What Is The Purpose Of Winston Churchill's Speech

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On August 20, 1940 Winston Churchill Addressed the British House of Commons with a speech, now infamously known as "The Few”. The purpose of his speech was to prepare his country for a long foreseeable campaign, and boost the morale of both the public, and those enlisted service members already fighting in WWII. Churchill accomplished his goal by comparing the casualties of WWI to their present condition. He also emphasized the advantages that Britain possessed both present and future. Churchill summarized the first year of the war while downplaying the casualties to the House of Commons. "In the last war millions of men fought by hurling enormous masses of steel at one another. “Men and shells" were the cry, and prodigious slaughter was the consequence. In this war, nothing of this kind…show more content…
Churchill reports the casualties with optimism. "In this war, I am thankful" (Churchill, 1940). Thankful is the adjective used to describe the losses in the first year; Churchill would then reiterate the losses by using, a fraction of 1 to 5 when comparing the WWII to WWI. Encouraging words and compliments is what Churchill used to boost morale, and motivate his fellow countrymen. "There seems to be every reason to believe that this new kind of war is well suited to the genius and the resources of the British nation and the British Empire and that, once we get properly equipped and properly started, a war of this kind will be more favorable to us than the somber mass slaughters of the Somme and," (Churchill, 1940) The Prime Minister is informing the House that they need to mobilize and continue to plan for the future while learning from past mistakes. The Somme and Passchendaele were disasters because the British were ill equipped and did not have time to prepare and gather
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