by JohnLukacs (Author)
Bestselling historian John Lukacs traces the history of Churchill's pivotal first speech before Parliament - a speech that transformed both Churchill and the nation he had come to lead. On 13th May 1940, Churchill stood before Parliament to deliver his first speech as Prime Minister. Britain was embroiled in the first year of World War II; Neville Chamberlain's government had fallen three days earlier. Churchill needed to convince the nation that he was an able leader as he was fighting a war that was growing more destructive with each passing day. This is the pivotal event that bestselling historian John Lukacs mines in this taut, gripping book on the circumstances surrounding Churchill's speech. One of the world's experts on Winston Churchill, as well as 20th century European history in general, Lukacs is a master at excavating all lived experience of a particular historical moment, as he proved in his bestselling Five Days in London . A riveting portrait of leadership in its confrontation with radical evil, when the ideals of Western civilization hung in the balance, Lukacs' book will be essential reading for fans of military and diplomatic history, Churchill aficionados and anyone interested in leadership.
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 147
Edition: First Edition
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 04 Sep 2008
ISBN 10: 0465002870
ISBN 13: 9780465002870
City Journal
For his noble deeds and speech, the great English statesman surely deserves our gratitude and admiration. And it is to John Lukacs's credit that he allows us to appreciate this against the obfuscations of both the revisionist Left and Right....Lukacs is wonderfully attentive to the human element, to the difference that a single man made in shaping history.
Forbes
A short book, packed with drama and incisive analyses.
Christianity Today
World War II: We think we know it all, yet along comes a little book from a masterful historian that gives us a famous incident afresh, and in a way that sheds light on the whole terrible conflict. For readers of history on your gift list, this is a perfect choice--and be sure to set aside a copy for yourself.
New York Review of Books
Anything Lukacs writes is worth reading.
Washington Post Book World
Penetrating
Washington Times
Powerful and moving history... compact page-turner of a book.
Deseret News
In this extraordinary book, John Lukacs, an eminent World War II historian, discusses what he considers an extraordinary speech.
Roanoke Times
This snapshot of one the world's greatest leaders in the infancy of his ascendency to glory provides a valuable contextual understanding of the skills of one man who engaged Adolph Hitler in a war of wills and had the will to win.