Winston Churchill
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Rt. Hon. Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill | |
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| In office 10 May, 1940 – 27 July, 1945 26 October, 1951 – 7 April, 1955 |
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| Deputy | Clement Attlee (1942-1945) Anthony Eden (1951-1955) |
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| Preceded by | Neville Chamberlain Clement Attlee |
| Succeeded by | Clement Attlee Sir Anthony Eden |
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| In office 6 November 1924 – 4 June 1929 |
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| Preceded by | Philip Snowden |
| Succeeded by | Philip Snowden |
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| Born | 30 November, 1874 Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire |
| Died | 24 January, 1965 Hyde Park Gate, London |
| Political party | Conservative and Liberal |
Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was a British politician, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during and after the Second World War. Many people consider him the greatest British leader of the twentieth century. He was also a soldier, journalist, and author. He won the Nobel Prize for literature.entot
He was born on 30 November 1874 at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, England, and died on 24 January 1965. His family was rich and well known. His father, Lord Randolph Churchill, was a politician. His mother was American.
He went to a famous school named Harrow. His results were not good, but he was good at fighting with a sword.
He joined the British Army in 1893. He fought in a war in Sudan in 1898 as an officer in the cavalry. In 1899 he went to the Boer War in South Africa, to be a newspaper reporter. He was captured by the Boers, but managed to escape.
In 1900 he became a politician in the Conservative Party, and was elected to Parliament. In 1904 he changed parties and joined the Liberal Party.
He married Clementine Hozier in 1908, and had 5 children named Diana, Randolph, Sarah, Marigold and Mary.
[edit] World War I
In 1910 Churchill became Home Secretary, one of the most important members of the government. In 1911 he was made First Lord of the Admiralty, which made him in charge of the Navy. When World War I broke out, he stayed in that job. He organized an invasion in Gallipoli which went very badly wrong, and he was made to leave the government. He joined the army and was sent to fight in France, although he was still a Member of Parliament. In 1917 he was made minister in charge of military supplies.
[edit] Between the wars
After World War I Churchill was put in charge of war. In 1919 he was in charge of aircraft. In 1921 he was in charge of the colonies. In 1922 he lost in an election. In 1924 he became a member of Parliament again, this time not as a member of any party. In 1925 he joined the Conservative Party again. He became Chancellor of the Exchequer (Minister of Finance) in 1924.
After 1929 Churchill disagreed with many things the Conservative party believed in. He was not given any job in the government. Instead he wrote books. One was called Marlborough: His Life and Times, about his famous ancestor John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough; another was A History of the English Speaking Peoples, which was not published until after World War 2.
When Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany, Churchill warned that Britain should strengthen its military and oppose Hitler. However hardly any leaders agreed with him.
[edit] World War II
At the start of World War II Churchill was again put in charge of the Navy. In 1940 the war was going badly for Britain, and the Prime Minister resigned. Churchill was given the job. Some people thought that Britain could not win the war, and that they should make peace with Hitler. Churchill was sure that Britain could win and promised to continue the fight. He made famous speeches which are still remembered today.
He was friends with the President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt. He persuaded Roosevelt to give supplies to Britain, and to help Britain out without fighting themselves. He had many meetings with Roosevelt and with Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, after they came into the war. They were called the Big Three.
In 1945 his Conservative party lost an election. He stopped being Prime Minister.
In 1951 he became Prime Minister again.
In 1953 he became Sir Winston, and also won the Nobel Prize for Literature.
In 1955 he retired.
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