April 10, 1940, was one of the most important days in World War II: Nazi Germany stormed France and the Low Countries – Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Anyone who still believed until then that Hitler would settle for less than conquering all of Europe was mistaken. On that very day, in London, a man who for almost a decade had warned and repeatedly cautioned about what was about to happen was appointed Prime Minister: Winston Churchill.
Churchill warned of the Nazi danger from the moment they came to power. He alerted about the intentions of the new German regime, and time and again demanded to stop Hitler while it was still possible. But the British leadership, like most of the public, still traumatized by the great war, didn’t want to hear about another war, and didn’t want to hear from Churchill. Not when Germany withdrew from disarmament agreements, not when it invested all its resources in rearming at an alarming pace, and not even when it took actual steps of conquest and annexation of territories.
Churchill was a political leper for two decades, considered an extremist, warmonger, disturbed and unimportant. No more than a political failure that shamed his illustrious family lineage.
The British realized that Churchill had been right all along only when it was already too late: the war had already broken out, and the Nazi army had flooded all of Western Europe. The free world began the war at a significant disadvantage, facing the army that Hitler had built for years unhindered. This cost millions of lives.
Churchill demonstrated exceptional leadership and mobilized the entire British nation and the Allies for an uncompromising war. His famous speeches – from “Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat,” through “We Shall Fight on the Beaches” to “This Was Their Finest Hour” were all delivered in the first two months of his tenure. Churchill’s charisma and rhetoric swept the British, and in fact made the difference between surrender and reaching an agreement with Hitler – an option that was not only on the table but also a reasonable possibility given the situation – and a war to free Europe.
And back to our days: There are quite a few leaders in the West today who warn of the dangers ahead. They warn of the threat of the emerging Axis to the West, to its way of life, and to its territorial integrity. Some are politically ostracized and perceived as extremists and warmongers, while others are considered legitimate political players in their countries. None of them looks like Churchill, but, as mentioned, Churchill emerged as a leader on the national and then world stage only after the war had already broken out and the free world found itself with its back against the wall.
The need for strong and determined leadership in the West becomes critical as the threat from the new Axis countries intensifies. Will one of the current generation of leaders grow from the crisis and reveal themselves as the Churchill of the 21st century? Possibly. Can the West win at all without such a leader? Probably not.
This article is part of Forbes Israel’s special project: The Assault on the West
