War Is Employed As an Instrument of Policy

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War Is Employed As an Instrument of Policy

A policy is a measure that utilizes the government’s authority to allocate resources with preference to a particular activity and a policy instrument is a tool that is used in pursuit of the desired outcome by the government (Block, 1977). The effects of a war and the activities surrounding it can be used to influence a government’s domestic and foreign policy through the use of economic policy instruments such as sanctions (Howlett, 1995).

The WWII also known as the Second World War began in 1939 with the invasion of Poland by Hitler and lasted up to 1945 with countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, France, China, and the Soviet Union emerging victorious in the battle. Sir Winston Churchill was the United Kingdom’s prime minister and led the British to victory during the Second World War. He was driven by the aim of achieving victory at all costs irrespective of the time taken to achieve it.

 During the war, Churchill was at the forefront of ensuring that the British were not dissuaded and were in high spirits by giving inspirational speeches both in parliament and on radio. Before the Americans joined the war, Sir Winston Churchill convinced the United States president, Franklin Roosevelt, to bring forth war supplies such as ammunitions through a Lend-Lease program. His insistence on not surrendering gave the much-needed encouragement to the British who were the only active resistance against Adolf Hitler of Germany during the early days of the war.

Sir Winston Churchill recognized and used both pre-emptive and preventive use of force during the Second World War. For instance, he ordered a pre-emptive attack against the Vichy French fleet because there was an imminent threat since Darlan, the Vichy minister of war failed to send the ships to the French or British American colonial harbors. The strike against the French fleet was deemed as pre-emptive due to Churchill’s lack of proof that the ships were to be given to the Nazi regime (Winston, 1961). This attack on French sailors who were former allies portrayed Churchill as an immensely courageous leader whose vision of victory would be achieved at any cost.

Sir Winston Churchill maintained a special relationship and friendship with the leaders of Russia and the United States with whom he made the ‘Big-Three alliance comprising of Britain’s powerful allies. This personal friendship with Franklin Roosevelt helped to sustain influential relations and diplomatic ties with the United States government. Churchill’s optimistic character and his defiant quest for victory outlined his pattern of leadership during the war (Winston, 1961). The inspirational speeches he gave during the war also showcase his devoted fortitude and optimism towards becoming victorious in the war against the Germans. For instance, in a speech he said

 “We shall go on to the end.  We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, and we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be.  We shall fight on beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender” (Winston, 1961).

Churchill was a war leader who clearly acknowledged the dire implications of defeatism and poor morale among the soldiers and leaders and therefore led from the front in ensuring that they were inspired at all times (Gilbert, 2007). He had great strategic foresight and passion in all his activities and this was crucial in achieving his unwavering quest for victory. Winston’s passion motivated his desire to ensure that the efficiency of wartime government was at its maximum for instance in the implementation of the structural organization in the English chain of command. The success of Churchill in the war was also influenced by his imperturbable personality which helped him to maintain his emotions by ensuring that he was always composed even when events at the war were not in his favor.

Sir Winston Churchill did not lead the people just by giving instructions and orders to be carried out. He led by actions and was out and about in military positions and camps, supporting commanders by enhancing their morale, and conducting inspections to ensure effectiveness (Roosevelt et al, 1975). His universally recognized military expertise came in handy during the Second World War. Winston began by leading the air military into victory in the war against Britain also known as the ‘Blitz’. During this time of the war, the German and British air force were involved in clashes over the United Kingdom which resulted in severe bombings.  The failure of Germany’s air force to acquire superiority over Britain’s Royal air force resulted in the end of the battle for Britain.

Britain was able to emerge victorious in the blitz due to the possession of stronger air power than that of Germany. Lack of knowledge on Britain’s vulnerabilities and bad intelligence also led to Luftwaffe’s defeat. Winston Churchill believed in the policy that adequate preparation for the war by analyzing risks and potential threats can help in preserving the territory of a state (Churchill, 1994). The strong power of the British air force prevented the destruction of Britain’s air bases and loss of territory to the Germans through government surrender. However, the military was able to secure Britain thus allowing Sir Winston Churchill the ability to focus fully on fighting the aggressors. The United Kingdom’s prime minister was faced with the challenge of politicians who wanted to hold negotiations with Adolf Hitler but he successfully rallied people to oppose the idea.

Sir Winston Churchill played a key role in the planning and execution of the invasion of Normandy also known as the D-day landings, an attack that led to the end of the Second World War (Wigglesworth, 1963). The invasion was conducted by the allied land forces from the United Kingdom, Free French Forces, Canada, and the United States. Franklin Roosevelt, president of the United States played a major role in planning the attack and was certain that a proper execution of the plans would help the allied forces to conquer the enemy (Wigglesworth, 1963). 

The German’s lost the battle on the D-day because they had misleading intelligence on where the attacks would be carried out, the German forces had been slowed down by several bomb attacks from Britain which destroyed airfields and bridges, and lack of knowledge on the date of the invasion (Wigglesworth, 1963). Although the German’s had perceived an oncoming invasion they were not able to know its exact date due to weather changes that had also affected allied forces plans. The invasion had been postponed on several occasions thus leaving the Germans without any intelligence on the planned date of the invasion.

Sir Winston Churchill was a courageous and successful leader who not only triumphantly led the British to victory during the Second World War but also a democratic statesman who held the interests of his nation at heart. His stalwart endurance before and during the world war outline the passion and zeal he had to serve his country and also inspired his quest to achieve his visionary goal of  emerging victorious in Second World War.

References

Block, F. L. (1977). The origins of international economic disorder: a study of United States international monetary policy from World War II to the present (No. 214). University of California Press.

Churchill, W. S. (1994). The Tragedy of Europe. In The European Union (pp. 5-9). Macmillan Education UK.

Gilbert, M. (2007). Winston Churchill’s War Leadership. Vintage.

Howlett, M., Ramesh, M., & Perl, A. (1995). Studying public policy: Policy cycles and policy subsystems (Vol. 3). Toronto: Oxford University Press.

Roosevelt, F. D., Churchill, W., & Loewenheim, F. L. (1975). Roosevelt and Churchill: their secret wartime correspondence. Saturday Review Press.

Wigglesworth, P. (1963). The Invasion of Normandy. The RUSI Journal, 108(630), 172-173.

Winston, S. C. (1961). The Unwritten Alliance: speeches 1953-1959.