Great speeches, Winston Churchill

31 January 2020

At the time of brexit, what happened to "let europe arise"?

On September 19 1946, at Zurich University, Winston Churchill delivered one of his most famous speeches, popularizing the idea of the “European family”.

It advocates reconciliation between nations, and reminds us that even if the guns have stopped killing, past horrors can still be repeated.

It’s often forgotten, but it was an Englishman by the name of Winston Churchill who popularized the idea of a “common European home”. And yet that didn’t stop the British from voting to leave the European family!

It was on September 19, 1946, at the University of Zurich, a year after his defeat in the general election, that the former British Prime Minister decided to deliver one of his most famous speeches. On this day, he reminds Europeans that while the guns may have stopped killing, past horrors can still be repeated.

But what did Winston Churchill mean by “United States of Europe”? What place did he imagine for Great Britain in this Union?