Changing public perceptions of Winston Churchill from the First World War to 2020
Lead Research Organisation:
King's College London
Department Name: Defence Studies
Abstract
This PhD project is about tracing changing perceptions of Winston Churchill over time. It will highlight how the public and
the media, as well as Churchill's associates and opponents, have viewed him from the time of his involvement in the First
World War, through to his role as Britain's wartime Prime Minister and up until 2020. It will document how both Churchill's
reputation and role within modern British history have altered over time, often reflecting wider events and the public mood
of the day as well as shifts in historiography. It will show that public opinion and media coverage of Churchill was never
unanimous in its tone or outlook.
A key contribution to historical knowledge, this project will primarily address issues surrounding one of the most well-known
personalities within British politics and 20th-century global history. It will also explore the legacy of the Second World War
and how changing contemporaneous discourse has altered, affected and challenged established wartime narratives in the
decades since it ended. The project will analyse representations of Churchill not only during the two world wars but also up
to the near present, including the events of 2020, in which protesters vandalized Churchill's statue in Parliament Square.
Key research questions to be addressed include:
How and why has public perception of Churchill vacillated?
What was the public perception of Churchill during the First and Second World Wars?
How was he portrayed by the media during and between the wars?
How far did the events of his public and political life prior to the Second World War shape how he was viewed during the
conflict?
How far did Churchill's First World War service and reputation, as well as his years in the 'political wilderness' during the
1930s, shape how he was viewed after he became Prime Minister?
How were Churchill's views on the British Empire and its independence movements received by the British public and
press during the war and afterwards?
How have these perceptions changed over time, culminating in the anti-Churchill backlash of 2020?
What part has the media - both the British and overseas media, as well as the internet and social media - played in
shaping public perceptions of Churchill over time?
How has Churchill been co-opted as a beacon for wider cultural issues?
Likely research to be undertaken will include archival research at IWM, the Churchill Archives Centre, the National Archives
and newspaper and media archives including, but not limited to, The Times Archive, the BBC Archives, the British
Newspaper Archives, the New York Times Archive, the Washington Post Archive and British Pathé. Research trips may
also be necessary to Chartwell, the Churchill War Rooms, the Churchill Museum in Missouri, USA, as well as other
archives and media centres as necessary. A thorough survey of secondary source literature will also be required.
the media, as well as Churchill's associates and opponents, have viewed him from the time of his involvement in the First
World War, through to his role as Britain's wartime Prime Minister and up until 2020. It will document how both Churchill's
reputation and role within modern British history have altered over time, often reflecting wider events and the public mood
of the day as well as shifts in historiography. It will show that public opinion and media coverage of Churchill was never
unanimous in its tone or outlook.
A key contribution to historical knowledge, this project will primarily address issues surrounding one of the most well-known
personalities within British politics and 20th-century global history. It will also explore the legacy of the Second World War
and how changing contemporaneous discourse has altered, affected and challenged established wartime narratives in the
decades since it ended. The project will analyse representations of Churchill not only during the two world wars but also up
to the near present, including the events of 2020, in which protesters vandalized Churchill's statue in Parliament Square.
Key research questions to be addressed include:
How and why has public perception of Churchill vacillated?
What was the public perception of Churchill during the First and Second World Wars?
How was he portrayed by the media during and between the wars?
How far did the events of his public and political life prior to the Second World War shape how he was viewed during the
conflict?
How far did Churchill's First World War service and reputation, as well as his years in the 'political wilderness' during the
1930s, shape how he was viewed after he became Prime Minister?
How were Churchill's views on the British Empire and its independence movements received by the British public and
press during the war and afterwards?
How have these perceptions changed over time, culminating in the anti-Churchill backlash of 2020?
What part has the media - both the British and overseas media, as well as the internet and social media - played in
shaping public perceptions of Churchill over time?
How has Churchill been co-opted as a beacon for wider cultural issues?
Likely research to be undertaken will include archival research at IWM, the Churchill Archives Centre, the National Archives
and newspaper and media archives including, but not limited to, The Times Archive, the BBC Archives, the British
Newspaper Archives, the New York Times Archive, the Washington Post Archive and British Pathé. Research trips may
also be necessary to Chartwell, the Churchill War Rooms, the Churchill Museum in Missouri, USA, as well as other
archives and media centres as necessary. A thorough survey of secondary source literature will also be required.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Ashley Jackson (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Katherine MOAR (Student) |