 1888, where he excelled in English, history and fencing, despite his struggles with traditional subjects.
  • After leaving Harrow, he enrolled in the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst in 1893, taking him 3 attemps to pass the entry exam.
  • Churchill graduated eighth out of a class of 150 in December 1894.

“We must build a kind of United States of Europe.”

- Winston Churchill

Career:

  • 1885: Churchill was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 4th Queen's Own Hussars, which marked the beginning of his military career. He saw action in various regions, including Cuba, India, Sudan, and South Africa, where he gained fame as a war correspondent and for his daring escape from a Boer prison.
  • 1900: Churchill entered politics, winning a seat in Parliament as a Conservative MP for Oldham.
  • During World War I: He later switched to the Liberal Party and held several important positions, including First Lord of the Admiralty.
  • In the 1920s: After a period out of the government, Churchill returned as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
  • 1940, during World War II: He became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. His leadership was crucial in the fight against Nazi Germany, and he is widely credited with boosting the British morale during the darkest days of the war.
  • 1945: Churchill lost the election.
  • From 1951 to 1955: He returned as Prime Minister.
  • After retiring from politics: He focused on writing and painting.

Contribution to Europe:

  • A "United States of Europe"
    • In 1946, Churchill delivered one of his most famous speeches, at the University of Zurich, in which he advocated a "United States of Europe", firmly encouraging Europeans to forget the past full of horrors and start looking towards a prospere future.
    • He declared that Europe couldn't afford dragging along all of the hatred from the past and in order to recreate the "European Family" of "justice, mercy and freedom" they needed to "build a kind of United States of Europe".
  • Organizing the Grand Congress of Europe: In 1948, 800 delegates from all over Euope met in The Hague, with Churchill as honorary president, at a "Grand Congress of Europe".
  • Fostering a Climate for Integration: Churchill's speeches created a political climate favorable to the idea of integration, which led to the Treaty of Rome in 1957.
  • Establishing the Council of Europe and ECHR: On the 5th of May 1949, the Council of Europe was placed in order, ten years later, on the 21st of January 1959, the European Court of Human Rights being created after Churchill's idea.

Vision for Europe:

  • Churchill believed that if there was to be a strong alliance among the European countries, it will mantain peace and unity on the continent, especially without a war.
  • Although he believed Britain should support European unity, he did not think the UK should be part of such a union.

Did you know?

In Dutch, V stands for "Vrede" (Peace) and "Vrijheid" (Liberty). In French V stands for "Victoire" (Victory). Churchill created his famous 'V for Victory' sign, that today is known as "Peace Sign" (It can be seen in the second picture).

Twenty-one-year-old Winston Churchill in the uniform of the Fourth Queen's Own Hussars

Twenty-one-year-old Winston Churchill in the uniform of the Fourth Queen's Own Hussars

Churchill making a speech, during the general elections, Uxbridge, Middlesex, England, 1945

Churchill making a speech, during the general elections, Uxbridge, Middlesex, England, 1945

Churchill showing the infamous 'Victory sign'/'V-sign'

Churchill showing the infamous "Victory sign"/"V-sign"

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