Gold ducat Cult of personality - Winston Churchill proof
Gold ducat Cult of personality - Winston Churchill proof
Cult of personality
The admired figure of Winston Churchill appears on the twelfth gold ducat of the Czech Mint from the series entitled Cult of Personality .
When Winston Churchill became British Prime Minister, he replaced Neville Chamberlain, whose policy of appeasement had failed disastrously. This was on May 10, 1940 - the same day that Adolf Hitler launched a blitzkrieg war in Western Europe. The island kingdom then needed a strong leader who would not be afraid to make tough decisions, and the sixty-five-year-old Churchill was the right man. He dedicated his life to protecting the British Empire and its interests. He did so not only as a politician, but also as a soldier with a gun in his hand. "I can promise you nothing but blood, toil, sweat and tears. We face a difficult test, the most painful of all. We have many, many long months of struggle and suffering ahead of us. What is our policy, you ask? I answer: to wage war on sea, on land, and in the air, with all our might and all the strength God can give us; to wage war against monstrous tyranny, the darkest and most grievous list of human crimes in history. This is our policy. What is our goal, you ask? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at any cost, victory in spite of all horror, victory, however long and hard the road may lead to it; for without victory we cannot survive, " Churchill declared in his legendary speech that rallied the nation and restored its faith in victory. And victory did come under Churchill's leadership. Triumph in World War II made him an icon - one of history's greatest statesmen, a dogged fighter against fascism and a defender of liberal democracy. But on the other hand, he is increasingly seen as a controversial figure - a staunch defender of imperialism and racism who was unafraid of crimes against humanity...
The obverse side of the ducat, which is the work of academic sculptor Jiří Dostál, presents a characteristic portrait of Winston Churchill, supplemented with his name and life dates. The reverse side is then dominated by the British flag, which is superimposed by an excerpt from Churchill's speech of 13 May 1940: ...NOTHING BUT BLOOD, WOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS.
An integral part of the issue is a special attachment offering an objective view of Winston Churchill through the eyes of historian Pavel Kosatik.