CHURCHILL’S ‘WILDERNESS YEARS’
After the 1929 General Election, Churchill found himself out of government, and life in the shadows of political power did not suit his driving desire for action and leadership. This led to some referring to this period of his career as his ‘Wilderness Years’. Though he remained a sitting MP and kept himself fully apprised of the political developments of the day, he also turned to his own literary projects to occupy his time.
Already the author of several works, for example chronicling the First World War in The World Crisis, as well as a biography of his father Randolph Churchill, he now took to writing a history of the First Duke of Marlborough. He also remained a fierce debater in parliament, and vigorously voiced his opposition to the anti-colonial Quit India Movement, and in particular criticised Indian civil rights leader Mahatma Gandhi.
Towards the middle the 1930s, as the rise of Hitler and Nazi Germany became increasingly alarming, he advocated for maintaining a strong military, in preparation for any possible conflict. Using contacts in the civil service, he was able to gather information on Germany’s military rearmament. He argued strongly for Britain to increase its own military, at a time when the horrific memory of the First World War meant that most in government and the country wished to avoid more bloodshed.
Perhaps one of the most important moments in this period was Churchill’s role in Britain’s air defence committee, known as the Tizard Committee, which aimed to develop new technologies to help the RAF defend Britain against air attack. This would prove invaluable in the conflict to come.