Who Was Winston Churchill? [Paperback]

Born into aristocracy, Churchill cut his teeth as a young army officer in British India, the Sudan, and the Second Boer War. He rose in the ranks to First Lord of the Admiralty and was a staunch opponent of the encroaching German Nazis. Churchill served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. Widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the 20th century, Churchill was also a historian, a writer, and an artist. He is the only British Prime Minister to have won the Nobel Prize in Literature, and was the first person to be made an honorary citizen of the United States.Ellen Labrecque is a former Senior Editor forSports Illustrated for Kidsand the author of over twenty nonfiction books for young readers, including biographies of Jim Thorpe and Magic Johnson.

Who Was Winston Churchill?

 
 
When Winston Churchill walked into the House of Commons to make his first speech as prime minister of England, he was sixty-five years old. He wore a dark suit and a serious face.It was May 13, 1940, and the beginning of World War II, the deadliest war in history. When Winston entered the giant hall, the six hundred Members of Parliament did not applaud. They sat silently. Many of them doubted that England could survive the war. Many wanted to make peace with Adolf Hitler of Germany.
 
“You ask, what is our aim?” Winston boomed into the microphone. “I can answer in one word. It is victory. Victory at all costs. Victory in spite of all terror. Victory however long and hard the road may be. For without victory there is no survival.”
 
The speech was short, but electrifying. When he finished, thunderous applause rose from the crowd. Winston’s powerful words made his audience feel hopeful.
 
Winston Churchill was a master public speaker and writer. As World War II raged on, Winston made many speeches that rallied his people.l£§