7 Sir Winston Churchill 7government and a doubting opposition, Churchill persis-
tently argued the case for taking the German threat
seriously. When Stanley Baldwin became prime minister
in 1935, he excluded Churchill from office but gave him
the exceptional privilege of membership in the secret
committee on air-defense research.
When Neville Chamberlain succeeded Baldwin, the
gulf between the Churchill and the Conservative leaders
widened. Repeatedly the accuracy of Churchill’s informa-
tion on Germany’s aggressive plans and progress was
confirmed by events. His warnings were ignored. As
German pressure mounted on Czechoslovakia, Churchill
unsuccessfully urged the government to effect a joint dec-
laration of purpose by Great Britain, France, and the
Soviet Union. When the Munich Agreement with Hitler
was made in September 1938, sacrificing Czechoslovakia
to the Nazis, Churchill laid bare its implications, insisting
that it represented “a total and unmitigated defeat.” In
March 1939 Churchill pressed for a truly national coali-
tion, and, at last, sentiment in the country, recognizing
him as the nation’s spokesman, began to push for his return
to office.
Leadership during World War II
On September 3, 1939, Britain declared war on Germany,
and Chamberlain appointed Churchill to his old post in
charge of the Admiralty. Following the German invasion
of the Low Countries, on May 10, 1940, Chamberlain
resigned. It was obvious that Churchill alone could unite
and lead the nation, since the Labour Party, for all its old
distrust of Churchill’s anti-Socialism, recognized the
depth of his commitment to the defeat of Hitler. A coali-
tion government, which included all elements save the far