Montag, 25. September 2017

“You were given the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour, and you will have war.'’ Winston Churchill (angeblich)

  • "Sie hatten die Wahl zwischen Krieg und Schande, sie haben sich für die Schande entschieden und werden trotzdem den Krieg bekommen". (Link)
Es stimmt nicht, auch wenn's in Schulbüchern steht, dass Winston Churchill diesen Satz Anfang Oktober 1938 dem Premierminister im Unterhaus vorgeworfen habe. 

Das enstellte Zitat hat sich aus zwei ähnlichen Sätzen von Winston Churchill, die nicht direkt an Nelville Chamberlain gerichtet waren, entwickelt:

Winston Churchill, in 2 Briefen im August und September 1938:
  • "I think we shall have to choose in the next few weeks between war and shame..." (Link)
  • "We seem to be very near the bleak choice between War and Shame. My feeling is that we shall choose Shame, and then have War thrown in a little later ..." (Link)
Winston Churchill wurde später zugeschrieben:
  • 1939 ff.: "Churchill says the government had to choose between war and shame. They chose shame. They will get war too."
  • 1940: "I saw Churchill. You know his formula. France and England have the choice between war and dishonor. You have elected and you will have war." 
  • 1964: "When Chamberlain returned from Munich bringing, as he said, "peace in our time," Churchill pointed out to him in the House of Commons, "You were given the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour and you will have war."
Churchills briefliche Wendung von der Wahl zwischen "war and shame" hat bald Flügel bekommen, aber es ist - wie gesagt - nur eine Legende, dass er diese Worte Anfang Oktober 1938 im House of Commons zum Premierminister gesagt habe (Link). Der Satz ist in keinem Parlamentsprotokoll zu finden. Chamberlain musste allerdings auf einen Zwischenruf ("Shame!") reagieren:

  • "The relief that our escape from this great peril of war has, I think, everywhere been mingled in this country with a profound feeling of sympathy—[HON. MEMBERS: "Shame."] I have nothing to be ashamed of. Let those who have, hang their heads. We must feel profound sympathy for a small and gallant nation in the hour of their national grief and loss. "
    Nelson Chamberlain, Prime Ministers Statement,  3. Oktober 1938  (Link) 
Das entstellte Chuchill-Zitat ist bis heute - auch in Schulbüchern - in diversen Variationen weit verbreitet, zum Beispiel:
  • "Winston Churchill aber sagt im Unterhaus: „Großbritannien hat zwischen Krieg und Schande zu wählen gehabt, und seine Minister haben die Schande gewählt, um auch noch den Krieg zu bekommen."  (Link)
  •  
 
Ich folge den Recherchen des Winston-Churchill-Experten Richard M. Langworth ("War and Shame",  (Link)) und den Hinweisen von Tobias Blanken auf Twitter.
 
Die Evolution des Falschzitats
13. August 1938
  • "I think we shall have to choose in the next few weeks between war and shame, and I have very little doubt what the decision will be."
    Winston Churchill an Lloyd George, 13. August 1938     (Link)
11. September 1938
  • "We seem to be very near the bleak choice between War and Shame. My feeling is that we shall choose Shame, and then have War thrown in a little later on even more adverse terms than at present."
    Winston Churchill an Lord Moyne, 11. September 1938 (Link)
29. , 30. September 1938
  • Münchner Abkommen
3. Oktober 1938
Prime Ministers Statement: 
  • "The relief that our escape from this great peril of war has, I think, everywhere been mingled in this country with a profound feeling of sympathy—[HON. MEMBERS: "Shame."] I have nothing to be ashamed of. Let those who have, hang their heads. We must feel profound sympathy for a small and gallant nation in the hour of their national grief and loss. "
    Nelson Chamberlain, Prime Ministers Statement,  3. Oktober 1938  (Link) 
1940
  • "Then the Paris legend goes on : "Voice of M. Mandel: 'I saw Churchill. You know his formula. France and England have the choice between war and dishonor. You have elected and you will have war.' "
    The Living Age, 1940, Band 359, S. 238 (Link)

1964
  • "When Chamberlain returned from Munich bringing, as he said, "peace in our time," Churchill pointed out to him in the House of Commons, "You were given the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour and you will have war."
    Himmat, India, 1964, Band 1, S. 125  (Link)
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Quellen:
Google
Richard M. Langworth: "War and Shame", 2009 (Link)
Winston S. Churchill: "Churchill by Himself", Rosetta books, ebook: 2013
Randolph Spencer Churchill, Martin Gilbert: Winston S. Churchill: The prophet of truth, 1922-1939. Companion. pt. 1. The exchequer years, 1922-1929. pt. 2. The wilderness years 1929-1935. pt. 3. The coming of war 1936-1939, Houghton Mifflin, Boston: 1983
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Dank:
Ich danke Tobias Blanken (@Tobias_B) für den Hinweis auf dieses entstellte Zitat.
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Arikel in Arbeit
um
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