Winston Churchill is one of the most famous figures in British history. Leading the country through the Second World War, the then-Prime Minister was responsible for the United Kingdom’s successes and strengths and even now, his work is celebrated by all. Was the Prime Minister all that he seemed to be, however? Outside of the war effort, the man had a much different reputation and when he wasn’t making jokes, Winston Churchill created quite a bit of trouble for himself.
- The Starvation Of India
(source: churchillcentral.com)
At the time of Winston Churchill, India was still a part of the Commonwealth Empire. In the outbreak of WWII, however, India was overlooked by the British government, left to perish when it needed the UK’s influence the most. Supplies destined for India during the time were sent elsewhere, used to help others survive. As a result, India found itself in dire need of extra help, but it simply went overlooked by Churchill. The Prime Minister blamed the country’s famine on the inhabitants’ “breeding like rabbits’, tragically refusing to send food and aid to help those in dire need.
- The Support Of Chemical Warfare
(source: worldreligionnews.com)
Despite being one of the most influential people in the world, Churchill often lacked the foresight in order to recognize the importance of other, different nations. Take the Kurds for example. During Churchill’s time in power, the Kurds began rebelling against the British rule and in order to keep them in line, Churchill recommended undertaking a series of chemical attacks. Luckily, his poisonous beliefs were shut down, replaced with more conventional methods of fighting.
- The Support Of Eugenics
(source: albertmohler.com)
The manipulation of DNA in order to achieve a certain breeding, Eugenics is a highly controversial and damaging field of thought. Despite everything he fought against during the Nazi uprising, Churchill seemed to be in favor of the science, advocating the improvement of the British breed. As well as supporting the sterilization of the “unfit”, Churchill looked into methods of preventing certain people to procreate, aiming to control the British race in an alarming way.
- The Use Of Racist Slogans
(source: express.co.uk)
As his time in power drew to a close, Churchill turned to increasingly racist mindsets. Against the growing population of immigrants from overseas, the then-Prime Minister suggested the use of the slogan “Keep England White”. He didn’t just stop there, either, and as well as making quips against black-skinned Britons, Churchill joked about a higher rate of reproduction amongst certain immigrant groups in the country.
- The Support Of A British Hitler
(source: legionmagazine.com)
One year before the outbreak of the Second World War, Hitler started to make his influence felt across other nations in Europe, expanding the German territory further East. While Churchill spoke out against Hitler’s advancements, he supported other views of the leader, even going as far to say that he hoped Great Britain could find their own Hitler if they were defeated in the war. While Hitler’s military ambitions might have troubled Churchill, he didn’t seem concerned with the Nazi leader’s social beliefs.