Churchill - Must Read

The Death of Churchillian Leadership

By Brad Macdonald June/July 2006

Why World War III is unavoidable Churchill called it “the Unnecessary War.” Though Hitler caused it, his evil intentions would not have provoked global conflict had they been met sooner by resolute resistance from the Allied leadership of Britain, France and America. The ineptitude and weakness of British leadership during the 1930s was one of the greatest catastrophes of World War ii. British leaders were plagued by a mindset of appeasement and an unwillingness to confront reality. Politicians lacked courage and insight. A tyrant was rising up across the English Channel, yet few had the foresight and mental fortitude to speak about Hitler’s imperialist intentions. Allied pacifism fostered the rise of the Nazi war machine! Hitler spent the 1930s securing his dictatorship, even killing off political competitors. By blending force with a subtle spin campaign, he garnered the support of most of the German population. He stoked the fires of German factories and churned out military hardware at an unprecedented pace. He cast aside the Versailles Treaty and transformed the German Army. These actions made it clear: Hitler was spoiling for war! Prior to becoming chancellor in 1933, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf, in which he outlined his hideous beliefs and ideology. Hitler, in fact, spent two decades preparing for World War ii. This tyrant declared war on the Jews and Western civilization long before his tanks steamrollered Europe. Despite this very public campaign for war, the leaders of France, Britain and America remained embarrassingly silent. Britain and France were the most powerful nations in the region, yet they did absolutely nothing. Germany hastily rearmed while Britain’s leaders slumbered! This truth isn’t widely discussed today, but the facts are evident: World War ii could have been avoided, but weak, passive leadership made it inevitable! By contrast, the divinely inspired, honorable leadership of Winston Churchill rescued Western civilization from the mouth of the Nazi beast. With Churchill at the vanguard, Britain and America finally harnessed their incomparable power to conquer Hitler and the Axis powers. This history teaches a crucial lesson: World affairs hinge on national leadership. Poor leadership destroys nations. High-quality leadership saves nations. Strong leadership is a national blessing from God. Speaking before the United States Congress, Churchill himself acknowledged the existence of a higher power, even stating his conviction that a divine purpose was being worked out here below. Though in many ways the destiny of Western civilization was in his hands, this staggering responsibility didn’t deter Churchill because he believed in a higher power. Churchill’s leadership during World War ii was a blessing from God. God saved Western civilization through the leadership of that man! Bible prophecy tells us that because of America and Britain’s disobedience in this end time, God has removed strong leadership from these nations. Good leadership is a blessing resulting from obedience; weak leadership is a curse resulting from disobedience! Isaiah is a book of prophecy for our day (request our free booklet Isaiah’s End-Time Vision.) Consider this end-time prophecy in Isaiah 3: “For, behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water. The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient, the captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counselor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator” (verses 1-3). God is cursing Anglo-America by stripping these nations of high-quality leaders. Why? It is a curse from God that has come as a result of our peoples refusing to acknowledge Him as the source of our prosperity and blatantly disregarding His laws. The history leading up to World War ii is repeating itself today—except, this time, because of this curse, there will arise no Churchill. The Importance of Leadership During the two decades prior to the war, the British Navy dominated the seas. Its colonies provided access to a wealth of raw materials from around the globe. The pound sterling was the world’s reserve currency; London was the seat of the global financial system. Britain possessed all the elements of a global superpower. Still, this powerful force failed to prevent the greatest, most destructive war in history. How could this have happened? Respected international relations expert Hans Morgenthau highlighted the importance of national leadership in his book Politics Among Nations. He stated, “Of all the factors that make for the power of a nation, the most important, however unstable, is the quality of diplomacy” (emphasis mine throughout). Here is where Britain failed. The most powerful empire in the world is nothing if it isn’t helmed by quality leadership. Economic supremacy means little if it isn’t managed and administered by quality leaders. It is the diplomacy, or leadership, of a nation that combines the facets of power to make a nation powerful and influential. Morgenthau continued, “Diplomacy, one might say, is the brains of national power, as national morale is its soul.” A nation’s leadership is responsible for giving meaning and direction to all the other elements of national power. “If its vision is blurred, its judgment defective, and its determination feeble, all of the advantages of geographical location, of self-sufficiency in food, raw materials, and industrial production, of military preparedness, of size and quality of population will in the long run avail a nation little.” That statement aptly describes British leadership during the 1930s. Sadly, it also describes British and American leadership today! Today’s Leadership Void Though the United States is a mighty power, our leaders’ vision is blurred, our judgment is defective, our moral core is corrupt, and, above all, our determination is feeble. This failure in leadership has made America a lame-duck superpower. “A nation that can boast of all these advantages [of national power], but not of a diplomacy commensurate with them, may achieve temporary successes through the sheer weight of its natural assets. In the long run, it is likely to squander the natural assets by activating them incompletely, haltingly and wastefully for the nation’s international objectives” (ibid.). This is the story of recent history for America, Britain and the British dominions. Anglo-American nations possess the greatest militaries and economies in the world, but these qualities of power are being squandered through half-hearted solutions and lack of will within the leadership. Consider, for example, America’s inconclusive forays in recent years and decades: Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Somalia, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Iraq. What is there to show? Great expenditures in effort, treasure and lives have done nothing to stop the marked rise in global anti-Americanism. Lack of decisive leadership and failure to follow through in these conflicts, though in some cases having won “temporary successes,” has not achieved “the nation’s international objectives.” Rather, it has rendered these ventures largely valueless as far as America’s national interest goes. The U.S., to its shame, simply did not learn the lesson of World War ii. Between the two world wars, America, though it possessed juggernaut potential, had negligible impact, simply because it refused to help solve international problems. Not only was it Britain’s lack of clear-sighted leadership that allowed Germany to rise uninhibited, but most significantly, America’s refusal to enter World War ii until it was literally bombed into it at Pearl Harbor in 1941. “As far as the power of the United States on the international scene was concerned, the advantages of geography, natural resources, industrial potential, and size and quality of population might as well have not existed at all, for American diplomacy [leadership] proceeded as though they did not exist” (ibid.). The greatest tragedy of this history is that American and British leaders have failed to recognize the results of politically correct, feeble leadership. As a result, a scenario alarmingly similar to Hitler’s Germany of the 1930s is playing out. This time, however, with the advent of advanced nuclear weaponry, the stakes are considerably higher. The Anglo-American world faces life-threatening problems. Iran is at the vanguard of a campaign to literally destroy Israel, America and the West. Islamic terrorism remains a significant threat. The powerhouses of Russia and China are nurturing distinctly anti-American and anti-Western foreign policies. And soon the emerging European superpower will flex its muscles and take on the United States. Anglo-America is under attack from every angle! Now is the time the nations of Israel need quality leadership. There is a desperate need for wise and sound diplomacy. We need men who will lead us out of these problems. We need strong leaders with strong solutions! But instead, weak leadership is once again facilitating the rise of tyrants. It is tyrants who are filling this world’s leadership void. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a man whose declared foreign policy is to start World War iii. He is on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons. As was the case with Hitler, Ahmadinejad’s rise has been largely fostered by the weak leadership of the United States. Earlier this year, former U.S. President Bill Clinton shared some foreign-policy advice: “Anytime somebody said in my presidency, ‘If you don’t do this, people will think you’re weak.’ I always asked the same question for eight years: ‘Can we kill ’em tomorrow?’ If we can kill ’em tomorrow, then we’re not weak, and we might be wise enough to try to find an alternative way.” This advice may sound wise; certainly at times it is prudent to put off a decision in search of an alternative. This policy, however, has a serious flaw: Often, inaction becomes a terminal disease. This disease infected Britain’s actions throughout the 1930s. British politicians continually put off dealing decisively with Germany. It wasn’t until Germany’s invasion of France in May 1940 that they accepted the need for urgent action. Because American leadership fails to see the reality of its problems, it procrastinates. Other global powers are exploiting this procrastination! Because America fails to deal with them, problems with Iran, Russia, China and radical Islam are driving the world inexorably toward catastrophe. Why No Churchill Today? Though our own perilous situation mirrors the 1930s, there is one major difference: Leading up to World War ii, a lone watchman manned the vigil, frantically warning his nation to take action against the dragon across the English Channel. Where is today’s Winston Churchill? As elected officials, most of our politicians have become more concerned with telling people what they want to hear than with speaking truth. Most leaders have grown too concerned with position and power and are losing sight of their responsibility toward the people and the nation. Winston Churchill refused to be pushed into such a position. The 1930s were Churchill’s “wilderness years” because he possessed little influence in the British government. During this time, Churchill warned profusely of the rise of Germany and of the need for Britain to meet this threat. But politicians and citizens alike thought he was a warmonger and refused to take him seriously. Today, such unpopularity would persuade many leaders to soften their message. Churchill refused to cower, even if speaking the truth made him the most unpopular politician in the land. He placed the truth and reality above everything, even personal gain. This is the mark of a true statesman. Honorable leaders always put the nation and the people before themselves. While other politicians sought to please the people by telling them what they wanted to hear, Winston Churchill was warning them about harsh reality. Our leaders today lack the watchman quality of Churchillian leadership. Where Churchill faced the dangerous truth, leaders in America and Britain today live in a world of illusion! Churchill told British members of Parliament in 1932, “I cannot recall any time when the gap between the kind of words which statesmen used and what was actually happening in many countries was so great as it is now. The habit of saying smooth things and uttering pious platitudes and sentiments to gain applause, without relation to the underlying facts, is more pronounced than it has ever been in my experience.” Because they were in the habit of telling the people what they wanted to hear, Britain’s leaders failed to warn the nation about the beast rising on the Continent. As Germany armed itself to the teeth, the British nation was literally on holiday. Britain’s leaders spoke only smooth things. Are our leaders and people today any different? Winston Churchill refused to soften or change his views for the people or the party leadership. Is there such a leader in Britain or America today? Even if there were, people lack the will to elect such a leader. He would never be given an office. Today’s leaders are heavily influenced by the media, their big business supporters and their quest to satisfy their voters. Strong leadership, however, will not be hemmed in by such things. It does not confuse popularity with wisdom. While globe-threatening problems gather, our leaders bicker, hamstrung by the perceived need to cater to a multitude of special-interest groups. Divisions within the U.S. government are becoming poisonously vicious. Politicians increasingly express heedless criticism, blind bias, arrogance and even hatred for their opponents. Crude and offensive remarks are commonplace. Politicians have grown more passionate and personal in their character assassination. They approach their responsibilities like spiteful children. Former members of Congress, both Republican and Democrat, say the political atmosphere is worse than ever and has become so hostile that it is killing the government’s ability to manage crises. Timothy Roemer, a former Democratic congressman from Indiana, said, “There is not only a poisonous partisan attitude in Washington, but it seems to be paralyzing Congress from acting on some of the most important national security, economic and energy-related issues facing Americans. … It is more divisive than I have seen in my 20 years in Washington” (Washington Times, June 27, 2005). Selfishness and personal bias are increasingly the pervading attitudes. Too many politicians care more about “assassinating” each other’s principles and character than about destroying terrorists and other threats to national security. Our leaders have degenerated to a child’s level in judgments and decisions: “And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them” (Isaiah 3:4). Politicians are childish in more ways than one. Seeing our nation’s leaders lambaste one another with childish names and personal abuses makes this analogy very apt. The horrors of Nazi Germany would have overwhelmed Western civilization if not for the quality leadership of Winston Churchill. Today, the world lies in the foothills of similar horrors. There is a desperate need for Churchillian leadership. But what is that? What separated Churchill from other leaders? What facets of leadership helped save Western civilization from destruction? Though we must realize it would take more than a Winston Churchill to save us today, there are elements of leadership urgently needed in our politicians and diplomats today. Great leaders are self-educated Prestigious degrees from renowned universities do not make a great leader. Often, if a person relies too heavily on a spoon-fed education without really considering and proving what is being taught, his leadership can be short-sighted. Unless it combines with self-education, modern education can handicap a person’s leadership. Churchill spent years educating himself rather than simply accepting as truth the liberal doctrines of universities. In his book Never Give In, Stephen Mansfield discussed the importance of Churchill’s self-education. Regarding education, Mansfield wrote, “When it is done well, it can unleash a people’s destiny. But when it is done poorly, it degenerates into a soul-numbing process that more often than not kills the spirit of creativity and leadership. Sadly, many have suffered under this kind of pitiless ineptitude ….” Some of the most vehement opposition to Churchill in the 1930s came from Britain’s most renowned universities. Oxford was one of Churchill’s staunchest enemies. It was blanketed in the fog of liberalism and pacifism. (This problem is far worse today. See page 18.) Churchill studied a range of subjects, constantly weighing what he was reading against history and experience. Winston Churchill, his son Randolph later said, “became his own university.” As a young soldier in India, Churchill spent hours every day reading books. “The discipline of self-education that Winston so passionately and aggressively practiced during those hot Bangalore afternoons remained with him throughout his life. He read ravenously and broadly, laying the foundation for the kind of leader he would one day be. By doing so, he proved that knowledge does not belong alone to the school or the professional, but to the hungry and willing, to those who refuse to surrender to the power of knowledge or the paths that lead to greatness. It is indeed the mark of an ‘exceptional man’” (ibid.). Weak leaders take knowledge at face value and never test its veracity. Quality leaders, on the other hand, do not allow knowledge to be haphazardly poured into their minds. They test everything they receive. Self-education is a mark of quality leadership! Great leaders study and ponder history Modern education does not place enough importance on history. It does not teach the lessons of history upon which quality leaders richly depend. History has repeated itself for generations. Churchill stated, “It is my earnest hope that pondering upon the past will give guidance in the days to come.” He was a true historian. “History was the way he understood the world, the lens he used to bring reality into focus. Churchill thought historically, meaning that he understood life in terms of generations, great men, the succession of ages, heroic events, noble conflicts and the linear connections of time. For him history was more than something to study; it was a way of thinking” (ibid.). During the 1930s, Churchill simply looked at the recent history of Germany and knew that the nation was spoiling for war. It wasn’t hard to see—but because of people’s innate shortsightedness due to their refusal to acknowledge history, few recognized what was before their eyes. The same problem persists today. Our leaders must look through the lens of history to learn about the future. Leaders of America and Britain, in particular, need to view Germany and the Vatican today in light of their history. For example, on February 16 this year, German legislators agreed to reform the system of governmental checks and balances installed by the Allies after the Second World War as a means of ensuring the likes of Hitler could never again sabotage the country’s political system. When this was first proposed, Stratfor commented, “For better or worse, some of those checks are about to be voted away. And although the Bundeswehr was not looking for a flat place to march across the last time we checked, Germany’s neighbors have got to be developing a bit of a nervous twitch as their long-occupied-and-divided neighbor begins thinking for itself again” (Nov. 10, 2005). If the leaders of Anglo-America studied their history, they would be pondering deeply what is taking place in Germany right now. Great leaders study the lives of other great leaders Much can be learned about the present and future by studying leaders of the past. Winston Churchill spent years studying great historical leaders. Their actions shaped his own leadership. His military mastermind was heavily influenced by his study of the military ventures of Napoleon and other greats. He wrote a book about the military genius of his great uncle, John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough. He habitually gleaned guidance from history’s most towering figures. The lives of great men held the keys to greatness, which Churchill strove to emulate. These studies taught Churchill that “men, exceptional men of character and vision, shape history by rising to the challenge of great events” (Mansfield, op. cit.). He knew that history is shaped by the leadership of great men. Today’s leaders could learn a lot about sound and honorable leadership by emulating this quality of Winston Churchill. Great leaders are students of human nature The Bible informs us that the hearts of all men are wicked and evil (Jeremiah 17:9). It also tells us that even mankind’s goodness is like filthy rags compared to God (Isaiah 64:6). This is a reality that mankind denies. Modern education teaches that men are inherently good. It blinds students to the reality of the human heart. British politicians during the 1930s were blind to Hitler’s evil motives. This man’s actions should have convinced them he was preparing for war, but Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain—and most of Britain—allowed themselves to be deceived by Hitler’s words. Churchill’s understanding of human nature enabled him to see through the rhetoric. Understanding human nature means looking at the fruits and accepting reality. Quality leaders are not fooled by words—they look at actions. The leaders of the English-speaking peoples need to learn this lesson today. Leaders of such nations as Russia and China can say pleasant words, but their actions speak something very different. America refuses to take seriously the fact that China is wresting control of sea gates around the world; Washington sits back and lets this happen, failing to acknowledge that China’s control of strategic shipping lanes could be used against it in the future. America dillydallies with Iran, believing diplomats can “talk” the nation into changing its ways. Though Tehran’s actions demand to be confronted, Western leaders continually give Tehran the benefit of the doubt. Human nature gravitates toward catastrophe. Leaders today must grasp this reality if they ever want to solve the problems that plague their nations. Great leaders face reality Winston Churchill accepted the reality of Germany’s political and military revolution. He accepted the fact that Germany was preparing for war. This reality drove him to warn Britain that it too must make preparations. Even as late as 1938, British politicians and public alike continued to believe Germany could be appeased: In a desperate attempt to placate Hitler, Britain agreed to Germany’s annexing Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland in exchange for a promise by Hitler to make no further territorial demands. The leaders gave the people what they wanted to hear. Tragically, the reality was very different from what the people were told. Many of America’s and Britain’s leaders today are largely blind to the perils of the present world. Not only do they underestimate the threat from Iran, but they also fail to see the challenges posed by Asian nations and, particularly, the dangers of a united Europe. If such blindness persists, these realities will soon destroy these nations. Great leaders see the big picture Churchill saw the big picture of German rearmament. Occasional reports indicated setbacks for Germany or brought news that Germany had signed a new peace treaty. Churchill didn’t let these red herrings distract him. He never lost sight of the fact that Germany was rearming and preparing intensely for war. Too many leaders today allow themselves to be distracted. The focus is too often on which foreign policy will make a leader look good in the polls tomorrow—not what will be good for the country in the next decade, and the next generation. In the Middle East quagmire and the war against terrorism, clarity of vision requires seeing the big picture: recognizing that the core problem—the prime sponsor of terror and instigator of anti-Americanism and anti-Israelism—is Iran. Economically, if America really accepted the big picture—that the U.S. is indebted to and at the mercy of the rest of the world—it would take action. Leaders today often nurture pet policies or preconceptions that prevent them from having a broad-enough perspective and seeing the real dangers. Great leaders ponder the future In May 1940, Churchill was appointed prime minister. By this time, it was almost too late to save Europe from the Nazi death-machine. Churchill was called upon in the 11th hour, yet with God’s help he still managed to rescue the Continent from Hitler. How? One factor that made this heroic deed possible was that Churchill had spent the entire prior decade planning for the war that he saw was becoming inevitable. His power of imagination and foresight was remarkable. While Britain slumbered, Churchill prepared for war. Even as the war progressed, Churchill was able to see into the future and predict Hitler’s next move. Because of this prophetic mindset, Britain was a step ahead of Hitler for much of the war. Churchill devoted his attention to future circumstances. He used the present as his palette for imagining the future. Today, great insight would be gained from pondering the implications of the rise of Europe, the rise of Iran, and a host of other trends. Leaders must use present conditions and facts as a foundation for imagining the future. The embryo of future events lives within current events. Only a leader with vision can discern and unravel tomorrow’s problems today. The End Result World War ii teaches us that weak, inept and pacifist leadership propels a nation toward disaster. The disastrous quality of American and British leadership during the decade prior to the war left a massive void in global leadership. Hindsight being 20/20, it’s easy to look back and ask, what were America and Britain thinking? For years they could have prevented World War ii! What will history say about the actions of these nations today? Circumstances are alarmingly similar to those of the 1930s! Serious dangers are escalating because of poor-quality leadership. Winston Churchill was always urgent, highly conscious of time. “When the situation was manageable it was neglected,” said Churchill in a 1935 speech to the House of Commons, “and now that it is thoroughly out of hand we apply too late the remedies which then might have effected a cure. “There is nothing new in the story. It is as old as the sibylline books. It falls into that long, dismal catalog of the fruitlessness of experience and the confirmed unteachability of mankind. Want of foresight, unwillingness to act when action would be simple and effective, lack of clear thinking, confusion of counsel until the emergency comes, until self-preservation strikes its jarring gong—these are the features which constitute the endless repetition of history.” What a condemning statement! We haven’t learned from history—even the recent history of Churchill and World War ii! Now we are just waiting for the “jarring gong” to awaken us. Rather than denazify Germany after World War ii, the Allies simply asked Germany to denazify itself. It didn’t! The Nazis simply went underground. Now Germany is back on the scene with increasing power and political influence. The ugly factions are about to gain control again. Already they are throwing their weight around—after the world has seen their grisly past in living color! That should be enough to teach us that we are going to have to deal with yet another militant Germany. As Churchill said in 1934, “Germany is a country fertile in military surprises.” Germany has already caused two world wars. And according to Bible prophecy, it is destined to start a third! (Request a free copy of our booklet Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.) As Churchill said, it is “the endless repetition of history.” And the leadership void created by a hugely powerful but indecisive and weak-willed U.S. is destined to open the way for a new tyrant to emerge in Europe—one who will deal decisively not only with Iran and the terrorist threat, but any other threat it perceives. The “endless repetition” of our foreign-policy weakness plagues us. The prophecy in Isaiah 3 warns of the demise of Churchillian leadership in Anglo-America in this end time. This deficit in America and Britain is fueling the rise of the most despotic rulers in history. No one is doing anything to prevent nuclear war from erupting! Weak leadership is ushering in World War iii! The Next Great Leader Winston Churchill was one of history’s greatest leaders. He played his role in this greatness. He equipped himself with a quality education. He learned the lessons of history. He learned from the lives of other great men. He was a student of human nature. He faced reality and spoke the truth. He never lost sight of the big picture. He pondered future events. Today’s leaders would benefit greatly from following this example. All these facets of leadership played an integral role in making Churchill a great leader. Remember, though, that his leadership was inspired by God and a blessing to Western civilization. Winston Churchill didn’t save Western civilization—God did! God saved Western civilization by miracles and by blessing Britain and the Allied powers with the high-quality leadership of Winston Churchill. You can prove this by requesting our booklet Winston S. Churchill: The Watchman. Today, God has removed such leadership from the Anglo-American nations. Because of their disobedience, God is not equipping America and Britain with leaders of character, insight and courage. The lack of such leadership today is a curse directly from God! God is cursing these nations in this manner because He yearns for their repentance. He wants these people to turn from their disobedience, and embrace His ways and His laws. This curse of leadership is designed to bring these nations to the point where they will look to God for solutions. This was not the case in World War ii. A failure to turn to God will produce unparalleled suffering! The Olivet prophecy in Matthew 24 discusses the nuclear warfare about to engulf the world: “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (verse 21). Weapons of mass destruction will make this a period of tribulation unlike any other in history. As the prophecy continues, though, it tells us that civilization will not be completely destroyed. “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (verse 22). This is a prophecy about a leader intervening in world affairs to prevent the complete devastation of mankind. This leader will be Jesus Christ. The government of Christ will rescue mankind from the brink of destruction. Christ’s leadership will restore perfect health, happiness and abundance to Earth. You can learn more about the government of God and the perfect leadership of Jesus Christ by requesting our free booklet The Wonderful World Tomorrow—What It Will Be Like. Notice the perfection and wonder of Christ’s leadership. Isaiah 9 prophesies of the time when He will establish His perfect and loving government on Earth. Verses 6-7 read, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” Churchill’s leadership wasn’t perfect, but thanks to help from above, it saved Western civilization. Today’s leaders would do well to emulate the qualities of Churchillian leadership.