ABSTRACT
In the years of his political maturity, Churchill positively relished striking attitudes that seemed old fashioned or offensive to many contemporaries. 'Liberalism' and 'conservatism' have meant decidedly different things depending on time and place, and their meanings certainly shifted dramatically within Churchill's own lifetime. It may be more useful to examine the differing ways in which Churchill deployed the languages of liberalism and conservatism for different purposes and at different times, in order to illuminate the evolving political-intellectual contexts in which he was operating. This chapter deals with every aspect of his relationship to the Empire, it is possible to illustrate some of the key uses to which 'liberal' and 'conservative' rhetoric could be put. In terms of the broader background, it must be remembered that, during Churchill's lifetime, the world order underwent several radical reconfigurations and the international dimension of liberal ideology changed with it.
