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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Comparative study of David Lloyd George’s and Winston Churchill’s war speeches

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Comparative study of David Lloyd George’s and Winston Churchill’s war speechesAs objects of communication, even of propaganda, war speeches acquired a leading role in the 20th century thanks to the ideological values they carry and the impact they have, at the time of mass communication. As an ancient art, public speaking obeys the rules of rhetoric, so as to best convey a message, which, in wartime, might prove decisive.Two worldwide conflicts in which democratic powers faced authoritarian regimes occurred last century. If democracies eventually won, their political systems had to evolve, temporarily, thanks to the emergence of charismatic leaders. This thesis aims to study the war speeches of two of these leaders, David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill, the Prime Ministers of the only country which, throughout the two wars, stood firm against the totalitarian threat. They both came up with a new vision in which they tried to go beyond the traditional British political approach by centralizing power and embodying their nation.Two world wars produced two British Prime Ministers with augmented powers, strong personalities and unrivalled oratory talent. However, their political destinies and the different ways they are remembered, in spite of their victories, are completely different. Lloyd George became Prime Minister when his party won the 1918 general election and he managed to wield power until 1922. Churchill, on the other hand, suffered a terrible defeat in 1945 and he had to wait until 1951 to be Prime Minister once again, this time democratically. In the long run, the opposite is true. Lloyd George is almost wiped off from collective memory whereas Churchill has remained a heroic figure in Great Britain, and in the Anglo-Saxon world at large.Our study seeks to understand if these mirror destinies can be accounted for by the speeches the two men delivered during their wartime premierships. Comparing their speeches will help us better understand their respective leaderships and the political myth each of them developed. In both myths, which are totally different, we will find the answers to our questions.