I knew all about his more extreme views, and have read most of the above quotes before. He was a reactionary, bigoted old imperialist, no question about it. But he was of a different time, brought up in the aristocracy in the days of the Empire, and inevitably carried the ideas of that time. For example, eugenics was popular even among the likes of the Fabian Society then!
He also saved Britian from invasion, I have no doubt about it. The Cabinet was all ready to sue for peace when Chamberlin went: Churchill turned that around, and was mad enough to think he could take on Hitler and win.
When judged in the context of his times, and not by a bunch of crudely compiled soundbites, he was not particularly bad or callous, he simply knew no better. He actually had many progressive social views alongside the likes of the ones demonstrated above - belief in a welfare state, supported abolishing the House of Lords - and can't be easily pigeonholed.
I doubt I'd agree with him on many things at all, but he was no tyrant - he believed in the primacy of democracy, and detested war when there were other options. He may have spouted some very dodgy stuff about Zionism, but he also highlighted the persecution of the Jews to Parliament and forced a nation deaf with its futile dreams of peace to listen to Hitler's warmongering.
I judge people principally by what they do: and Churchill stood against tyranny and Nazism when no one else was willing to. I can accept all his many flaws and still admire him imensely for that.
He also saved Britian from invasion, I have no doubt about it. The Cabinet was all ready to sue for peace when Chamberlin went: Churchill turned that around, and was mad enough to think he could take on Hitler and win.
When judged in the context of his times, and not by a bunch of crudely compiled soundbites, he was not particularly bad or callous, he simply knew no better. He actually had many progressive social views alongside the likes of the ones demonstrated above - belief in a welfare state, supported abolishing the House of Lords - and can't be easily pigeonholed.
I doubt I'd agree with him on many things at all, but he was no tyrant - he believed in the primacy of democracy, and detested war when there were other options. He may have spouted some very dodgy stuff about Zionism, but he also highlighted the persecution of the Jews to Parliament and forced a nation deaf with its futile dreams of peace to listen to Hitler's warmongering.
I judge people principally by what they do: and Churchill stood against tyranny and Nazism when no one else was willing to. I can accept all his many flaws and still admire him imensely for that.