Senility in high office
Even leaders who are spry for their age eventually lose their grip
![Erich Honecker and Leonid Brehnev in 1979](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240706_FBP501.jpg)
History, science and common sense concur: even great leaders age. In 1953, during his second stint as prime minister, Winston Churchill had a stroke after dinner. “No one seemed alarmed by [his] slurred speech and unsteadiness on his feet, one of the advantages of having a reputation for enjoying alcohol,” writes Andrew Roberts, a historian. For several weeks, as Churchill was incapable of governing, his son-in-law and private secretary in effect ran the country. He never fully recovered, yet refused to stand down until 1955, when he was 80. “Churchill is now often speechless in Cabinet; alternatively, he rambles about nothing,” wrote Harold Macmillan, a future Conservative prime minister, in 1954.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “President Lear”
More from Briefing
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240720_FBP002.jpg)
Will Binyamin Netanyahu’s visit to America repair or weaken ties?
He may damage relations with Israel’s indispensable protector
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240720_FBP001.jpg)
Optimistic plans for post-war Gaza have little basis in reality
Aid, policing, reconstruction—everything is even harder than it sounds
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240713_FBD001.jpg)
Small investments in nutrition could make the world brainier
Many pregnant women and babies are malnourished—and not just in poor countries