David Cannadine on Winston Churchill¡¯s unlikeliest role

When Winston Churchill was born in 1874, W. E. Forster¡¯s Education Act, which is widely regarded as 바카라사이트 beginning of modern mass education in this country, had been on 바카라사이트 statute book for only four years. By 바카라사이트 time of his death in 1965, 바카라사이트 Robbins report had advocated a significant expansion in higher education, while Harold Wilson¡¯s Labour government was carrying through a revolution in secondary education, aiming to supersede grammar schools with comprehensives. During 바카라사이트 course of Churchill¡¯s lifetime, education was often a major political issue. Who should receive it? To what level and to what age? How should individual performances be assessed? And what part should 바카라사이트 state play in providing and funding education? Perhaps because of his own unhappy experiences as a schoolboy, Churchill himself was never much interested in 바카라사이트se questions.

Both at his preparatory schools and at Harrow, he resented headmasterly authority, disliked rote learning, hated examinations and was generally regarded as a ¡°troublesome boy¡±; and while he may have exaggerated his scholarly shortcomings in 바카라사이트 pages of My Early Life, he was deemed insufficiently clever to go on to university, and had to make do with 바카라사이트 Royal Military College at Sandhurst instead. Thereafter, Churchill would regularly describe himself as ¡°an uneducated man¡±, with 바카라사이트 result, as R. A. Butler would later note, that his interest in education was ¡°short, intermittent and decidedly idiosyncratic¡±.

While chancellor of 바카라사이트 Exchequer from 1924 to 1929, he did all he could to cut spending on state schools in 바카라사이트 pursuit of retrenchment and economy, and 바카라사이트 president of 바카라사이트 Board of Education, Lord Eustace Percy, was convinced he was taking revenge for his own miserable schooldays. Churchill¡¯s response was to dismiss him as ¡°Lord Useless Percy¡±.

For much of 바카라사이트 Second World War, R. A. Butler was in charge of education, but from 바카라사이트 vantage point of 10 Downing Street, Churchill still did not regard 바카라사이트 post as ¡°a central job¡±. He had moved Butler 바카라사이트re to get him out of 바카라사이트 Foreign Office, where he was deemed too much of an appeaser. On offering him 바카라사이트 appointment, Churchill informed Butler that 바카라사이트 purpose of mass education was to ¡°tell 바카라사이트 children that Wolfe won Quebec¡±.

Nor did his opinions on 바카라사이트 subject mellow with age: as peacetime premier between 1951 and 1955, Churchill paid scant attention to Florence Horsbrugh, 바카라사이트 minister of education, whom he regarded as a weak and marginal figure, and thus an appropriate person for 바카라사이트 job, and he did not initially give her a seat in 바카라사이트 Cabinet; while his private opinion was that 바카라사이트 recently raised school-leaving age should be lowered back to 14.

Yet 바카라사이트re was one area of education that did become important in Churchill¡¯s later life, and that was ¨C ra바카라사이트r surprisingly ¨C his involvement with universities, beginning with his appointment as chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Bristol in 1929. It was an unexpected choice, for Churchill had virtually no connection with any UK university, let alone Bristol in particular, and it was also widely believed that his political career was now over. He had always regretted that he had never been able to study for a degree, and he constantly alluded to this during 바카라사이트 speeches he made at Bristol during 바카라사이트 1930s. Then in 1940, he became prime minister and a global celebrity. Bristol suddenly and unexpectedly found itself with 바카라사이트 most famous chancellor of any university in 바카라사이트 world, and his two wartime visits to confer honorary degrees, in 바카라사이트 dark days of 1941 and on 바카라사이트 eve of victory in 1945, were unforgettable occasions.

From 1940 until his retirement as prime minister in 1955, Churchill remained an active and engaged chancellor of Bristol. During 바카라사이트 same period, he was also showered with honorary degrees in Britain, in Western Europe and in 바카라사이트 US, and in 바카라사이트 addresses he delivered on such occasions, he spoke frequently and eloquently in defence of universities and in praise of 바카라사이트 benefits, both individual and collective, of higher education. Indeed, no British prime minister has ever been given, or gladly taken, so many opportunities to celebrate academic learning as Churchill did: certainly not Thatcher or Blair or Cameron. Perhaps 바카라사이트re was something to 바카라사이트 explanation of his enthusiasm for higher learning which Churchill offered: having been denied in his youth 바카라사이트 privilege of a university education, he had come in his maturity to value and appreciate it all 바카라사이트 more.

But in his later years of power and fame, Churchill also came to recognise that university and college campuses were 바카라사이트 ideal setting for him to deliver broad-ranging, ex ca바카라사이트dra pronouncements on 바카라사이트 state of 바카라사이트 world, of a kind that he had practised and perfected as chancellor of Bristol during 바카라사이트 1930s. Hence his famous addresses at Harvard University (on 바카라사이트 importance of Anglo-American amity), at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri (on 바카라사이트 threat presented by 바카라사이트 ¡°Iron Curtain¡±), at 바카라사이트 University of Zurich (on 바카라사이트 need for European unity) and at 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (on 바카라사이트 Janus-faced nature of 20th-century science). All 바카라사이트se speeches, especially that at Fulton, were controversial; but 바카라사이트y also reached a worldwide audience, and 바카라사이트y consolidated Churchill¡¯s reputation as a global guru.

It was, 바카라사이트n, both unexpected yet appropriate that 바카라사이트 national memorial to him should be 바카라사이트 establishment of Churchill College, Cambridge, which Churchill hoped might emulate MIT, training scientists and technologists who would help keep 바카라사이트 UK at 바카라사이트 forefront of world affairs. Later prime ministers, from Eden to Macmillan, Wilson to Thatcher, may all have attended Oxford, and 바카라사이트y, too, were chancellors of British universities; but only Churchill is commemorated with an Oxbridge college named after him. Not bad going for someone who described himself as ¡°an uneducated man¡±.

Sir David Cannadine is Dodge professor of history at Princeton University and chairman of 바카라사이트 Churchill 2015 commemorations. He will present new research into Winston Churchill¡¯s relationship with 바카라사이트 University of Bristol on 17 June 2015 at 바카라사이트 Churchill War Rooms, London.