unit 1: why was churchill out of office for so long? Flashcards
who was he in conflict with?
his own party and leaders
why?
he took up a series of unpopular causes and spoke about them in a reckless way an was also a major racist
what was he like politically?
he was also an isolated figure in political life, relying on a group of loyal advisers who were seen as outsiders and eccentrics
his style of speaking was
his style of speaking was old fashioned an out of touch because radio and cinema was popular rather than public meetings as a way of communication
he was in his 60s and many thought of him as part of the ‘long gone imperial age’
1931 the key issues were economic, international investors and markets needed a calm, confident and united government. churchill was considered unhelpful in this department.e.g his pre-war speeches attacking conservative views on the house of lords and on ireland. his gallipoli campaign was seen as reckless during world war one.
the economists of the 1930s argued that churchill made the wrong decision in returning britain to the gold standard when he was chancellor of the exchequer in 1925
conservatives joined the labour leader macdonald and some liberals in 1931 to form a national government to deal with the perceived financial and economic problems, there was no room for churchill
the wall street crash wiped his investments and savings and compelling him to write for a living
issues which set him aside from mainstream conservative thinking:
india
the majority of people believed that negotiating with indian nationalists and leader gandhi was necessary while churchill believed in uncompromising opposition to any move to make india more independent.
the abdication of king edward VIII
his desire to marry a twice divorced american woman was widely unpopular, but it was supported by churchill out of loyalty to the throne.
rearmament
the public was against war and the economy was weak while churchill urged rearmament and won little support
