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this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be freed and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the
British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, "This was their finest hour."
124:, even at a moment of great apparent danger to British national survival, talks not only of national survival and national interest but also of noble causes (freedom, Christian civilisation and the rights of small nations) for which Britain was fighting and for which Churchill thought the United States should and eventually would fight.
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In a Secret
Session of the House two days later, Churchill gave his view that the USA would not support Britain if they thought it was down and out. The best chance of American intervention was the spectacle of Britain engaged in a heroic struggle. Already the US had promised Britain the fullest aid
142:
However matters may go in France or with the French
Government, or other French Governments, we in this Island and in the British Empire will never lose our sense of comradeship with the French people. If we are now called upon to endure what they have been suffering, we shall emulate their courage,
232:
We are also told that the
Italian Navy is to come to gain sea superiority in these waters. If they seriously intend it, I shall only say that we shall be delighted to offer Signor Mussolini a free and safeguarded passage through the Straits of Gibraltar in order that he may play the part which he
151:
is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of
Christian civilisation. Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in
143:
and if final victory rewards our toils they shall share the gains, aye, and freedom shall be restored to all. We abate nothing of our just demands; not one jot or tittle do we recede. Czechs, Poles, Norwegians, Dutch, Belgians have joined their causes to our own. All these shall be restored. What
107:, who had moved from one aggressive triumph to another. During that war we repeatedly asked ourselves the question, "How are we going to win?" and no one was able ever to answer it with much precision, until at the end, quite suddenly, quite unexpectedly, our terrible foe
217:
We have become the sole champions now in arms to defend the world cause...We shall defend our Island home, and with the
British Empire we shall fight on unconquerable until the curse of Hitler is lifted from the brows of mankind. We are sure that in the end all will come
161:
The speech was delivered to the
Commons at 3:49 pm, and lasted 36 minutes. Churchill, as was his habit, made revisions to his 23-page typescript right up to and during the speech. The final passage of his typescript was laid out in
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In casting up this dread balance-sheet, contemplating our dangers with a disillusioned eye, I see great reason for intense vigilance and exertion, but none whatever for panic or despair. During the first four years of the
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aspires to do. There is general curiosity in the
British Fleet to find out whether the Italians are up to the level they were at in the last war or whether they have fallen off at all.
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I have thought it right upon this occasion to give the House and the country some indication of the solid, practical grounds upon which we base our inflexible resolve to continue
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82:, and I can assure them that our professional advisers of the three Services unitedly advise that we should do so, and that there are good and reasonable hopes of final victory.
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The online electronic
Hansard has at this point 'the British Commonwealth and Empire'. As noted earlier, there are discrepancies in the references made to the Dominions.
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74:, or otherwise indulge in recrimination. He reviewed the forces still available to prevent or repel any attempted invasion, summing up the review as follows:
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with munitions; after the US November elections, Churchill had no doubt, the whole
English-speaking world would be in line together.
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experienced, ... nothing but disaster and disappointment, and yet at the end their morale was higher than that of the
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Two versions exist of this portion of the speech, the version given in the on-line Hansard being considerably shorter.
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In his speech, Churchill justified the low level of support it had been possible to give to France since the
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Touching in passing upon (and making light of) the entry of Italy into the war on the side of Germany:
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and justified confidence in victory, even if it was not yet clear how that victory could be achieved.
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Churchill had already made a short wireless broadcast on the afternoon of 17 June:
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54:" speech of 4 June. "This was their finest hour" was made after France had sought
373:"'If the Empire lasts a thousand years men will say, this was their finest hour'"
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134:'If the Empire lasts a thousand years men will say, this was their finest hour
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format, which Churchill scholars consider reflective of the influence of the
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It was the third of three speeches which he gave during the period of the
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426:"Seventy Years Later, Churchill's 'Finest Hour' Yields Insights"
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182:– another famous speech given the same day by Charles de Gaulle
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Timeline of the United Kingdom home front during World War II
31:
on 18 June 1940, just over a month after he took over as
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Hansard debate, 13 May 1940 "His Majesty's Government"
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has called the Battle of France is over. I expect the
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The Churchill Centre: We Shall Fight on the Beaches
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784:Never was so much owed by so many to so few
309:Finest Hour: Winston S. Churchill 1939–1941
186:Never was so much owed by so many to so few
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730:A History of the English-Speaking Peoples
86:He reported messages of support from the
457:The Churchill Centre: Their Finest Hour
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1104:Jennie Jerome, Lady Randolph Churchill
853:Schools and higher education (various)
29:House of Commons of the United Kingdom
629:The Story of the Malakand Field Force
612:Churchill's third ministry, 1951–1955
7:
1167:British political phrases (pre-1950)
130:published the speech with the title
716:"Are There Men on the Moon?" (1942)
607:Churchill caretaker ministry, 1945
14:
875:Mishkenot Sha'ananim bust, Israel
858:Boulevard in Mississauga, Ontario
810:Bibliography of Winston Churchill
590:Churchill war ministry, 1940–1945
653:London to Ladysmith via Pretoria
462:Link to audio file of the speech
382:. 28 June 1940. pp. 686–687
306:Gilbert, Martin (27 June 1983).
16:1940 speech by Winston Churchill
1028:1940 British war cabinet crisis
820:International Churchill Society
693:Marlborough: His Life and Times
424:Burns, John F. (18 June 2010),
304:BBC Written Archives quoted in
1122:Frances Anne Spencer-Churchill
825:Churchill War Rooms and Museum
749:A total and unmitigated defeat
37:all-party coalition government
1:
1177:Speeches by Winston Churchill
770:We shall fight on the beaches
532:"Wilderness" years, 1929–1939
52:We shall fight on the beaches
836:Churchill College, Cambridge
756:Blood, toil, tears and sweat
50:" speech of 13 May and the "
48:Blood, toil, tears and sweat
23:" was a speech delivered by
1010:Terminological inexactitude
58:on the evening of 16 June.
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1152:1940 in the United Kingdom
997:St Martin's Church, Bladon
777:This was their finest hour
21:This was their finest hour
1038:Honorary U.S. citizenship
841:Churchill Archives Centre
830:National Churchill Museum
732:(1956–1958, four volumes)
695:(1933–1938, four volumes)
679:(1923–1931, five volumes)
1172:Quotations from military
724:(1948–1953, six volumes)
522:Liberal Party, 1904–1924
452:Hansard record of speech
338:"The Finest Hour Speech"
157:Preparation and delivery
1098:Lord Randolph Churchill
669:Lord Randolph Churchill
539:World War II, 1939–1945
1116:John Spencer-Churchill
992:Siege of Sidney Street
517:In politics, 1900–1939
362:Gilbert (1983), p. 579
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170:on his oratory style.
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1157:World War II speeches
1033:Bengal famine of 1943
981:Operation Unthinkable
918:Palace of Westminster
709:Arms and the Covenant
544:Later life, 1945–1965
527:Chancellor, 1924–1929
512:Early life, 1874–1904
312:. Heinemann. p.
1056:Clementine Churchill
722:The Second World War
701:Great Contemporaries
661:Ian Hamilton's March
1003:Sword of Stalingrad
892:Cultural depictions
887:Sutherland portrait
763:Be ye men of valour
380:The War Illustrated
127:The War Illustrated
109:collapsed before us
1080:Marigold Churchill
1068:Randolph Churchill
987:Political ideology
898:Churchillian Drift
832:(Fulton, Missouri)
342:History on the Net
68:Dunkirk evacuation
35:at the head of an
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1092:Winston Churchill
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923:Parliament Square
574:Death and funeral
549:Electoral history
498:Winston Churchill
180:Appeal of 18 June
149:Battle of Britain
25:Winston Churchill
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33:Prime Minister
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344:. 15 May 2017
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639:(1899 novel)
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564:Racial views
554:As a painter
433:, retrieved
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384:. Retrieved
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56:an armistice
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1086:Mary Soames
600:conferences
559:As a writer
386:17 February
164:blank verse
1146:Categories
1094:(grandson)
1088:(daughter)
1082:(daughter)
1076:(daughter)
1064:(daughter)
803:depictions
801:Legacy and
583:Ministries
271:References
122:peroration
116:Peroration
1112:(brother)
970:Chartwell
348:16 August
88:Dominions
72:appeasers
1106:(mother)
1100:(father)
928:Woodford
741:Speeches
621:Writings
595:timeline
569:His pets
174:See also
97:last war
958:Related
940:Toronto
914:London
908:Statues
815:Honours
637:Savrola
435:18 June
410:18 June
105:Germans
80:the war
62:Message
27:to the
1058:(wife)
1048:Family
863:others
711:(1938)
703:(1937)
687:(1930)
671:(1906)
663:(1900)
655:(1900)
647:(1899)
631:(1898)
320:
218:right.
168:Psalms
101:Allies
1070:(son)
935:Paris
376:(PDF)
202:Notes
505:Life
437:2010
412:2010
388:2018
350:2018
318:ISBN
120:The
99:the
314:566
138:".
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