An Original, Signed Speech of Winston Churchill, Stopping the Tide of Socialism

Preparing for the 1950 General Election, he rallies his party’s loyalists and defends private enterprise, using grand phrases similar to those of his famous wartime speeches

The British election of July 1945 was the first since 1935, as general elections had been suspended until the Allied victory in World War II. The Labour Party ran on promises to create full employment, a tax-funded universal National Health Service, and a cradle-to-grave welfare state, with the campaign message “Let us face the future”. Its election manifesto stated outright,“"The Labour Party is a Socialist Party, and proud of it." It promised that Labour would take control of the economy and in particular of the manufacturing industries, pledging nationalization of the Bank of England, the fuel and power industries, inland transport, and iron and steel. The Conservatives essentially ran on the fact that Churchill was a war hero, a fact virtually everyone accepted. But that was not a policy to build a better future. The result was a landslide victory for Labour, and a wholly unexpected defeat for the Conservatives. Churchill was out as Prime Minister and found himself leading the opposition until 1951, when his party regained a majority in Parliament and he again took up residence at 10 Downing Street.

The road back to power was anything but rapid. Labour worked hard to deliver what it had promised, and nationalized many industries, established the National Health Service, and provided for free education. But the country was broke, its infrastructure had been badly damaged by the war, it was losing its empire, and there were huge costs involved in the developing Cold War. Moreover, the lumbering machinery of centralized economic planning was often an impediment to achieving its own goals. So as the years passed, it became clear to many that Labour could not deliver on its pledges of full employment, secure jobs with fair wages, an end to rationing, and decent housing for all. Churchill saw these failures as both an opportunity for the Conservatives and a validation of his beliefs (and those of his party) that socialism was impractical and indeed harmful. It would, in the end, stifle business enterprise, increase taxes, create an inefficient bureaucracy, and yet be unsuccessful in making its goals a reality.

Because Labour had such a huge majority in parliament, it was February 23, 1950 before it needed to hold the next general election. Instead of trying to roll things back, and risking having the campaign become about what was already in place, Churchill and the Conservatives strategically chose to mainly accept the measures that had taken place under the Attlee government, particularly the health service and major nationalizations. Their campaign would essentially focus not on the past, but on the future of the country, and oppose strongly any additional nationalizations of other sectors and industries.

Churchill served as Member of Parliament for Woodford from 1945-64, and made speeches to his constituency. Donald Forbes was Honorary Secretary (and soon to be Chairman) of the Woodford Conservative Association. On May 16, 1949, as a battle cry and rallying point for the forthcoming election, Churchill apparently spoke to the Woodford Conservative Association. We say apparently because the speech he delivered at the event was never recorded, and is only known because Forbes retained the original in his possession, and that original has now reached the public eye after being unknown for decades. The speech included some choice Churchillian phrases.

Stirring and powerful Typed Speech Signed, four pages, May 16, 1949, constituting his defense of private enterprise and opposition to socialism, and showing his strategy in the election. “We are now entering upon a fateful year. Before it is through we shall fight another General Election, an Election whose importance it is impossible to exaggerate. Never in our electoral history have the people of this country been presented with such a choice. For they will have to choose between two utterly different conceptions of life and liberty in this country – the way of Socialism or the Conservative way, the way of freedom. We Conservatives can well enter upon the struggles and exertions of the coming months with high hearts. All the evidence of recent months, and not least the results of the local elections, have confirmed the growing strength of our Party and the disillusion of the people at the record of their Socialist governors. The Socialists indeed succeeded to great problems and difficulties when they became the Government in 1945, but they succeeded also to a great inheritance…Yet, despite this, they have succeeded in squandering our heritage and inflicting upon the people of this country by their incompetent administration wholly unnecessary hardships and sacrifices. It is clear that they intend to persist in their present course…Government expenditure will continue at present crushing levels. This means, let me remind you, that there will be no prospect of any substantial remissions of taxation while the present Chancellor and the present Government remain in power. In their new statement of policy, the Socialists make it clear that they intend to proceed further and faster with nationalization and with the destruction of our remaining free enterprises. Has nationalization to date proved a success? When we see the muddles and mismanagement that have arisen, the losses suffered by consumers and taxpayers alike, must we not protest with all the power at our command at the proposal to inflict nationalism upon a whole further range of some of the most efficient and enterprising industries in the land?…It is by these unremitting efforts alone that this country can be saved from the perils into which we have been thrust by Socialism…I am confident that the Election of this coming year will be the greatest opportunity our Party has ever had to serve our country's interests. We can defeat the Socialists and remove from office this incompetent and unworthy Government.”

Churchill closes his speech with some rousing words with echoes from his war speeches that would not have been lost on his listeners: "We have all of us a duty to do. Let us go forward together, and let us crown our efforts with victory.”

Despite the large number of speeches Churchill delivered throughout his life, original signed copies are of exceptional rarity, and less than five are thought to have been offered at public sale in the last 35 years. Although we previously had manuscript notes for a Churchill speech, this is the first complete, signed speech we have carried.

The 1950 Election resulted in Labour being re-elected, although with a minuscule majority of 5 seats (down from 146 seats in 1945). This was too small a margin for Labour to govern effectively, and it called another General Election in 1951. However, Labour’s hopes for the election were dashed, as Churchill and the Conservatives were victorious. Churchill returned as Prime Minister on October 25, 1951. This second term saw the death of King George VI and ascension to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II. Churchill provided much guidance and encouragement to the new young queen.