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Anarcho-Socialist

(9,601 posts)
Tue Jun 5, 2012, 10:21 AM Jun 2012

Why do US Republicans revere Winston Churchill?

When Winston Churchill was Prime Minister in 1951-1955 Britain had:

* 97% top rate of tax
* Keynesian demand management for full employment
* increased social security benefits
* increase of government-built social housing
* socialised medicine
* open-door immigration policies

14 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Why do US Republicans revere Winston Churchill? (Original Post) Anarcho-Socialist Jun 2012 OP
War. Turbineguy Jun 2012 #1
+1. nt bemildred Jun 2012 #3
Revisionism. Jackpine Radical Jun 2012 #2
Stern father figure ashling Jun 2012 #4
He Was the Successful Leader of the Conservative Party On the Road Jun 2012 #5
This ^ geardaddy Jun 2012 #7
You are probably right about the Marxist threat at the time. During the worldwide Great Depression jwirr Jun 2012 #8
I think it's the big cigar (nt) Nye Bevan Jun 2012 #6
Are you saying only Republicans revere him? former9thward Jun 2012 #9
I'm poking fun Anarcho-Socialist Jun 2012 #10
Got ya. former9thward Jun 2012 #13
He was also a huge racist Lawlbringer Jun 2012 #11
Not just republicans, my dem mom also does.... baby boomer generation. firehorse Jun 2012 #12
He was an imperialist, racist, and capitalist. What more could they want? Tierra_y_Libertad Jun 2012 #14

Jackpine Radical

(45,274 posts)
2. Revisionism.
Tue Jun 5, 2012, 10:31 AM
Jun 2012

The Republicans were isolationists before WWII, some because they didn't think we belonged in foreign wars & some because they didn't want us impeding Hitler.

But once they caught on to the potential value of the Cold War, they suddenly decided they liked ol' Winnie.

On the Road

(20,783 posts)
5. He Was the Successful Leader of the Conservative Party
Tue Jun 5, 2012, 11:02 AM
Jun 2012

in opposition to the Labor Party. Clement Attlee, who he lost to in 1945, had a most more liberal -- one might say socialist -- platform.

Many of the policies under Churchill would certainly be considered very liberal today, but there was a different political consensus then. Conservatives accepted things like higher income taxes and social security as a hedge against even more collectivist policies including Marxism, which still had a lot of adherents in Churchill's time.

jwirr

(39,215 posts)
8. You are probably right about the Marxist threat at the time. During the worldwide Great Depression
Tue Jun 5, 2012, 11:08 AM
Jun 2012

there was a very strong socialist move in many areas. Both the UK and the USA adopted our safety net programs to combat the movement.

Anarcho-Socialist

(9,601 posts)
10. I'm poking fun
Tue Jun 5, 2012, 11:13 AM
Jun 2012

When I've debated Republicans on the web before about Winston Churchill they refuse to believe aspects of the OP

former9thward

(31,802 posts)
13. Got ya.
Tue Jun 5, 2012, 12:08 PM
Jun 2012

Post war Great Britain was a wreak economically. Whether Churchill would have had those same policies in today's Great Britain is hard to say.

firehorse

(755 posts)
12. Not just republicans, my dem mom also does.... baby boomer generation.
Tue Jun 5, 2012, 11:24 AM
Jun 2012

If you look at it contextually, America was still coming out of a depression, the last thing we wanted was to go to war. Our allies in England were being blown to bits by the Germans in WWII. Some critics say we waited too long to help them out. But those who are old enough to have lived through the era revere Churchill.

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