Churchill's Legacy: Two Speeches to Save the World

On May 22, 2018, Lord Alan Watson delivered a Banner Lecture about his book, “Churchill’s Legacy: Two Speeches to Save the World.” Having first helped bring victory to the Allies in 1945, Winston Churchill went on to preserve the freedom of the world by gaining the support of the United States in the restoration of Europe. In Fulton, Missouri, Churchill alerted America to the reality of ‘Uncle Joe’—a tyrant determined to dominate Europe at any cost. Churchill called for an Anglo-American alliance based on their shared values and the deterrent of America’s possession of the atomic bomb. Churchill also urged the Americans to recognize the debt they owed Britain for opposing Hitler in 1940, as so brilliantly portrayed by Gary Oldman in the film, Darkest Hour. In Zurich, Switzerland, Churchill boldly proposed a partnership between France and Germany: a United States of Europe. The hatred stirred up by the war had to be replaced by partnership for Europe to recover its economic vitality and regain its moral stature. Together, the Anglo-American Alliance and a United States of Europe led by France and Germany would have the power to “smite the crocodile” of Soviet ambition. Churchill’s concepts remain as relevant now as then. The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.