What was the background to Churchill's political views and career?

Britain – Churchill During the Interwar Years, 1918-39

In this course, Professor Jon Lawrence (University of Exeter) explores the political life of Winston Churchill during the interwar period. In the first lecture, we think about the background to Churchill’s political views and career. In the second lecture, we think about Churchill’s ‘wilderness years’ from 1929-39. In the third lecture, we think about Churchill’s views on India and its role within the British Empire. Next, we think about Churchill’s views on and role in the abdication crisis of King Edward VIII. In the fifth and final lecture, we think about Churchill’s views on rearmament during the interwar years.

What was the background to Churchill's political views and career?

In this lecture, we think about the background to Churchill’s political views and career, focusing in particular on: (i) recognising Churchill as the last great Victorian politician; (ii) Churchill’s father, Randolph, who died when Churchill was quite young and who had been viewed as having the potential to remake Conservativism; (iii) Churchill’s ‘coming of age’ in a political sense during the 1890s, at the peak of British imperialism during the Scramble for Africa, which greatly impacted his political viewpoints; (iv) Churchill’s use of Victorian rhetoric in all his political discussions, a subject of criticism and something that was joked about in Parliament; (v) Churchill’s adoption of the modern methods of communication used by his peers, such as radio and later television; (vi) Churchill’s lack of independent wealth, when compared to many of his peers, meaning that he had to work hard to maintain is aristocratic image.