Young Statesman- Winston Churchill 1901-1914
R. Churchill
This book covers the life of Winston Churchill after his military experiences in India and Africa. He started as a member of the Conservative party, running in a “safe seat” guaranteeing election, but soon became disenchanted with the protectionist leanings of the party. He then "crossed the floor" and became a member of the Liberal party. Whether he really felt this way, or he saw it as an opportunity as the Conservative party crumbled around him is anyone’s guess. He did however, very effectively champion the concept of free trade. Either way, it was obvious that he had a great talent for both writing speeches and for delivering them. The book contains a plethora of examples of both. He was clearly seen as a very capable and rising star in politics by those who mattered-- members of parliament (both Conservative and Liberal), the press, and the influential, aristocratic and privileged classes. He was also a bit of a visionary; as early as 1904, he recognized the importance, and even the inevitable future involvement of the United States in European affairs.
By 1906 he became Under Secretary for the Colonies,, and was in the Privy Council a year later. In the same year, he first used the phrase “terminological inexactitudes” to indicate inaccurate terminology, but soon the phrase was understood to be a polite term for lying.
In 1906 he went for a “working holiday” - much of it personal time, and used the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Venus as his transportation. In modern times, this would seem an outrageous misuse of Navy resources, but was an accepted perk in the early 1900s, for a colonial official working for the government of a world power, in a time without air travel.
After making it to the Cabinet, he had to face an election- was defeated, then won again in a “safe” Liberal seat. In this election, he differentiated Liberalism and Socialism in this way: “Socialism wants to pull down wealth; Liberalism wants to pull up poverty...” a stance that stands up well more than 100 years later, even as the terms “Liberal” and “Socialist” have changed slightly in that time.
He was described by David Lloyd George, future Prime Minister (and longtime friend of Churchill), as being “as long winded as he is persistent” - this was a fair statement, and defined Churchill well, which is punctuated time and time again throughout his public career.
He was soon made a member of Asquith's cabinet, and ran the Home Office, where he initiated positive advancements for unions and the poor. He was also instrumental in attempts to advance the Irish Home Rule bill, and was not popular with Ulster for his efforts. He then advanced to the top spot in the Admiralty, as "First Lord" - the top political post in control of the Royal Navy, where his energy, intelligence and communication skills got him off to a great start, and did the country well in preparing for the inevitable clash with Germany.
There’s a lot of information in these books -- a lot. If you have a keen interest in Winston Churchill, the build-up to the Great War, or British politics of this era, this is a very interesting book, and a good source of information. If you’re casually interested, look for a thinner book...
