Churchill's Darkest Hour

Warfare

History Hit

History

4.5 • 943 Ratings

🗓️ 31 March 2023

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Winston Churchill's ascension to Prime Minister in 1940 was a key turning point in world history, ultimately being one of the first steps to help the Allies secure victory in the Second World War. The legacies of Churchill’s decisions still shape our world today, but a lesser known part of this story is that Churchill wasn't the first choice to succeed Neville Chamberlain. So how was Churchill, once a political underdog, able to beat out his rival Lord Halifax, to become the United Kingdom's wartime Prime Minister? And what might have happened if history had gone another way?

In this special episode, recorded at the Churchill War Rooms in London, James is joined by World War Two historian Professor John Buckley. Together they explore the epoch-defining significance of Winston Churchill’s ascent to power, and how he guided Britain out of it's darkest hour.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The ascent of Winston Churchill to power in 1940 is one of those turning points in history,
0:07.0	a moment that set in motion a series of events that help secure Allied victory in the Second World War.
0:13.4	And so it's an epoch defining moment
0:16.7	that still affects us all around the world today.
0:19.0	But why and how was Winston Churchill chosen to replace Neville Chamberlain? How did Churchill
0:24.8	manage to defeat his greatest political rival Lord Halifax and what might have
0:29.4	happened if Churchill hadn't been chosen to lead.
0:32.8	Well, I'm your host James Patton Rogers, this is the Warfare Podcast,
0:36.8	and to find answers to all these questions, I met up with Second World War historian
0:41.2	Professor John Buckley. John and I went deep underground for this one to the cabinet war rooms
0:46.5	otherwise known as the Churchill War rooms under Central London. Today they're
0:51.0	an amazing museum and well worth a visit, but during World War II they were
0:55.1	Britain's fortified seat of power, making them the ideal place to discuss the impact and the
1:00.8	legacies of Winston Churchill.
1:03.2	Enjoy.
1:05.8	John, we are here in the Cabinet Warrooms,
1:08.0	what's come to be known as the Churchill Warrooms
1:10.7	due to their iconic role during the Second World War. But take us back. War,
1:13.4	due to their iconic role during the Second World War.
1:14.0	But take us back to that pre-churchill era,
1:17.6	to that time when Chamberlain is in power.
1:20.2	What is the mood in Parliament?
	...

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