April 20, 2013

Finest Hour 153, Winter 2011-12

Page 51

Inside The Journals – Abstracts by Antoine Capet

By Antoine Capet

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Professor Capet is head of British Studies at the University of Rouen, France.


“Churchill and the Germans,” by John Ramsden. Contemporary British History 25-1 (2011): 125-39.

While much of Churchill’s political career involved german affairs, he knew relatively little about the country. Although he advocated magnanimity at the end of both world wars, residual tensions between britain and germany can in part be attributed to his words and strategies.

Before World War I, Churchill admired the german social security system, resented the predominance of the Junkers (Prussian aristocracy) in government, and feared germany’s growing naval capability.After the war he feared a german alliance with Soviet Russia, and advocated a policy of appeasement toward both for this reason. In the case of germany, he sympathized with revising to most onerous provisions of the Treaty of Versailles, but when the Weimar Republic failed in 1933, Churchill was quick to denounce the new Nazi regime.

Over wartime views on hitler among the Anglo-Americans, Churchill was happy follow Roosevelt’s lead. but a lack of clarity existed between the british and American governments about how to treat germany when the war had ended.

Ramsden also considers criticisms of Churchill by groups which fared worst under the Nazis, especially the Jews; and by scholars over the bombing of hamburg and Dresden in 1945.

“Randolph Churchill and the General Election in Preston, 1945: Bucking the Trend,” by John Swift. Northern History 48-1 (2011): 123-44.

In the 1945 general election, Churchill’s Conservatives were defeated in a Labour landslide. Randolph Churchill, MP for Preston since 1940, lost his seat by a swing much lower than the national average, but this wasn’t due to his performance as an MP. During the war he was largely absent from Parliament on military assignments. Also, his ability to antagonise his own constituency workers was no help to his cause. he did have the advantage of name recognition and a heroic war record, but these were hardly decisive factors.

Smith argues that Randolph’s comparatively strong electoral performance was due to his adopting the cause of social reform, combined with campaigning in a flamboyant manner that appealed to electors. Swift suggests that a very different result might have been possible if Randolph’s approach had been taken up nationally by the Conservative Party.

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