There is no shortage of biographies about the man in many languages, and if those were not enough several more have just been published to coincide with his 140th birthday. Some of them perpetuate the popular myths, like the one by London Mayor Boris Johnson, a great fan and apparent political heir of Churchill; others are more critical in dissecting Churchill’s legacy.
There are quite a few myths about Churchill in Soviet and Russian historical tradition as well. Here’s a selection of the more popular ones:
- Despite his view of the Russians as “barbarians” Churchill had Russian ancestors tracing them back to the rulers of the Kievan Rus.
- Having been an avowed anti-communist, Churchill reportedly fell into depression after having to shake hands with Stalin.
- Churchill’s favourite drink was Soviet brandy of which he drank a bottle a day. Once Churchill complained to Stalin about a change in its taste and it turned out that the chief blender had been exiled to Siberia. He was immediately re-instated in his job to keep Churchill happy.
- During the wartime talks with Roosevelt and Stalin Churchill made a vow not to stand up when Stalin entered the room. However, when the Soviet leader arrived, an “invisible force” made Churchill jump to attention.
Game of Percentages
Whether the above is true or not, it’s a well-documented fact that Churchill haggled with Stalin over control of Central and Eastern Europe as if it was a piece of real estate. In his infamous handwritten paper which he called a “naughty document”, Churchill outlined to Stalin a series of percentages showing how much influence Britain and Russia would have over countries of the region. Churchill offered Stalin “controlling stakes” in all East European countries in exchange for control over Greece. This was the kind of geopolitics that any autocrat would welcome. But coming from Churchill it did not tie up with his credentials of an avid champion of democracy and freedom. Churchill’s offer must have given Stalin a sense that since he was willing to discuss ‘spheres of influence’ in Eastern Europe in such cynical terms, any talk of democracy and freedom for the people of Eastern Europe was just propaganda.
Indeed, later in his 1946 Fulton speech which heralded the start of the Cold War Churchill drew on the expertise of that ace of ‘total propaganda’ Joseph Goebbels by borrowing his hyperbole of the ‘Iron Curtain’ which Goebbels coined much earlier. And before his offer of ‘percentages’ to Stalin Churchill did toy with the idea of offering the same to Hitler in May 1940, to avert the disastrous defeat of the Anglo-French force.
Churchill went through a continuous metamorphosis in his treatment of Germany – from viewing it as a ’bulwark’ against Communism in the 1930s through some obscure peace overtures in 1939 and early 1940, to standing tall against all odds in 1940, to ordering the infamous firebombing of German cities with a loss of one million civilian lives (not his finest hour).
Sinister Plans
Churchill’s ever changing policies towards Germany made him probably the most reviled by the Nazis out of the three leaders of the anti-Hitler coalition. According to the recently declassified documents, the Germans were plotting to kidnap Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin during the Tehran Conference in December 1943. They planned to parade Stalin and Roosevelt in Berlin, but Churchill had to be killed straight away – such was the strength of Hitler’s feeling toward the ‘English bulldog’.
True, some of Churchill’s own plans were a lot more sinister, like his orders to the British military in 1945 to start preparing ‘Operation Unthinkable’, a preemptive attack on the Soviet Union once Germany was defeated. The latest revelation, just published by the Daily Mail that Churchill tried to persuade the Americans to nuke Moscow back in 1947 does not paint him in favourable light as well.
It has to be said that Churchill’s most outrageous ideas, like the one in 1947, occurred to him when he was out of power. When in office his policies appeared to have been tempered by the understanding of the consequences of his actions, though not always.
National Interest
Churchill’s famous quote about Russia’s mystery had an ending which is far less known. “Perhaps, there is a key”, continued Churchill, “that key is Russian national interest”. Didn’t the same key apply to Churchill himself? All his illustrious life he pursued just one interest – that of the British Empire. His other famous quote is of course “I have not become the King’s First Minister in order to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire”.
But his legacy in this respect is far from beneficial. Churchill the imperialist drew the borders of Iraq, presided over the terrible war-time famine in Bengal and bitterly opposed even a modest self-rule for British India — all with disastrous consequences. His imperialist instincts coloured his attitude to European integration. Believing that Britain and the Commonwealth were a viable Fourth World he took a view that Britain should be an interested partner but not a member of any future European Union.
Probably no one summed up Churchill’s life more eloquently than William F. Buckley Jr in a passage worthy of Sir Winston’s own pronouncements: "He had struggled to diminish totalitarian rule in Europe which, however, increased. He fought to save the Empire, which dissolved. He fought socialism, which prevailed. He struggled to defeat Hitler, and he won”. Of course, defeating Hitler would not have been possible without the Soviet Union and Churchill’s greatest hour was probably when he stepped over his political prejudices for the greater good of the world.
If there is one lesson for the politicians of today this is it.
