Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (lahir di Oxfordshire, Inggris, 30 November 1874 – meninggal 24 Januari 1965 pada umur 90 tahun) adalah tokoh politik dan pengarang dari Inggris yang paling dikenal sebagai Perdana Menteri Britania Raya sewaktu Perang Dunia Kedua. Peranannya sebagai ahli strategi, orator, diplomat dan politisi terkemuka menjadikan Churchill salah satu dari tokoh paling berpengaruh di sejarah dunia. Pada tahun 1953, Churchil dianugrahkan penghargaan Nobel di bidang literarur karena sumbangan yang ia berikan dalam buku-buku karangannya mengenai bahasa inggris dan sejarah dunia.Pada awal Perang Dunia II, Churchill dilantik sebagai First Lord of the Admiralty. Tidak lama, Chamberlain mengundurkan diri pada bulan Mei 1940, dan Churchill dilantik sebagai Perdana Menteri serta membentuk pemerintahan koalisi. Churchill segera menjadikan seorang kawan dan penasihat karibnya, Max Aitken, (Lord Beaverbrook) seorang usahawan industri dan pemilik surat kabar terkemuka, orang yang bertanggung jawab bagi mengendalikan produksi pesawat terbang. Ketangkasan pikiran bisnis Max Aitken memungkinkan Britania meningkatkan teknik dan produksi pesawat terbang dengan cepat, yang menyumbang kepada keberhasilan waktu perang.
Ucapan Churchill yang pertama pada masa itu merupakan sumber inspirasi penting kepada pihak Britania yang tertekan. Kata-katanya yang terkemuka "Saya tidak mempunyai apa-apa untuk ditawarkan kecuali darah, kerja kuat, air mata, dan peluh" merupakan ucapan pertamanya sebagai Perdana Menteri. Ucapan berikutnya sebelum Pertempuran Britania, dengan "Kita akan mempertahankan pulau kita, walau apapun harganya, kita akan bertempur di pantai, kita akan bertempur di tempat pendaratan, kita akan bertempur di padang dan jalan, kita akan bertempur di bukit; kita tidak akan sekali-kali menyerah." Walaupun peranan Churchill dalam Perang Dunia II tidak dapat disangkal, dia mempunyai banyak musuh di negerinya. Dia menyuarakan kebenciannya kepada ide seperti penyediaan kesehatan umum dan pendidikan yang lebih baik untuk mayoritas penduduk. Hal ini menyebabkan banyak rasa tidak puas pada kalangan penduduk terutama mereka yang bertempur ketika perang. Segera setelah perang usai, Churchill kalah telak pada Clement Attlee dan Partai Buruh.
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill KG, OM, CH, TD, DL, FRS, RA (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. Widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the 20th century, Churchill was also an officer in the British Army, a historian, a writer (as Winston S. Churchill), and an artist. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature, and was the first person to be made an honorary citizen of the United States. Churchill was born into the aristocratic family of the Dukes of Marlborough, a branch of the Spencer family. His father, Lord Randolph Churchill, was a charismatic politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer; his mother, Jennie Jerome, was an American socialite. As a young army officer, he saw action in British India, the Sudan, and the Second Boer War. He gained fame as a war correspondent and wrote books about his campaigns.
At the forefront of politics for fifty years, he held many political and cabinet positions. Before the First World War, he served as President of the Board of Trade, Home Secretary, and First Lord of the Admiralty as part of Asquith's Liberal government. During the war, he continued as First Lord of the Admiralty until the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign caused his departure from government. He then briefly resumed active army service on the Western Front as commander of the 6th Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers. He returned to government as Minister of Munitions, Secretary of State for War, and Secretary of State for Air. In 1921–1922 Churchill served as Secretary of State for the Colonies, then Chancellor of the Exchequer in Baldwin's Conservative government of 1924–1929, controversially returning the pound sterling in 1925 to the gold standard at its pre-war parity, a move widely seen as creating deflationary pressure on the UK economy. Also controversial were his opposition to increased home rule for India and his resistance to the 1936 abdication of Edward VIII.
Out of office and politically "in the wilderness" during the 1930s, Churchill took the lead in warning about Nazi Germany and in campaigning for rearmament. At the outbreak of the Second World War, he was again appointed First Lord of the Admiralty. Following the resignation of Neville Chamberlain on 10 May 1940, Churchill became Prime Minister. His steadfast refusal to consider defeat, surrender, or a compromise peace helped inspire British resistance, especially during the difficult early days of the war when the British Commonwealth and Empire stood alone in its active opposition to Adolf Hitler. Churchill was particularly noted for his speeches and radio broadcasts, which helped inspire the British people. He led Britain as Prime Minister until victory over Nazi Germany had been secured.
After the Conservative Party lost the 1945 election, he became Leader of the Opposition to the Labour Government. After winning the 1951 election, he again became Prime Minister, before retiring in 1955. Upon his death, Elizabeth II granted him the honour of a state funeral, which saw one of the largest assemblies of world statesmen in history.[1] Named the Greatest Briton of all time in a 2002 poll, Churchill is widely regarded as being among the most influential people in British history, consistently ranking well in opinion polls of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom.
