Five Days in London May 1940 (Nota Bene)

Five Days in London May 1940 (Nota Bene)

by John Lukacs (Author)

Synopsis

The days from May 24 to May 28, 1940 altered the course of the history of this century, as the members of the British War Cabinet debated whether to negotiate with Hitler or to continue what became known as the Second World War. The decisive importance of these five days is the focus of John Lukacs's magisterial new book. Lukacs takes us hour by hour into the critical unfolding of events at 10 Downing Street, where Churchill and the members of his cabinet were painfully considering their war responsibilities. We see how the military disasters taking place on the Continent-particularly the plight of the nearly 400,000 British soldiers bottled up in Dunkirk-affected Churchill's fragile political situation, for he had been prime minister only a fortnight and was regarded as impetuous and hotheaded even by many of his own party. Lukacs also investigates the mood of the British people, drawing on newspaper and Mass-Observation reports that show how the citizenry, though only partly informed about the dangers that faced them, nevertheless began to support Churchill's determination to stand fast. Other historians have dealt with Churchill's difficulties during this period, using the partial revelations of certain memoirs and private and public papers. But Lukacs is the first to convey the drama and importance of these days, and he does so in a compelling narrative that combines deep knowledge with high literary style.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 250
Edition: New Edition
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 03 Sep 2001

ISBN 10: 0300084668
ISBN 13: 9780300084665

Media Reviews
A brilliant, heavyweight little book... This is a modern history that refuses easy answers: its skillful concision cuts painfully to the bone and spills real blood on the carpets of Whitehall and Westminster. The Times This gem of a book, the distillation of an important historian's life work, is a compelling antidote for those afflicted with historical amnesia. Kai Bird, Washington Post A fascinating work of historical reconstruction... Lukacs gives us much to ponder in this intriguing - and perhaps still controversial - story. Stanley Weintraub, Wall Street Journal [This book] has the power and sweep of Shakespeare's chronicle plays. Robert Taylor, Boston Globe Superb... at once a provocative work of history and a marvelous historical entertainment, one that can be compared to such classics as Hugh Trevor-Roper's The Last Days of Hitler and Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August. Michael Korda, Harper's Magazine
Author Bio
John Lukacs was professor of history at Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia, until his recent retirement and has been visiting professor at many universities. He is the author of twenty-one books, among them The Hitler of History, The Duel, The End of the Twentieth Century and The End of the Modern Age (which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize), and the most recent, A Thread of Years, also published by Yale University Press. He is the recipient of numerous academic honors and awards.