1 Study Sources A and B. Explain the context, message and purpose of Source A.
When King George VI asked Winston Churchill to form a government on 10 May 1940, it cemented what had seemed a somewhat improbable return from 10 years in the political wilderness. Due to his stance on issues such as Indian nationalism, the abdication crisis and appeasement, Churchill was a marginalised figure in the 1930s, widely regarded as a failed politician. The outbreak of war in 1939 proved him correct on appeasement and saw him return to the Admiralty. Eight months later, the Commons debate on the failed Norwegian campaign made it clear that Chamberlain lacked sufficient support to lead a coalition. Lord Halifax, the more obvious successor, acknowledged that ‘Winston was a better choice’. Churchill later recalled that at that moment: ‘I felt as if I were walking with destiny, and that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial.’
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