This week, the 50th anniversary of Winston Churchill’s death was commemorated, with special services and events being held across the country, including one at Westminster Abbey attended by the leaders of the 3 main parties.
Without Churchill, my family and I would not be alive. As a Jewish girl living in 21st century Britain, there are many reasons why I believe it is important to commemorate the leadership of Winston Churchill. Most notably, Churchill took the lead in warning about Nazi Germany in the 1930s. His committed refusal to consider defeat, surrender, or a compromised peace helped to inspire British resistance. Actively opposing Adolf Hitler, he led Britain as Prime Minister until victory over Nazi Germany had been secured.
Churchill should, quite rightly, be remembered for this courage and patriotism, which helped steer his nation through World War Two, thus helping to save Western democracy. His ability to inspire people regardless of seemingly ominous circumstances has even led to him being posthumously voted as one of the greatest Britons of all time.
Furthermore, his wit and charm made him a fantastic orator, extremely well-regarded by the electorate and on the international stage. He urged Brits to strive hard at their work and excel in their jobs. His composure will ever be remembered by his famous humor. One late evening, a tired Churchill was leaving the House of Commons and a fellow Labour MP Bessie Braddock accused him of being disgustingly drunk to which Churchill replied, “Bessie, my dear… you are disgustingly ugly. But tomorrow I shall be sober and you will still be disgustingly ugly”.
However, one must be acutely aware of the dark side of Churchill. Although he led the nation against the Nazis, there have been accusations of racism and the pursuit of a white supremacism. British troops controlled many foreign lands, and through education, Churchill was largely taught that Britain and the superior white man were to conquer the dark-skin natives.
On the one hand, he defended freedom, but on the other he refused to give freedom to many purely down to the colour of their skin.
To illustrate, in the Swat Valley ( today’s Pakistan), Churchill saw locals fighting back at British troops. Rather than understanding this as a plea for independence, Churchill created the notion of jihadists, outlining that their violence could be explained by a “strong aboriginal propensity to kill”.
Perhaps the most significant instance of racism by Churchill was his hatred towards Indian independence. Most notoriously, Churchill headed the Bengal famine of 1943, which led to 3 million people starved to death as Churchill bluntly refused to give food supplies. Churchill was even seen to mock the Indian famine, saying it was the natives fault for “breeding like rabbits” and that a culling of the population was necessary.
In no way can these attitudes be justified. However, perhaps they can be explained in that his attitudes were hardly unique for the age in which he expounded them. Churchill’s life can be viewed as a great irony. On the one hand, he defended freedom, but on the other he refused to give freedom to many purely down to the colour of their skin.
Ultimately, one must not take away from the successes of Churchill. Perhaps the fact that we now live in a world where India is not only independent, but a superpower that surpasses Britain in many ways allows us to disavow Churchill at his ugliest and cherish him at his best.
Tara Adlestone