At that time MPs were unpaid, so Churchill took a lecture tour of Britain and North America, telling the story of his military adventures.
Churchill saw himself as a Tory with liberal leanings, and in 1905 he switched from the Conservative to the Liberal Party. Churchill rose quickly through the political ranks when the Liberals came to power, rising to become the First Lord of Admiralty in charge of the British navy. Despite this success, his switch earned him criticism and political challenges. Addison describes it as placing "a large and ultimately very damaging question mark against his reputation. The Conservatives felt betrayed and wrote him off as a shameless opportunist. " (29) At the same time, the Liberals were never quite sure of his commitment to their party, and others were concerned about his apparent restless and egoism. During his first ten years in Parliament, he expressed strong support for imperialism and the use of force in its support, was strongly against socialism and communism, against women's suffrage despite earlier support, and took strong stands on economics and trade and other social issues; these opinions brought him both support and criticism. Addison describes Churchill's ideal from of government as a Coalition, and that his ultimate ambition was independence of party (36). He was a strong speaker with a strong imperial patriotism and a passion for power. (41) .
Between 1911 and 1915, Addison describes how Churchill's rise as a military leader almost destroyed his political career. (58) He became increasingly militaristic with a passion for war and a belief in this superior strategic abilities. He tried to build the Royal Navy and Admiralty beyond what was considered an acceptable level, and he went on a mission to modernize the navy to meet the growing German challenge. Addison describes Churchill as employing "provocative language on the public platform while pursuing relatively conciliatory policies behind the scenes.
