Day in History—July 26
Winston Churchill is voted out of office weeks after defeating Nazi Germany.
On this day in 1945, the Labour Party won a landslide victory in the British general election, compelling Winston Churchill to resign as prime minister. Only weeks after the surrender of Nazi Germany, Churchill suddenly found himself having no influence over the reorganization and construction of postwar Europe. Although it was a bitter defeat, Churchill gracefully bowed to the will of the British people. It remains a magnanimous example of leadership and an interesting study in democracy. Churchill would be reelected as prime minister in 1951.
