Churchill, Winston
Churchill, Winston

Churchill, Winston

Winston Churchill (1874-1964) was the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister from 1940-1945 and 1951-1955. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953.

Like many eugenicists, Churchill believed that the ‘feebleminded’ were being born at a much higher rate than other groups, particularly those he considered to be “superior stock” (Jones, 1995). He expressed that this trend put the British race in danger, and that measures would need to be taken to reverse it.

Churchill believed that eugenics could solve race deterioration and reduce crime and poverty (Jones, 1995; King, 1999). He maintained that if fewer ‘feebleminded’ individuals were born, less crime would take place (King, 1999).

Churchill supported the British Eugenics Society and was an honorary vice president for the organization (Blom, 2009).

-Natalie Ball

  • Blom, P. (2009). The Vertigo Years: Change and Culture in the West, 1900-1914. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart.

  • Jones, S. (1995). The Language of Genes: Solving the Mysteries of Our Genetic Past, Present and Future. New York, NY: Anchor.

  • King, D. (1999). In the name of liberalism: illiberal social policy in Britain and the United States. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Churchill, Winston

Churchill, Winston

Winston Churchill (1874-1964) was the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister from 1940-1945 and 1951-1955. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953.

Like many eugenicists, Churchill believed that the ‘feebleminded’ were being born at a much higher rate than other groups, particularly those he considered to be “superior stock” (Jones, 1995). He expressed that this trend put the British race in danger, and that measures would need to be taken to reverse it.

Churchill believed that eugenics could solve race deterioration and reduce crime and poverty (Jones, 1995; King, 1999). He maintained that if fewer ‘feebleminded’ individuals were born, less crime would take place (King, 1999).

Churchill supported the British Eugenics Society and was an honorary vice president for the organization (Blom, 2009).

-Natalie Ball

  • Blom, P. (2009). The Vertigo Years: Change and Culture in the West, 1900-1914. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart.

  • Jones, S. (1995). The Language of Genes: Solving the Mysteries of Our Genetic Past, Present and Future. New York, NY: Anchor.

  • King, D. (1999). In the name of liberalism: illiberal social policy in Britain and the United States. Oxford: Oxford University Press.