Winston Churchill: TIME Person of the Year 1940 (Singles

Winston Churchill: TIME Person of the Year 1940 (Singles Classic)

London, England. January 6, 1941

On May 13, 1940, in his first statement as Prime Minister to the British House of Commons, Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill declared: "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat."

The curious fact was that in most menâ€™s minds everywhereâ€”even in Germany, to judge by Nazi denunciationsâ€”Winston Churchill outranked all others as Man of 1940. He came to power as Prime Minister just as the Blitzkrieg descended upon Britainâ€™s outposts. In his first few weeks in office they toppled about him like ninepins. Norway had already been lost. Then fell The Netherlands, Belgium, France.

Against this roll call of defeats, all the victories which Churchill gave his countrymen, aside from isolated successes at sea, were such that any Cockney could count them on his thumbs: 1) the gallant evacuation at Dunkirk, really a disaster in which, although upwards of 335,000 men were saved, the equipment of virtually the entire British Expeditionary Force was lost; 2) the Battle of the Marmarica which smashed the Italian Army in Egypt.

But Churchill was not without accomplishment. He gave his countrymen exactly what he promised themâ€”blood, toil, tears, sweatâ€”and one thing more: untold courage. It was the last that counted, not only in Britain but in democracies throughout the world.

This story is part of the TIME Person of the Year Collection from Time Inc. This is a reproduction of a story that appeared in the January 6, 1941 issue of TIME magazine.

Time Inc. is one of the worldâ€™s most influential media companies â€“ home to 90 iconic brands like People, Sports Illustrated, Time, InStyle, Real Simple, Food & Wine, and Fortune. The Spotlight Stories in this collection aim to provide you with a quick read on a single subject, highlighting our readersâ€™ most popular stories and featuring great reporting from our Time Inc. journalists.
Country USA
Manufacturer Time Inc.
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2016-06-21
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Time Inc.
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2016-06-21
Format	Kindle eBook

Winston Churchill: TIME Person of the Year 1940 (Singles Classic)

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