Dan Snow

So Britain is fighting for its life against Germany. Churchill has two very simple ideas. This is what makes him a great man. He made many, many, many mistakes, but he had two very simple ideas in 1940. And on those two things rests his reputation. One is he knew he could not compromise with Hitler. Hitler represented an evil that was almost unprecedented in human affairs.

This was not like Napoleon, this was not like Kaiser Wilhelm, this was not like Louis XIV, this was not like King Philip of Spain. We could live with those guys. It would be awkward, but this is an existential threat to everything that Winston Churchill believes. Everything, liberal democracy, western democracy, everything that it stands for. So he's got that idea in his head.

This was not like Napoleon, this was not like Kaiser Wilhelm, this was not like Louis XIV, this was not like King Philip of Spain. We could live with those guys. It would be awkward, but this is an existential threat to everything that Winston Churchill believes. Everything, liberal democracy, western democracy, everything that it stands for. So he's got that idea in his head.

This was not like Napoleon, this was not like Kaiser Wilhelm, this was not like Louis XIV, this was not like King Philip of Spain. We could live with those guys. It would be awkward, but this is an existential threat to everything that Winston Churchill believes. Everything, liberal democracy, western democracy, everything that it stands for. So he's got that idea in his head.

So he's going to fight, even if he has to turn Britain into a graveyard, a bomb-blasted graveyard to do so, he's going to fight Hitler. His second idea is he's going to drag the Americans in. He knows he can't win without America. So he says to his son on 18th of May 1940, super early when you think about it, I shall drag the United States in.

So he's going to fight, even if he has to turn Britain into a graveyard, a bomb-blasted graveyard to do so, he's going to fight Hitler. His second idea is he's going to drag the Americans in. He knows he can't win without America. So he says to his son on 18th of May 1940, super early when you think about it, I shall drag the United States in.

So he's going to fight, even if he has to turn Britain into a graveyard, a bomb-blasted graveyard to do so, he's going to fight Hitler. His second idea is he's going to drag the Americans in. He knows he can't win without America. So he says to his son on 18th of May 1940, super early when you think about it, I shall drag the United States in.

And with American manpower, with American military might, with American industrial might, Britain and America together could beat Germany. That's it. That's his strategy. It's clear and he pursues it.

And with American manpower, with American military might, with American industrial might, Britain and America together could beat Germany. That's it. That's his strategy. It's clear and he pursues it.

And with American manpower, with American military might, with American industrial might, Britain and America together could beat Germany. That's it. That's his strategy. It's clear and he pursues it.

Well, he loved America. His mum was American. The only thing I have in common with Winston Churchill, sadly, is that my dad's a Brit, my mum's North American, my mum's Canadian. So he's one of those many Brits who has this kind of transatlantic heritage. And he thinks he can do business in America. He thinks of himself in some ways as an American.

Well, he loved America. His mum was American. The only thing I have in common with Winston Churchill, sadly, is that my dad's a Brit, my mum's North American, my mum's Canadian. So he's one of those many Brits who has this kind of transatlantic heritage. And he thinks he can do business in America. He thinks of himself in some ways as an American.

Well, he loved America. His mum was American. The only thing I have in common with Winston Churchill, sadly, is that my dad's a Brit, my mum's North American, my mum's Canadian. So he's one of those many Brits who has this kind of transatlantic heritage. And he thinks he can do business in America. He thinks of himself in some ways as an American.

There was a great moment in New York when he was hit by a car. I think it was in the 1920s. And he got hit by a car and he managed to get the doctor to prescribe him a vast amount of alcohol in Prohibition-era America. America to make sure he could survive. So he writes straight away to FDR and he says, look, we are doing our best. The scene has darkened swiftly.

There was a great moment in New York when he was hit by a car. I think it was in the 1920s. And he got hit by a car and he managed to get the doctor to prescribe him a vast amount of alcohol in Prohibition-era America. America to make sure he could survive. So he writes straight away to FDR and he says, look, we are doing our best. The scene has darkened swiftly.

There was a great moment in New York when he was hit by a car. I think it was in the 1920s. And he got hit by a car and he managed to get the doctor to prescribe him a vast amount of alcohol in Prohibition-era America. America to make sure he could survive. So he writes straight away to FDR and he says, look, we are doing our best. The scene has darkened swiftly.

We are about to be attacked here ourselves. No question. We're getting ready for invasion. We're getting ready for be it air assault, be it airborne assault or even naval assault. And we're going to fight. We're going to fight. Don't you worry. And by fighting, we're fighting not just for Britain, we're not just for its empire, we're fighting for you.

We are about to be attacked here ourselves. No question. We're getting ready for invasion. We're getting ready for be it air assault, be it airborne assault or even naval assault. And we're going to fight. We're going to fight. Don't you worry. And by fighting, we're fighting not just for Britain, we're not just for its empire, we're fighting for you.

We are about to be attacked here ourselves. No question. We're getting ready for invasion. We're getting ready for be it air assault, be it airborne assault or even naval assault. And we're going to fight. We're going to fight. Don't you worry. And by fighting, we're fighting not just for Britain, we're not just for its empire, we're fighting for you.

We're fighting for western democratic liberal democracies. Not unlike a certain Ukrainian president has been doing for the last few years. He goes, look, every dollar you spend now giving to us to fight Putin is a dollar you won't have to spend fighting him yourself in a few years time. So that is Churchill's exact pitch. And he says, what we need are destroyers. We need ships.