Churchill's Greatest Speeches
Winston Churchill's Wartime Speeches to Parliament
This article offers excerpts from Winston Churchill's three greatest wartime speeches to the House of Commons in the British Parliament.
Winston Churchill’s life is one of the best chronicled in Western civilization. Perhaps more than any other 20th century leader, his life is proof that one person’s thoughts, words, and actions can broadly change the course of history. Churchill was a multifaceted genius, but his command of the English language was legendary. In particular, his ability to motivate entire nations through the spoken word proved crucial in guiding the Allies to ultimate victory in World War II and saving Western civilization from Nazi tyranny.
Of the memorable speeches Churchill delivered, three stand out above all the others.
Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat
Churchill became England’s Prime Minister on May 10, 1940. On May 13, he addressed the House of Commons for the first time as Prime Minister, knowing that England and Europe faced a war for survival whose outcome was far from certain. Churchill’s oratorical powers were equal to the challenge, as illustrated by the following excerpt:
“We are in the preliminary stage of one of the greatest battles in history. I would say to the House as I said to those who have joined this Government: I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and suffering…You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory. Victory at all costs—victory in spite of terror—victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival.”
This Was Their Finest Hour
On June 18, 1940, Churchill again addressed the House of Commons. France was reeling from Germany’s invasion and would collapse a week later. In the face of such bad news, he attempted to rally his people and set their determination for the long struggle ahead:
“I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization. Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned upon us. Hitler knows he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all of Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States including all that we have known and cared for will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, “This was their finest hour.”
We Shall Fight on the Beaches
Perhaps the greatest speech Churchill ever delivered (and possibly the greatest wartime speech in history) occurred on June 4, 1940. It followed the disastrous defeat and miraculous evacuation of British forces from Dunkirk. Churchill needed to send a clear message to the entire world that there would be no British surrender, as this excerpt shows:
“I have myself full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our Island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone. Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender!”
Sources:
winstonchurchill.org
Library of Congress
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