May 10 - Winston Churchill Becomes Prime Minister

This Day in History: 10 May 2020

 

10 May 1940

 

80 years ago, today, Winston Churchill became Britain's Prime Minister, replacing Neville Chamberlain, after he resigned due to losing a confidence vote in the House of Commons. Two years prior, the Munich Agreement was signed by Chamberlain with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, handing over the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia over to German conquest. Despite this, Chamberlain promised this would bring "peace in our time". By the next year, this peace was obliterated by Hitler's invasion of Poland, causing Chamberlain to declare war against Germany. However, during the next 8 months, he showed himself to be ill-equipped for the task of saving Europe from the Nazis.

 

After the British failed to prevent the German occupation of Norway, Chamberlain lost the support of many members from his Conservative Party. On this day, Hitler invaded the Low Countries and France, while Chamberlain formally lost the confidence of the House of Commons. Churchill was appointed in his place, as he was known for his military leadership ability. He formed an all-party coalition, thus quickly winning the British people's support. Three days later, he gave his first speech to the House of Commons, stating that "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat". He then outlined his bold plans for the British forces, but in his first year, Britain stood alone against Nazi Germany. Despite this, Churchill promised that Britain would "never surrender", which they never did.

 

Want to find out more about Winston Churchill's time as Prime Minister in the Second World War? Click here for more information, or watch the 2017 war drama film 'Darkest Hour', which depicts Churchill's early days as Prime Minister during the war.