WINSTON CHURCHILL, EL DESTINO DE UN LÍDER.
On 10 May, 1940 Winston
Churchill became the Prime Minister of Great Britain. He was 65 years old.
Maybe too old. However History seems to say that Great Britain had been waiting for a PM like him. His appointment took place at
the same time the German forces were crushing and pounding Holland, Belgium and France. On 14 June the same year the German forces indaded Paris. It was the
defeat of France, the Great Britain's main ally.
In spite of being a well-known
politician, Churchill was away from major political responsibilities. He made a big mistake in the First World War, Gallipoli and he had paid for it. However,
he had the opportunity to become what they expected of him in those trouble times.
When he arrived to be the
Prime Minister he spoke frankly and honestly. He was a master of speaking. He made speeches which have become History like “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil,
tears and sweat”. Another famous one was “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall
fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets,
we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender. “
He gave confidence and hope to British people who were sunk and afraid because the German army was in Calais waiting for landing in England. Nevertheless, he was always smiling with his cigar and with his famous V sign. We can watch videos of smiling to people and people smiling back. When your Prime Minister is smiling you, you will smile too. When your Prime Minister has confidence you also have confidence.
To speak
about Churchill without mentioning some of his quotes is pointless. My favourite one is when a Lady Astor, a Member Parliament told him.
- “If I
Were Your Wife I’d Put Poison in Your Tea!”, and he answered
- “If I Were Your Husband I’d Drink It”
The war ended and Churchill was the
winner, but he lost the elections in 1945. Clement Atlee, the deputy minister
with the coalition government, won. However Churchill wrote History, the story
of a man who a great nation was expecting to win a war.
All in all, we have to be expected to
do our best when fate can call us.