Finest Hour

When he came to write the fourth volume of The Second World War, Winston Churchill chose the title The Hinge of Fate. In this book he recounted the decisive events of late 1942 and early 1943 that sealed the fate of the Axis powers and the ultimate victory of the Allies. Most of 1942 had been a year of great tension for Churchill. Twice he faced down a vote of confidence in the House of Commons. He knew that the outcome of the war had been made certain by the entry of the United States, but he also knew that it would take time before the full power of the Allies could be brought to bear. Finally, in the autumn of 1942, military victories started to accrue. The hinge had…

When he came to write the fourth volume of The Second World War, Winston Churchill chose the title The Hinge of Fate. In this book he recounted the decisive events of late 1942 and early 1943 that sealed the fate of the Axis powers and the ultimate victory of the Allies. Most of 1942 had been a year of great tension for Churchill. Twice he faced down a vote of confidence in the House of Commons. He knew that the outcome of the war had been made certain by the entry of the United States, but he also knew that it would take time before the full power of the Allies could be brought to bear. Finally, in the autumn of 1942, military victories started to accrue. The hinge had…

Email: info@winstonchurchill.org Finest Hour 193 Churchill and Wales LONDON—In his article “Winston and the Wizard,” John Campbell underrates Winston Churchill’s considerable contributions to social reform. As early as 1908, Churchill conceived the unemployment insurance scheme, which was postponed by Asquith and introduced by Lloyd George, who incorrectly got the credit. Additionally, as Home Secretary in 1910, Churchill embarked on a radical programme to improve markedly the lot of prisoners. Dai Smith is to be commended for tackling the complexities of the Tonypandy crisis in his article “The Tonypandy Riots, 1910.” His reference to the riots being Churchill’s “nemesis” is, however, perhaps far-fetched. George Isaacs, a senior trades unionist at the time and later chairman of the TUC, said: “Looking back at it now it is difficult to see…

Email: info@winstonchurchill.org Finest Hour 193 Churchill and Wales LONDON—In his article “Winston and the Wizard,” John Campbell underrates Winston Churchill’s considerable contributions to social reform. As early as 1908, Churchill conceived the unemployment insurance scheme, which was postponed by Asquith and introduced by Lloyd George, who incorrectly got the credit. Additionally, as Home Secretary in 1910, Churchill embarked on a radical programme to improve markedly the lot of prisoners. Dai Smith is to be commended for tackling the complexities of the Tonypandy crisis in his article “The Tonypandy Riots, 1910.” His reference to the riots being Churchill’s “nemesis” is, however, perhaps far-fetched. George Isaacs, a senior trades unionist at the time and later chairman of the TUC, said: “Looking back at it now it is difficult to see what else a resolute Home Secretary…

On the eve of the Second World War, the celebrity globetrotting American journalist John Gunther could write, “Great Britain, as everyone knows, is the greatest Asiatic power.”1 Confirmation of Gunther’s claim about Britain’s position in Asia could readily be grasped just by looking at a map of the world, showing British imperial possessions colored in red. The British Empire controlled a vast expanse of territory in Asia, sweeping in a great arc from New Zealand and Australia in the South Pacific to Southeast Asia and South China, and on to India and the Middle East. A quarter of the world’s population, with much of it concentrated in South Asia, lived within Britain’s empire. The empire, too, was rich in the resources that it possessed. A superpower, the leading state of…

On the eve of the Second World War, the celebrity globetrotting American journalist John Gunther could write, “Great Britain, as everyone knows, is the greatest Asiatic power.”1 Confirmation of Gunther’s claim about Britain’s position in Asia could readily be grasped just by looking at a map of the world, showing British imperial possessions colored in red. The British Empire controlled a vast expanse of territory in Asia, sweeping in a great arc from New Zealand and Australia in the South Pacific to Southeast Asia and South China, and on to India and the Middle East. A quarter of the world’s population, with much of it concentrated in South Asia, lived within Britain’s empire. The empire, too, was rich in the resources that it possessed. A superpower, the leading state of…