Remember that skirmish known as World War II? D-Day, Tom Hanks, Pearl Harbor, Nazis, genocide—you ...
Remember that skirmish known as World War II? D-Day, Tom Hanks, Pearl Harbor, Nazis, genocide—you know the one. A few months after Britain officially declared war on Germany and its allies in September, 1939, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned. Chamberlain had been disgraced by his previous policy of appeasement toward German leader Adolf Hitler. By the time he realized his tragic mistake, everyone knew he wasn't the man to lead the country into war with Germany. Winston Churchill, Lord of the Admiralty, a man who'd warned about the German threat for years, was chosen to take his place and form a new government. By the time the new prime minister gave his "Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat" speech in 1940, Hitler and his Nazi regime had overrun much of Europe, had just invaded Holland, and were about to break through into France. It seemed that Great Britain was the last country standing, and they knew Hitler wanted to take them down, too. On May 13, 1940, Churchill addressed Parliament for the first time as prime minister to deliver a speech that would become known as "Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat." Churchill was pretty well known for his speeches, as well as for his one-liners. By this point, he was already famous in Britain for his lengthy political and military career and the books he wrote about that lengthy political and military career. The speech he gave to Parliament on May 13 had two primary aims. First, he took care of some business and talked about the new government he was forming. He was making an effort to create a true coalition government that included people from all parties. If you're wondering why he was creating a government, here's a guide on the British parliamentary system to help explain. His second aim? To get everyone amped up for the coming war. Unlike his predecessor, Churchill was ready and willing to fight. He'd been telling people for years that Germany was a serious threat. But the government leaders kept saying "We'd rather not fight; this Hitler guy isn't so bad as long as he keeps it to the German-speaking part of the world." Chamberlain, the previous PM, got the boot for being conned by Hitler's promises to stay out of Europe and as a result pretty much handing Czechoslovakia over to the Nazis (source). Yeah, if this wasn't an occasion for an "I told you so," we don't know what is. Of course, Churchill was classier than that. This speech was Churchill's grand entrance to the prime ministership—yes, it's a word; look it up—and a rallying cry to Parliament. Churchill used the speech to inspire a group of MPs who were very worried about the coming conflict, were still loyal to Neville Chamberlain, or had mixed feelings about Churchill. Churchill employed his famous way with words to express serious political ideas but also get a bunch of politicians unified for the huge challenges that lay ahead. Adolf Hitler, consider yourself on notice.
