September 19, 2016

Monday, 19th September 2016, 4 pm – 8 pm

Location: University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 71, 8006 Zurich
Winston Churchill speaks in Zurich, 19 September 1946.

The 70th anniversary of one of Winston Churchill’s most important post-war speeches will be commemorated with a one-day conference at the University of Zurich on Monday the 19th of September 2016. 

On 19 September 1946, Churchill spoke on “The Tragedy of Europe” and proposed “a kind of United States of Europe” based on a rapprochement between the French and the Germans. He ended with the exhortation, “Let Europe Arise!” At the conference, scholars will discuss the significance of Churchill’s remarks. The event will culminate with remarks by the Swiss President and the President of the European Union Commission.

Read the full text of Churchill’s ‘Zurich’ speech here.

Full Conference Schedule

4:00 Welcome by Professor Michael Hengartner, Rector of the University of Zurich

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4:05 “Churchill’s Zurich Speech: The Context” Allen Packwood, Werner Vogt, Lord Watson of Richmond

4:35 “The Significance of the Zurich Speech” David Reynolds, Felix Klos, Andrew Roberts

5:05 “The Relevance of the Zurich Speech in 2016” Bridget Kendall, Lord Powell of Bayswater, Andrew Roberts, Laura Sandys, Lord Watson of Richmond

5:50 Concluding Remarks by Randolph Churchill

6:00 Break

6:30 Welcome by Johann Schneider-Amman, President of the Swiss Confederation, followed by the main address delivered by Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Union Commission.

Follow this link for the full conference programme. 

For more information, please contact Allen Packwood, the Director of the Churchill Archives Centre: [email protected]