1940–1945

Abstract

After Neville Chamberlain’s spectacular rejection by the Commons in May 1940, Churchill became Prime Minister, but he did not succeed to the leadership of the Conservative party until shortly before Chamberlain’s death some six months later. Even then there were doubts to be resolved, in his own mind if not in those of his Conservative colleagues. He saw, perhaps more clearly than anyone else, that he could not expect automatically to command the allegiance of many Conservatives, both in Parliament and in the constituencies. These included not only those who had supported the policies with which Chamberlain had become identified, but also those who, however doubtful about the policies, were rigidly orthodox in their Conservatism and somewhat myopic in their loyalties. ‘My country, right or wrong’ is a slogan which has always been identifiable more with Conservative thinking than with that of any other party.