The Churchill Perspective: World Leaders Quiz

Answer: Charles de Gaulle

Considered by many to be a protégé of Churchill during the first year of the Vichy regime in France, the two later had a number of differences. About Churchill de Gaulle said, "When I am right, I get angry. Churchill gets angry when he is wrong. We are angry at each other much of the time."

Answer: Adolf Hitler

In "The Great Dictator", Charlie Chaplin played two roles: dictator Adenoid Hynkel and a look-alike Jewish barber. Near the end of the movie the Jewish barber observes, "Greed has poisoned men's souls - has barricaded the world with hate; has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed." Some claim that Hitler, reputedly a fan of Chaplin, actually trimmed his own mustache to match that of the famous actor. (This claim is disputed.)

Answer: Clement Attlee

Clement Attlee's Labour government (1945-51) initiated broad economic changes. His tenure saw the nationalization of The Bank of England, the coalmines, civil aviation, cable and wireless services, gas, electricity, railways, road transport and steel.

The National Health Service was instituted. During his years in power, India was granted independence and the British Empire became the British Commonwealth. About Churchill Atlee observed, "Fifty percent of Winston is genius, fifty percent bloody fool."

Answer: Lloyd George

At Versailles, Lloyd George took the position that Germany should be punished but not politically and economically destroyed. This put him at odds with both the idealistic American president Woodrow Wilson and the vindictive French Premier Georges Clemenceau. Questioned about how he had performed during the conference he remarked, "Not badly, considering I was seated between Jesus Christ and Napoleon."

Answer: Franklin Roosevelt

In August of 1941, Churchill met with Roosevelt and instituted the Atlantic Charter, a then secret agreement that set out eight common principles that was to govern their conduct in the ongoing conflict. This meeting occurred on warships in the Atlantic.

Answer: William Gladstone

William Gladstone championed conciliation on the Irish question for much of his career. Although his home rule bill passed the Commons, the House of Lords voted it down. Gladstone was Prime Minister on four different occasions.

Answer: Stanley Baldwin

Stanley Baldwin criticized Churchill's judgment in a letter written to a friend in 1936. Baldwin wrote of Churchill, "... he was denied judgment and wisdom. And that is why while we delight to listen to him in this House we do not take his advice." Baldwin, however, while serving as Prime Minister, was singularly blind to the growing Nazi threat.

This, rather than the Indian issue, led to Churchill's often biting criticism of Baldwin. (Baldwin quote from "Churchill, A Biography" by Roy Jenkins."

Answer: Lady Nancy Astor

It seems, to this author, ironic that the extraordinary Nancy Astor should be remembered chiefly because of this short exchange with Winston Churchill. An early feminist, she once quipped, "I married beneath me - all women do."

Answer: Montgomery

Bernard Law Montgomery was ultimately granted a peerage in 1946. He commanded the forces that triumphed over the Germans in Africa at El Alamein, and took the title of Viscount Montgomery of El Alamein. Churchill indicated that he felt the battle for Alamein to be the turning point of World War II, at least for Britain.

Answer: Neville Chamberlain

The capitulation to the Germans over the issue of Czechoslovakia merely emboldened Adolf Hitler. Chamberlain resigned in 1940 and died later that year. Winston Churchill, of course, succeeded him.