Analogies can be overdrawn, but help to explain life. In Autumn 1942, the world changed – almost imperceptibly, but significantly. A relentless slide toward loss of freedom, and attacks by a rogue ideology, were reversed. Winston Churchill called it “The Hinge of Fate.” History never repeats, but patterns do. We are at a “hinge.” Needed, now as then, are redoubled effort, faith, and focus.
People resist the imposition of government on their lives, and the theft of individual freedoms, whether quietly or violently. People reach a breaking point and can take no more. Suddenly, things change, momentum shifts and everything is different.
In the Autumn of 1942, after watching values attacked, seeing lives altered, safety, survival, and culture undermined, and liberty upended – people leaned into the fight.
Eighty-four years ago, Churchill, whose mother was American, with America at his side, turned the tide. We are not in a “hot war” today, but we do face an insidious foe, an individual-denying ideology, embraced by power-concentrating extremists.
The six months after Autumn 1942 were incredible, because – on a global scale people summoned their courage, worked together, and began restoring freedom.
From that moment forward, things changed. The crowds thronging Churchill were enormous, the largest in modern British history. What he said, in his witty, authentic, sometimes rude, always direct way, lifted them, encouraged them, revealed that he understood them, all their fears and yearning, untapped strength, love of freedom.
After being demoralized for years, at war with this ideology that aimed to crush them, silence their voices, and displace their will, they found their voice, and in that way asserted their rights. They put differences aside and focused on winning.
That epic fall, a friend of Churchill’s wrote, “These have been exceptionally active days. I do not remember anymore so … huge and enthusiastic crowds, with scarcely enough police to control them…” While attacks continued in London, they began to taper. While Vichy France had folded, the Allies retook North Africa.
Quietly, women got more involved, unity for freedom spread, and adversaries cracked. Rommel lost Egypt, Germans were stopped at Russia’s border, and American aircraft production jumped to 46,000 from 3000. Everything changed.
At that moment, the “hinge of fate” turned and those near Churchill felt it. They knew a big turn was happening. They knew the terrible ideology they disdained was in full retreat. They were relieved, ecstatic, and wanted to “ring out the bells.”
Churchill stopped them, not because he missed their joy, but because he knew rogue ideologies, those aiming to tear things down, die hard. While the “hinge of fate” turned, much work lay ahead. History is made by inches, seldom by yards. We are there again, locked in an ideological battle, and it will take effort to win.
Churchill, in the Autumn of 1942, when his advisors were celebrating, was the realist. Good things take time, but victory comes to those who never stop fighting. He reminded them: “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
Americans just spoke bravely and proclaimed their love of freedom in a hard-bitten election. That election puts America on a new course, but the fight is not over.
Truth is, the work to date pales by comparison to what remains, a slog by good men and women to reduce the power of a bad ideology, in our day to reduce an unaccountable government’s adverse impact on American lives.
As in 1942, “the hinge of fate” has turned, but – to requote Churchill – “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” Needed now are redoubled effort, faith, and focus.
Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, attorney, and naval intelligence officer (USNR). He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (2018), and is National Spokesman for AMAC. Robert Charles has also just released an uplifting new book, “Cherish America: Stories of Courage, Character, and Kindness” (Tower Publishing, 2024).
When a people see their leaders are actually willing to fight FOR THEM, as opposed to simply ruling over them and willing to appease an enemy at the expense of surrendering the rights and freedoms of an entire nation for a false promise of so-called “peace” (capitulation would have been more accurate description at the time for what Chamberlain ended up agreeing to) with Hitler, as essentially those before Churchill in the Neville Chamberlin government seemed to view their role when facing the threat of expanding NAZI power at the time, people usually tend to be more upbeat, committed and fight harder. Under Chamberlain, the future of the UK would have been what we call “managed decline” today. Under Churchill, the people saw a potential path to a far better outcome and an eventual end to the NAZI threat over time. Who wouldn’t be more upbeat under the leadership of Churchill instead of Chamberlain?
The stark contrast between Chamberlain and Churchill, in terms of style, substance and how each viewed the looming NAZI threat at the time was on par at the time as to how distinctly different Biden and Trump view the looming threat of communist China today. One, Biden, sees the threat as “friendly economic competition, despite China’s rapidly expanding footprint around the world and growing military might. The other, Trump, sees the Chinese communist threat as what it actually is and sees China’s willingness to strong arm weaker nations into so-called “deals” that create multiple strangle points for the global supply chain that China now controls.
Biden, like Chamberlain, believes appeasement is the best course of action, because the Democrats ultimately view China will supplant the United States and the rest of the West on the world stage and they believe they will be viewed favorably by Chinese leadership in any such new world order. Trump on the other hand understands the West literally created the current threat China poses on the world stage today through 35 years of bad policy decisions that not only weakened the United States and the much of the West, but also directly financed and strengthened the meteoric rise of China through over at least $23 trillion dollars in transferred wealth and tens of millions of Western jobs to China over that timeframe. So yes, there are remarkable similarities although there are also some significant differences.
Trump is now the hinge on which the door swings. I believe he is up to the job, even at his age. If he doesn’t make it, he is appointing young leaders to carry on. They are all fighters, as is he. It is an encouraging time to be alive and I’m glad I’m still here to see the tide turn.
Hinge of Fate – The Beginning. This is a story of Ihistorical significance and this is surely the right time to think about it..In the fourth paragraph that part about facing ” an insidious foe. that has an individual- denying ideology,embraced by power – concentrating extremists” — the word insidious definitely is the right description of the strategy of that foe.The great victory for President Trump on November 5th and for the right thinking, honorable Americans all across this land of the free and home of the brave indicates that the strategy of the power – concentrating extremists is exposed,it is understood for what it is,sort of like becoming aware of the pattern of a code ,the message is no longer hidden. What happened on November 5th was a victory for truth and that is a great accomplishment. …The words of Churchill should be appreciated.This Nation can benefit from the uplifting spirit of achievement and the mission now to defend truth and Liberty. … Well done RBC !
I think Chamberlain and Biden are like the college boys chanting and protesting in the antiwar protests while their uncollege peers were sent to Vietnam. Neither would be able or willing to face the brass knuckles and that is the difference between them and Trump.
In July 1926, President Calvin Coolidge gave a speech in Philadelphia on the150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. This is an excerpt from that speech. Please read it carefully. It is more relevant today than in 1926:
About the Declaration there is a finality that is exceedingly restful. It is often asserted that the world has made a great deal of progress since 1776, that we have had new thoughts and new experiences which have given us a great advance over the people of that day, and that we may therefore very well discard their conclusions for something more modern. But that reasoning cannot be applied to this great charter. If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people. Those who wish to proceed in that direction cannot lay claim to progress. They are reactionary. Their ideas are not more modern, but more ancient, than those of the Revolutionary fathers.
I always enjoy reading your editorials and this one is spot on.
England ruled the world’s largest empire. Then Churchill wanted war. Now England is a third world colony.