Their Finest Hour

Delivered at the beginning of the World War II (WWII) and as France was falling to the Nazis, “Their Finest Hour” aimed to boost morale in the United Kingdom. Churchill originally delivered the speech on June 18, 1940, in the House of Commons in front of members of Parliament and Churchill’s cabinet of ministers. Later, the same speech, with some modification and omissions, was delivered to the public over the radio. Though the audience differed, the speech’s goal was more or less the same: to reassure listeners that victory was still possible.

Churchill’s overview of the lost Battle of France highlights why that reassurance would have been necessary. With the benefit of hindsight, he points out a range of mistakes that the Allies made in defending France and notes that although the evacuation at Dunkirk managed to save many troops, Britain was forced to leave behind a large amount of military equipment, including tanks, cannons, and ammunition. Furthermore, Churchill argues that with France more or less defeated, Germany will be free to focus all of its military attention on Britain (of the other major Allied participants in the war in Europe, neither the United States nor the Soviet Union would join the war until 1941).

Churchill does not downplay any of these facts, but he argues that the situation is not as bleak as it might appear. Rather, he maintains that Britain is well positioned to win the war by virtue of both its military strength and its national character. Churchill reiterates that the Dunkirk evacuation was a success, as it managed to preserve the lives of most of Britain’s forces against steep odds. Moreover, during the Battle of France, those soldiers had a chance to measure themselves against the Nazis and were at “no disadvantage.” Likewise, he argues that Britain’s fighter pilots proved themselves worthy opponents to the German forces and, musing on the possibility of an attack from the sea, notes that Britain continues to have the world’s preeminent navy. Further, Churchill reminds listeners that the United Kingdom can expect to receive military support from its dominions (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa). In enumerating these various facts, Churchill seeks to make a reasoned case for believing British victory is possible—a point Churchill drives home by citing the opinion of three top military commanders who all think that there are “reasonable hopes” for victory.

Churchill’s case for Patriotism in Dark Times also appeals to listeners’ emotions. He calls Britain the “Mother Country,” implicitly invoking ideas of nurturing, responsibility, and love. He calls to arms the citizens of the country, promising them a chance to show their finest qualities as they “render the highest service to the cause” (Paragraph 14)—a phrase meant to elicit pride and determination. He argues that upon the Battle of Britain “depends the survival of Christian civilization […] [and] our own British life” (Paragraph 21), simultaneously playing on fears of what a Nazi conquest could mean and rallying people with the implication that Britain alone can prevent this catastrophe. Overall, Churchill depicts Britain and its people as brave, moral, and determined—e.g., when he remarks that “Britain [will] […] fight on, if necessary for years, if necessary alone” (Paragraph 4).

Churchill’s portrayal of the conflict as a fight to preserve “Christian civilization” also illustrates how the speech uses the language of Good Versus Evil to bolster its case for continued resistance. Churchill stresses the “despotic” nature of Nazi rule and the suffering of those subject to it, as when he describes Europe “writhing and starving under [the Nazis’] cruel heel” (Paragraph 18). In the final paragraph, Churchill goes further, warning that a Nazi victory would be equivalent to the end of the world (or at least of modern civilization): “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” (Paragraph 21). The apocalyptic imagery (e.g., “abyss”) frames surrender as all but unthinkable.

If the theme of good and evil rhetorically serves Churchill’s main goal in delivering the speech, the theme of Unity in the Face of an External Threat serves it in a more immediately practical way. Early in the speech, Churchill asks his colleagues to put their differences aside and to postpone any inquest into Britain’s failings leading up to and in the early days of the war. He asks them to think of the future and not the past, as arguing and assigning blame would merely help Nazi Germany: “Of this I am quite sure, that if we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find that we have lost the future” (Paragraph 2). In calling for unity, Churchill leads by example; as his ministerial cabinet was made up of members of opposing political parties (Conservatives and Labour), he reassures Parliament that the cabinet is nevertheless united and therefore prepared to govern the country and to fight the war.