Winston Churchill and Mackenzie King
So Similar, So Different
by Terry Reardon
foreword by the Right Honourable John N. Turner
Born just two weeks apart in 1874, Winston Churchill and William Lyon Mackenzie King took different paths to achieve their objective of a parliamentary career, Churchill through military exploits and King via academic excellence. When he became prime minister, King realized that Canada had to progress from a subservient position to an independent one. Thus, when the Second World War broke out, Canada's parliament made its own decision to be a participant.
King had been highly critical of Churchill's vehement anti-Nazi stance in the 1930s. However, when Churchill became prime minister, King and Canada gave him whole-hearted support. King changed his opinion of Churchill, and this developed into almost hero worship as the war progressed.
Not just a chronicle of the relationship between these two men during the 50 years they knew each other, this book also examines their influence on the progress of their countries during that period.
close this panelTerry Reardon began his career in English banking, continuing in Canada. Bridging both countries sparked his interest in the relationship between Churchill and King. A director of the International Churchill Society in Canada, Reardon is also on the editorial board of Finest Hour, the Churchillian magazine. He lives in Toronto.
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