He was a bigot. On one side fighting for freedom and denying the same to over a billion people.

Reminds me of Bill O'Reilly...though he would despise the comparison.

Good war time leadership, but a racist, an imperialist, and before the war a sympathizer of fascism, what's the big difference between imperialism and fascism. Anti- Indian and Anti- Irish bigot!

He should have kept England out of World War II.

I have just completed an A level project on Winston Churchill's leadership, I was unsure of my opinion on him before my research as there is much criticism of him, but I now believe him being voted the greatest ever Britain is fully justified. I also believe he not only preserved Britains freedom but ultimately that of the USA's and Russia. If Britain had not survived the Nazi onslaught in 1940, Russia would have been defeated soon after, and then who next? who would have stopped Hitler with control of the fleets of Germany,Italy,Japan,France and Britain? We are able to speak our minds because of Churchill.. without him the outcome of WW2 would have been very different indeed!

A white supremacist, a supporter of violent colonialism, and the main culprit in the overthrow of the only decent leader Iran has ever had (Mossadegh, obviously). I'm surprised this guy was opposed to Hitler.

There's no denying that he was a stalwart presence in England during World War II and was an implacable enemy of Nazism at a time when many were in despair over the potential outcome. I suppose I react with the same sense of ambivalence when people talk about America's Founding Fathers. There's no denying the greatness they accomplished. Many of them were brilliant men (Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, etc.) and the ideals of freedom they talked about and expressed so eloquently were noble, beautiful, and would inspire future leaders as diverse as Ronald Reagan and Ho Chi Minh. And yet I always find it hard to get past the irreconcilable fact that they were slave-owners. So it is, I guess, with Churchill. A complex, flawed man. On the one hand, he was a great and legendary Statesman, not just in England but in America and much of the civilized world. On the other hand, he was a callous anti-Irish and anti-Indian bigot. When Gandi went on his life-threatening hunger strike, the only thing Churchill could think of to ask his advisors was, "Is the Indian dead yet?" That a man of so much greatness could be so petty and small is one of the enigmatic contradictions of human nature, I guess, that we'll probably never be able to solve.

Want to buy a shirt that isn't brown? a snack that isn't a sausage? Hair dye that isn't blonde? Thank Mr C. No-one else really counts- Mr Gandhi at no.2 would be in a gas chamber in 10 seconds if Churchill had lost out to a certain confused decorator.

A great leader.

Truly one of the Greatest orators of all time, he could give strength to his public just through his words, took on a tough challeneg never backing down. Who could ever forget the image in their mind when you hear the words churchill, you automatically think of Winston and Roosevelt, Cigars in their mouths, Churchill has a cigar named after him for gods sake, The world would be a better place to have such a great duo back.

He could've lost against the Germans but Roosevelt and Stalin helped him a lot.

A great man, with a sound tactical mind and just like you and me, Flaws.

I don't think the world could have found a better leader during WWII. Churchill kept his country together while if faced one of the strongest military power that the world had ever seen. To call him childish names is an insult to the British people and every one who fought against the Axis. If we had more leaders like Winston today the world would be a much better place than it is.

In many ways this guy was a brass bound bastard, and as reactionary, despicable and callous a troll as England has produced. However, that being said, in Britian's greatest crisis in a millenia, this man was at the helm and duelled Hitler (there is no other word, it was a duel of rhetoric, diplomacy and warfare) to better than a draw and was a focal point in negotiating the alliance that defeated the Axis. He was instrumental in saving his country, and it's hard to get better than that.

The strange part about this man, is he was part american indian, yet he hated his own race. You people have to realize in that time, most everyone WAS racist. But to hate your own race and your mother's race is a sad trait. He was a strong leader, he had addison's, which is a stress disease, yet he went on to the most stressful of situations. I don't know how he did it.

i have just recently started to learn more of this man. i had always heard his name when ww2 was talked about and i want to know more. from what ive larned so far was that he was a man who stood his ground and would not give in or up

The greatest leader/statesman of the 20th century. There is nothing more to say about this great, great man. He was right about the sub-continent, they were far better off under the Raj.

Great statesman, stuck it to the Germans & Japs with some outside assistance......took a slash on the Seigrfied line in 1945!!!.....

A flawed individual but with all the right qualities to serve Britain when it was alone and its back was against the wall. Without him Britain and Europe would look very different, and not for the better.

The only reason anyone cares about Churchill was because he beat Hitler. But, he was, in fact, a terrible racist, almost as bad as Hitler himself.

Winston Churchill handled the ultimate fight between good and evil(Hitler),by trying-and succeeding(even if there were arguably a handful of others in his class)at being the leader of the century-when it really was a matter of life and death. This wasn't some character addressing a pro wrestling crowd,for example,when he said:Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few,regarding the Battle of Britain.And in our time,in dealing with terrorists,his critique of his predecessor,Prime Minister Chamberlain,You were given the choice between war and dishonor.You chose dishonor and you will have war,tells it like it still is.

Remembered as a great hero, and in memory he was. But if one refers to UK History Churchill was really a drunkard at might not have made some of his greatest speeches (replaced by a BBC anchor who could mimic his voice because he was too depressed or drunk), despite these flaws he was at the very least an inspiring figurehead for WWII England

one of the greatest leaders in british history. warned the world of dangers of nazism and communism.

REVISED: To start with a summary, Churchill was great for all the reasons others have noted in their comments; however, he loses a star for failing to recognize and timely act upon the nationalistic movements within the British Empire (eg India). In more detail: First, someone ignorantly said that Churchill had "nothing to do with the atomic bomb dropping" and that the U.S. failed to join the fight. Churchill was fully prepared to send substantial amounts of troops to support the invasion of Japan and fully approved of the use of the atomic bomb against Japan the (though he had no power to affect the ultimate decision). Second, it was U.S. aid (eg the Lend/Lease Act) which allowed Britain to fight with a population of ~20% more than it actually had. Though the U.S. deserves credit for these efforts, it was Churchill who pressured the Americans to understand and act upon the need. Third, Churchill successfully convinced the U.S. to adopt a Europe first war strategy when there were tremendous political pressures for the Americans to concentrate on the Japanese. Fourth, Churchill also immediately grasped the post-war situation (ie the Soviet long-term threat) well before the U.S. did. (Of course Britain thought their next war after WWI was going to be with the U.S., so the Brits screw things up sometimes.) Nevertheless, his practical understanding that one can't separate war from politics salvaged some gains from a poor immediate post-war U.S. policy. The bottom line is that Winston Churchill was one of the first, if not the first world leader to recognize the realties, possibilities and dangers of the modern superpower global political structure.

He belongs here along with FDR, Gorbachev, and Reagan. These are the top four world leaders of the 20th century without a doubt. A very inspirational leader who changed not just England's history but also the rest of the world.

History is written by the victors, and as a result he has been praised more than he deserved. He advocated the gassing of the Kurds in order to "spread a little lively terror". Who else advocated that? Oh, yes! Saddam Hussein! A hero indeed! He also praised Mussolini, who was Hitler's ally and prior to taking power, his idol.

Serious badass. Strove to meet his goals and did what was best for his countrymen. Made ironcurtain speech in my homestate. Coolest picture ever is of him in trenchcoat, a bowler hat, a fat cigar in his mouth, and he's holding a tommy gun.

Winston Churchill had precisely one asset: good public speaking skills. Otherwise he was nothing but a fat drunken buffoon who invariably had five whiskeys in him before lunchtime EVERY DAY. He was viciously racist and approved of the use of chemical warfare against the so-called 'savage races.' He also said that the Palestinians and the American Indians and the Maori and the Australian Aborigines had no rights to their own land because they were justly conquered by superior peoples. To hell with Winston Churchill. History would not have been so kind to him had he not personally written half of it. Man, people will love anyone who makes them feel proud of 'being' what they already are rather than actually 'doing' anything. Hitler succeeded in that tactic, but lost the war. If I were to visit Churchill's grave I would fling bags of dog feces at it.

Boy, I'm glad Churchill is at number one where he belongs. You know he predicted in 1919 that Germany would be bitter against the West for not helping them after they'd been defeated, and would rise up in power against us? He warned for years that the Nazis were bad people, horrifically persecuting minorities and dissenters, and that they were long preparing to conquer the continent... but nobody believed him until Hitler stormed into Poland. In 1919 when the Bolsheviks took control of Russia, everyone held out that they would eventually become a "good socialist democracy like Sweden", but not Churchill. He knew they would be an enormous problem, and probably the biggest threat to modern freedom we'd ever know (well perhaps rather in the 20th century). He was wrong about preserving the British empire but he was a warrior who knew a threat when he saw one and knew when to take it seriously. But that comment about bombing Japan was bizarre - the dropping of OUR A-bomb, mr.rocket scientist, was OUR decision and our action.. not Churchill and England's.

a great leader for all times

A genius. Read his books.

I've read several of his books, and studied his life. Churchill was a genius, and was almost the only one to see through Hitler. Neville Chamberlin, Mr. Baldwin, and Mr. McDonald were all fools.

The free world probably would not have survived had it not been for this man's bold leadership. He stood his ground when the Germans bombed London, and continued to press on until the Allies achieved victory in 1945. He was a great leader at a time when England was at its greatest peril. Unlike Roosevelt, he understood that it was necessary to dispose of Hitler before he destroyed the world. Churchhill helped make the world a better place for all of us. "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."-- Winston Churchhill, Prime Minister of Great Britain.

raped and pillaged the Irish...an ex-hop heah with an overblown sense of himself...a terrorist to the Emerald Isle.

Just a pompous person who relied on Roosevelt to take care of britian!

Excellence incarnate.

Awesome individual.The British are so cool.

The best Briton ever. People can argue forever on whether Roosevelt saved America or Reagan ended the Cold War, but I really think Churchill saved his country-and Europe.

Winston Churchill was unlike any other figure during the 20th century. If the outcome of World War 2 had been different, then the whole world would be completely opposite. Churchill took the first step and entered the war because he did not want the Western democracies to lose power. The other Allied powers, the United States and Russia could have fallen if Britain and its extraordinary leader would have. But the British entered the war early enough so it saved the other nations from destruction. Churchill ordered for the aircraft’s and submarines and he also had the ideas on where to attack and how. Also he was a great leader and because of that he was the commander in chief of the war and he had direct control over military operations. He refused Hitler’s offers of “peace” and organized a successful air defense that led to the Battle of Britain. Other powerful leaders such as Roosevelt followed Churchill’s lead. Churchill was great in dealing with public affairs. Finally he never gave up and encouraged the British people to do the same. He told them what they had to hear and what they needed to hear. During the harsh times of the London Blitz and the Battle of Britain, Churchill increased British morale and confidence. Churchill’s speeches were very persuasive and the British people wanted to gain back their right to independence by winning the war. Without Winston Churchill the world would be an entirely different place. The world could have been under Hitler’s control if it hadn’t been Churchill who stopped Hitler before he even started. There is no doubt that Churchill is one of the best war leaders ever. It is not just the British that owe Churchill a dept, but it is the whole world which is filled with free men and women to whom he had made a constant and inclusive appeal in his magnificent speeches. Churchill strengthened the West’s faith in the moral superiority of democracy and the inevitability of its triumph.. Winston Churchill has not only changed the outcome of World War 2 but he has indeed changed the world, its people, and their future.

Genius. He held Britain together through brutal bombing by the Nazis.

"...we will never surrender!"

One of the true great leaders of the century. As a Reagan-fan, I like to note that Churchill is celebrated for having been giving early warnings about an evil empire, that he'd later help thwart when it mobilized toward world domination. Reagan of course was able to created public consensus about the USSR as an evil empire before it was too late, and managed to win the Cold War without firing a shot. So I'll give 5 stars to Churchill, but only while noting that Reagan deserves 6.

It would be hard to dispute that Churchill was a definite case of exactly the right man for the right time. He had a brilliant mind and may have been the greatest speaker of the 20th century. And to "keb@2171om" I might suggest you think about this - it is very easy for those of us now living 21st century to sit back and criticize the decisions of yesterday's long gone leaders. These mere humans had the ominous task of trying to make sense of things during a very hideous and insane portion of history - which, I might add, took place long before most of us were born. After all, we have the luxury of seeing the whole event from a very safe distance. Churchill and his contemporaries like Roosevelt and Eisenhower had to live through it and make some pretty heavy-duty judgment calls. None of us can know all the ideas that were being thrown around at the time or motivations behind the high level decisions being made because of them. Not being psychic, I certainly do not claim to have that knowledge either. Still, I am very angry when you suggest that the only reason the United States decided to get involved in this war was for something as insipidly superficial as glory. While all the reasoning for a country to become involved in a war may not be as wholesome as it should be, please KNOW this - a society does not send their young men off to foreign countries to be emotionally and mentally scared, maimed or to die for something as shallow as glory. Most people who have lived for more than 12 years know that THERE IS NO GLORY IN WAR. I'm sure Churchill and Roosevelt were both aware of this fact, having been well old enough to remember the nightmare that became known as World War I. I've seen the parts of London that were completely destroyed by Nazi bombs. Though it was many years after the fact and had long since been rebuilt, it still brought tears to my eyes. Yes, as someone with the advantage of hindsight, it did make me wish the U.S. had decided to become involved in the war sooner because I know England and many other parts of Europe suffered greatly in that war. But, as an American, I was also very humbly proud that my country saw the need and had the necessary strength to join the English and other allies to eventually destroy Hitler's cancerous regime. It was obviously an enormous sacrificial effort on all their parts. Once it was over, my guess is that great leaders like Churchill along with the rest of the world were not seeking accolades or applause. They were probably just thanking God it was finally at an end. And there are still many remnants left to tell the tale that both England and the US had a brotherly appreciation and respect for one another during and after this time. One visible sign of this is the statue of Eisenhower near his WWII London headquarters. I was very touched to see this. But, I was even more deeply moved on my first trip to England in 1977 when my mother and I stopped to get directions to the Tube from an elderly woman. After she happily told us how to get where we wanted to go, she asked if we were American. When we replied that we were, her sweet old face beamed and without hesitation she sincerely replied "God Bless America!" This was easily our best memory of that trip. I love England "keb@2171om" - if you don't believe me - go to the section on countries and see what I wrote about my last trip there. But I will have you know that one of the main reasons that I do can in no small way be attributed to the foresight of leaders like Churchill and Roosevelt who - regardless of any other motivations they may have had - had the God-given wisdom to come together with others of their day and fight the good fight together. I thank God for them and respect them deeply for this.

Just another junkie British pig who felt the need to fleece the Irish.

Churchill without a doubt was the greatest leader of this past century. He had the foresight to see the evils of Nazism in Germany when the world was sleeping in an isolationist haze. His brillant, although sometimes eccentric, leadership got the allied powers through a war where our side was the underdog.

The greatest man in 20th Century history. Without him, the world would be a different place, dominated by evil.

The dude was a stud. He held it together when it was looking bleak. He also drank a lot, which is cool.

faith in his destiny fueled a brave soldier to glory

A great leader !

The most impressive thing about Churchills career was that the British people had the good sense after the war to recognise that his talents weren't suited to peace.

This man saved the "free" world by defying Hitler in the 2nd World War.

Anyone with a brain (ruling out stupid americans with yahoo addresses) knows that Churchill had nothing to do with atomic bomb dropping - it was the yanks, who failed to join in the fight against nazism or support their allies, who were under attack, until they saw an opportunity for glory. Churchill was a brilliant leader for a difficult time.

He bombed Hiroshama and Nagaski even though he knew Japan only had a few more days before it would have to surrender. He didn't take greater action against the Holocaust because he said it "would be ketowing to world Jewry"

Churchill's deep faith in the English people pulled them through what could have been the worst disaster in their history. Most people don't know how spectacularly grim a situation England was in during most of 1939 and 1940. They were essentially standing alone against the superior Axis powers, and they expected Hitler to invade their island at any moment. Churchill's leadership was the foundation for his country's strength throughout the entire ordeal of WW2.