Britain had declared war on Germany after the Germans invaded Poland in September 1939. But not much happened on the western front for the next eight months. Brits called it the "phoney war." They dropped some leaflets and made some threats, but the fight hadn't really come yet to the western front.
But by the time of Churchill's speech, the phoney war (we know, we know…British spelling) had become all too real. Eastern Europe was toast, and Britain had miserably failed to prevent the German invasion of Holland and Norway. Britain was the real prize for Hitler, and Churchill knew they'd be next. WC's job was to present a convincing rationale for war and buck up the people's confidence that the Brits could do the job. He also had to convince Parliament that he was the guy to lead the country in wartime.
Churchill knew that building a government that represented all parties was the only way to get everyone united behind the war effort. He promised that a united Britain could kick Nazi butt, and that he'd take the fight to them in every way possible.
The speech worked.
Parliament approved the new government by a vote of 381-0. Time magazine called the speech one of the 80 days that changed the world.
They were right.
Questions About Warfare
- How do you think the current war affected the way Churchill talked about the change in government?
- How would you characterize Churchill's outlook about the war at this moment, based on this speech? Why?
- What aspects of the war seem to be the most significant to Churchill looking at this particular speech?
- How does Churchill's speech here illustrate the influence of war on politics and government?
Chew on This
Without the war, Winston Churchill wouldn't have become prime minister in May 1940, and this speech wouldn't exist. Neither would this Learning Guide, and how sad is that?
"Blood, toil, tears, and sweat" just about says it all about war.