Editing Winston Churchill (section)

==Out of Parliament: 1922–1924==
{{main|Winston Churchill's Liberal Party years, 1904–1924}}
[[File:Churchill with children Randolph and Diana.jpg|thumb|Churchill with children [[Randolph Churchill|Randolph]] and [[Diana Churchill|Diana]] in 1923]]
Churchill spent much of the next six months at the Villa Rêve d'Or near [[Cannes]], where he devoted himself to painting and writing his memoirs.{{sfn|Gilbert|1991|p=457}} He wrote an autobiographical history of the war, ''[[The World Crisis]]''. The first volume was published in April 1923 and the rest over the next ten years.{{sfn|Gilbert|1991|p=456}} After the [[1923 United Kingdom general election|1923 general election]] was called, seven Liberal associations asked Churchill to stand as their candidate, and he selected [[Leicester West]], but did not win.{{sfnm|1a1=Rhodes James|1y=1970|1pp=150–151|2a1=Gilbert|2y=1991|2p=459|3a1=Jenkins|3y=2001|3pp=382–384}} A Labour government led by [[Ramsay MacDonald]] took power. Churchill had hoped they would be defeated by a Conservative-Liberal coalition.{{sfn|Gilbert|1991|p=460}} He strongly opposed the MacDonald government's decision to loan money to Soviet Russia and feared the signing of an Anglo-Soviet Treaty.{{sfn|Gilbert|1991|pp=462–463}}

In March 1924, alienated by Liberal support for Labour, Churchill stood as an independent anti-socialist candidate in the [[1924 Westminster Abbey by-election|Westminster Abbey by-election]] but was defeated.{{sfnm|1a1=Rhodes James|1y=1970|1pp=151–153|2a1=Gilbert|2y=1991|2pp=460–461}} In May, he addressed a Conservative meeting in Liverpool and declared there was no longer a place for the Liberal Party in politics. He said that Liberals must back the Conservatives to stop Labour and ensure "the successful defeat of socialism".{{sfnm|1a1=Rhodes James|1y=1970|1p=154|2a1=Gilbert|2y=1991|2p=462}} In July, he agreed with Conservative leader [[Stanley Baldwin]] that he would be selected as a Conservative candidate in the [[1924 United Kingdom general election|next general election]], which was held on 29 October. Churchill stood at [[Epping (UK Parliament constituency)|Epping]], but described himself as a "[[Constitutionalist (UK)|Constitutionalist]]".{{sfnm|1a1=Rhodes James|1y=1970|1p=154|2a1=Gilbert|2y=1991|2pp=462–463|3a1=Ball|3y=2001|3p=311}} The Conservatives were victorious, and Baldwin formed the new government. Although Churchill had no background in finance or economics, Baldwin appointed him as Chancellor.{{sfnm|1a1=Rhodes James|1y=1970|1pp=155, 158|2a1=Gilbert|2y=1991|2p=465}}