“History's villains are more easily recognized in retrospect. In an article published in 1935 and reprinted in 1937, Winston Churchill expressed a curious ambivalence towards the German chancellor prior to the outbreak of war: We cannot tell whether Hitler will be the man who will once again let loose upon the world another war in which civilization will irretrievably succumb, or whether he will go down in history as the man who restored honour and peace of mind to the great Germanic nation. . . .”
![“I agree with... actually it was [Joseph] Stalin who said that [Winston Churchill] he was a man who changed the history of the world and I think, if he had not been there in 1940, it might very well have been the case that we would have collapsed like France, and I shall honor him always for that.” quote by Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/824/malcolm-muggeridge-2370_agree_i-agree-with-actually-it-was-joseph-stal_722742.jpg)
![“It was thus that in 1940 [Hitler] represented a wave of the future. His greatest reactionary opponent, Churchill, was like King Canute, attempting to withstand and sweep back that wave. And––yes, mirabile dictu—this King Canute succeeded: because of his resolution and—allow me to say this—because…” quote by John Lukacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e73/john-lukacs-34182_churchill_it-was-thus-that-in-1940-hitler-represen_1691887.jpg)
