Blood, toil, tears, and sweat

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The Blood, toil, tears, and sweat speech was a speech made by Sir Winston Churchill to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom on 13 May 1940. It was his first speech to the House after taking over as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the first year of World War II, having replaced Neville Chamberlain on 10 May.

Contents 1 Background 2 Excerpts 3 See also 4 External links 5 Further reading

[edit] Background

It was the first of three speeches which he gave during the period of the Battle of France. This speech (and the two others, the "We shall fight on the beaches" speech of 4 June and the "This was their finest hour" speech of 18 June) were a great inspiration to the embattled United Kingdom as it entered what was probably the most dangerous period of the entire war.

Churchill gave the brief speech after calling for a vote of confidence in his new broad coalition government. The speech had three goals : first, to introduce the new government Churchill was forming, and also its policies and aims; second, to give to the country (both the public, and the legislators) the message that a confident, forceful and decisive leader had taken over; and third, to begin to speak plainly and directly to the country about the true magnitude of the dangerous situation the country now found itself in (a manner of address that Neville Chamberlain had eschewed), and to start to rally his countrymen to what he knew would be a long and difficult struggle.

Earlier in the day Churchill had stated to his new Cabinet "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat." and he repeated that phrase to Parliament in this speech. The phrase "blood, sweat, and tears" arose as a common misquotation from this speech.

[edit] Excerpts

We are in the preliminary stage of one of the greatest battles in history. That we are in action at many points — in Norway and in Holland —, that we have to be prepared in the Mediterranean. That the air battle is continuous, and that many preparations have to be made here at home.

…

I would say to the House as I said to those who have joined this government: I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering.

You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory. Victory at all costs — Victory in spite of all terror — Victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival.

(Text transcription as originally read by Churchill)

[edit] See also

• Never was so much owed by so many to so few
• We shall fight on the beaches

[edit] External links

• The Churchill Centre: Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat, with a short introduction
• Transcription and MP3 recording

[edit] Further reading

• John Lukacs, Five Days in London: May 1940 (Yale University, New Haven, 2001) is a good look at the political situation in the British government when Churchill made this speech