During his long life, Winston Churchill suffered several indignities. He was dismissed from his position as the head of the Royal Navy in 1915 because of the disastrous defeat Anglo-French forces endured at Gallipoli during World War I. His decision as the chancellor of the exchequer to return Britain to the gold standard in 1925 was a financial catastrophe. During the 1930s, Churchillâs so-called âWilderness Years,â his party denied him a leadership position. His greatest ignominy was being ousted as prime minister in a July 1945 election after Britainâs triumph in World War II.
None of these embarrassments compares, however, with the current assault on Churchillâs reputation. His statue in Parliament Square in London has been boxed up after being defaced by protestors, and his bust has been removed from the Oval Office. More significantly, at a recent academic conference titled âRacial Consequences of Mr. Churchill,â held ironically at Churchill