Book contents
- The Cambridge Companion to Winston Churchill
- The Cambridge Companion to Winston Churchill
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 Churchill’s Contested History
- 2 The Inheritance of Winston Churchill
- 3 Learning Lessons
- 4 Churchill As a Writer and Orator
- 5 Churchill and Social Policy
- 6 Churchill, the ‘Irish Question’ and the Irish
- 7 Churchill’s First World War
- 8 Churchill, Art and Politics
- 9 Churchill’s Economics
- 10 Churchill, the Roosevelts and Empire
- 11 Churchill, India and Race
- 12 Churchill’s Campaign against Appeasement
- 13 Churchill As War Leader
- 14 Churchill, The English-Speaking Peoples and the ‘Special Relationship’
- 15 Churchill As International Statesman
- 16 Churchill and the Bombing Campaign
- 17 The Influence of Clementine Churchill
- 18 Churchill and the ‘United States of Europe’
- 19 Indian Summer or Conservative Winter?
- Conclusion
- Book part
- Index
- References
17 - The Influence of Clementine Churchill
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 January 2023
- The Cambridge Companion to Winston Churchill
- The Cambridge Companion to Winston Churchill
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 Churchill’s Contested History
- 2 The Inheritance of Winston Churchill
- 3 Learning Lessons
- 4 Churchill As a Writer and Orator
- 5 Churchill and Social Policy
- 6 Churchill, the ‘Irish Question’ and the Irish
- 7 Churchill’s First World War
- 8 Churchill, Art and Politics
- 9 Churchill’s Economics
- 10 Churchill, the Roosevelts and Empire
- 11 Churchill, India and Race
- 12 Churchill’s Campaign against Appeasement
- 13 Churchill As War Leader
- 14 Churchill, The English-Speaking Peoples and the ‘Special Relationship’
- 15 Churchill As International Statesman
- 16 Churchill and the Bombing Campaign
- 17 The Influence of Clementine Churchill
- 18 Churchill and the ‘United States of Europe’
- 19 Indian Summer or Conservative Winter?
- Conclusion
- Book part
- Index
- References
Summary
The chapter looks at Clementine Churchill’s often neglected position as her husband’s closest advisor and greatest influence. It begins by recounting the attributes she brought to the role, including championing the role of women in wartime and offering personal ‘protection’ to Winston at times of great stress, such as the eve of the D-Day landings. Her role as a British ‘First Lady’ is explored; attending key wartime conferences, editing and rehearsing Churchill’s speeches, and managing high-level international diplomacy with de Gaulle, Roosevelt and Stalin. However, her most important role was in managing Winston, monitoring her husband’s behaviour and restraining him when the need arose. It was a role that absorbed almost all of her energy and time, leaving her little of either for herself or her family.
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- The Cambridge Companion to Winston Churchill , pp. 342 - 361Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023