Reply #54: As for Churchill, his devotion to Empire seems to come from two strong sources...

[Junkdrawer]

1.) He fought for Empire personally as a young man. And I mean fought. For example, he charged the Dervish line on horseback twice in the Sudan. And on each charge, more of his fellows were cut down than survived. That experience alone would seem to either sour a man on Empire as purpose, or cement it into his being.

2.) He worshiped his Tory father Randolph who was a big opponent of Gladstone. At that time, Gladstone questioned Empire, not for humanitarian reasons, but for financial reasons - did it make financial sense to keep expanding The Empire. Indeed, when Winston Churchill crossed the aisle and became a Liberal, he defended his support of Irish home rule on the basis that The Empire needed to put this question behind her in order to quiet the opposition to Empire by the Irish diaspora.