Winston Churchill and his leadership during World War IIWinston Churchill symbolized Great Britain during World War II. His image, and that of the British people as a whole, was one of defiance in the face of overwhelming adversity. His galvanizing and courageous leadership as Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II was the catalyst for the tenacious resistance of the British and the final victory of the Allied forces over Hitler. His speeches aroused the masses and mobilized the English. When everything kept going wrong, when things seemed like they couldn't get any worse, he was there to encourage and support the Allied armies. With his inspiring speeches, he motivated the nation of Great Britain to do what he believed was impossible. Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was born on 30 November 1874 at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire. His parents were Lord Randolph Henry Spencer Churchill and his American wife, Jeanette Jerome Churchill. Churchill attended St. George's and Misses Thomson Primary School. He didn't do particularly well at either school. For high school he attended Harrow School, on the outskirts of London. He was only accepted into Harrow because of his father's reputation. While at Harrow he fared badly. He rarely studied and the only subject he was good at was English. He had few friends at school. (Webb 6-14) According to Robert Webb, "Winston was a loner. He had no friends and apparently wanted none. What he did, he did alone." (14) After struggling for four years at Harrow, Churchill decided to attend the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. He failed the entrance exam twice, but was finally accepted after narrowly passing...... half of the task...... (Webb 107-111) Churchill's words during the The war years affected himself as well as the British people as a whole. "Let us therefore attend to our duties and conduct ourselves in such a way that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth lasted a thousand years, men would say: 'This was their finest hour.'" (Geib, Internet) Bibliography: Braakhius, Wilfried. "The World at War." (May 2000). Bradick, Lynn and Norbert Schrepf. "Britain's Finest Hour." 1996. (May 2000) Gilbert, Martin. Churchill. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1967." Sir Winston Churchill." Britannia.com, 2000. (May 2000). Webb, Robert N Winston Churchill, Man of the Century New York: Franklin Watts, Inc., 1969.