In the summer of 1945, Britain geared up for its first election in a decade. The last time voters had gone to the polls was 1935, before Europe had descended into the darkness of another all-out war. Before the conflict, Winston Churchill had been an outcast politician, but by the time war ended, he was the Prime Minister who had led the Allies to victory.
Alongside Churchill was Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden, Churchill’s suave sidekick and the Conservative Party’s heir apparent. It seemed a simple assumption that Churchill and the Conservatives would sweep to victory off the back of a war won. But Eden wasn’t sure he wanted to work alongside Churchill again. He recorded in his diary, “I am beginning to seriously doubt whether I can take [it] on … It is not the work itself which I could not handle, but the racket with Winston at all hours! He has to be headed off so many follies.”
Churchill and Eden’s fortunes were entwined for more than 30 years. They were both ambitious men who wanted to lead their country and leave a lasting legacy, but their relationship was often tempestuous. Theirs was one of the longest political rivalries of the 20th century.
