A New York Times Notable Book of the Year A major reassessment of Winston Churchill that examines his lasting influence in politics and culture. Churchill is generally considered one of the greatest leaders of the twentieth century, if not the greatest of all, revered for his opposition to appeasement, his defiance in the face of German bombing of England, his political prowess, his deft aphorisms, and his memorable speeches. He became the savior of his country, as prime minister during the most perilous period in British history, World War II, and is now perhaps even more beloved in America than in England. And yet Churchill was also very often in the wrong: he brazenly contradicted his own previous political stances, was a disastrous military strategist, and inspired dislike and distrust through much of his life. Before 1939 he doubted the efficacy of tank and submarine warfare, opposed the bombing of cities only to reverse his position, shamelessly exploited the researchers and ghostwriters who wrote much of the journalism and the books published so lucratively under his name, and had an inordinate fondness for alcohol that once found him drinking whisky before breakfast. When he was appointed to the cabinet for the first time in 1908, a perceptive journalist called him “the most interesting problem of personal speculation in English politics.” More than a hundred years later, he remains a source of adulation, as well as misunderstanding. This revelatory new book takes on Churchill in his entirety, separating the man from the myth that he so carefully cultivated, and scrutinizing his legacy on both sides of the Atlantic. In effervescent prose, shot through with sly wit, Geoffrey Wheatcroft illuminates key moments and controversies in Churchill’s career—from the tragedy of Gallipoli, to his shocking imperialist and racist attitudes, dealings with Ireland, support for Zionism, and complicated engagement with European integration. Charting the evolution and appropriation of Churchill’s reputation through to the present day, Churchill’s Shadow colorfully renders the nuance and complexity of this giant of modern politics.

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year A major reassessment of Winston Churchill that examines his lasting influence in politics and culture. Churchill is generally considered one of the greatest leaders of the twentieth century, if not the greatest of all, revered for his opposition to appeasement, his defiance in the face of German bombing of England, his political prowess, his deft aphorisms, and his memorable speeches. He became the savior of his country, as prime minister during the most perilous period in British history, World War II, and is now perhaps even more beloved in America than in England. And yet Churchill was also very often in the wrong: he brazenly contradicted his own previous political stances, was a disastrous military strategist, and inspired dislike and distrust through much of his life. Before 1939 he doubted the efficacy of tank and submarine warfare, opposed the bombing of cities only to reverse his position, shamelessly exploited the researchers and ghostwriters who wrote much of the journalism and the books published so lucratively under his name, and had an inordinate fondness for alcohol that once found him drinking whisky before breakfast. When he was appointed to the cabinet for the first time in 1908, a perceptive journalist called him “the most interesting problem of personal speculation in English politics.” More than a hundred years later, he remains a source of adulation, as well as misunderstanding. This revelatory new book takes on Churchill in his entirety, separating the man from the myth that he so carefully cultivated, and scrutinizing his legacy on both sides of the Atlantic. In effervescent prose, shot through with sly wit, Geoffrey Wheatcroft illuminates key moments and controversies in Churchill’s career—from the tragedy of Gallipoli, to his shocking imperialist and racist attitudes, dealings with Ireland, support for Zionism, and complicated engagement with European integration. Charting the evolution and appropriation of Churchill’s reputation through to the present day, Churchill’s Shadow colorfully renders the nuance and complexity of this giant of modern politics.

A coruscating portrait of Britain’s greatest imperialist The modern Churchill cult is out of control, closing down debate and encouraging support for twenty-first-century wars. The wartime leader has become a household god for many, preserving an antiquated vision of Britain still shared by all three parties. Yet, was he anything more than a plump carp happy to swim in the foulest of ponds to defend the Empire? Churchill himself never bothered to conceal his passionate defence of the British Empire or its attendant racism. On a more personal level, his complacent self-belief influenced his every step and frequently tripped him up. As the head of the British Navy during the First World War, he was responsible for a series of calamitous errors that cost thousands of lives. His attempt to crush the Irish nationalists left wounds that have yet to heal. His attacks on striking workers in Glasgow and Tonypandy, his posturing when calling in the army to burn two anarchists in London’s East End, his vicious propaganda during the General Strike were not forgotten or forgiven. Even during the war against Germany, the most revered period of his career, Churchill’s crimes abroad continued, including the brutal assault on the Greek Resistance, the Bengal Famine that cost over 3 million Indian lives, the all-out assault on civilians in Dresden and Hamburg, and the insistence on the use of nuclear weapons in Japan. Postwar, he continued to cause harm in Iran and Kenya. His is a terrible record, amply documented in Tariq Ali’s indictment.

'Stimulating, erudite and above all entertaining...For any reader tired of the seemlingly endless round of Churchill-worship' Robert Harris A radical biography for a new generation In A.J.P. Taylor's words, Churchill was 'the saviour of his country' when he became prime minister in 1940. Yet he was also a deeply flawed character. Giving due credit to Churchill's achievements but making no secret of his failures, Geoffrey Wheatcroft takes a radically different approach to other biographies. Going far beyond a reappraisal of a life and a career, he reveals the complex shadow Churchill has cast over post-war British history and contemporary politics. Telling the story of Churchill's extraordinary life and the equally fascinating one of his legacy, Churchill's Shadow focuses on how we as a nation have been living in the grip of his self-written myth ever since his death. 'This is the indispensable biography of Churchill for the post-Brexit 2020s' David Kynaston, author of On the Cusp: Days of '62 'Wheatcroft is a skilled prosecutor with a rapier pen...this could be the best single-volume indictment of Churchill yet written' New York Times 'A clear-eyed, incisive and superbly balanced account of Churchill, the man and the myth' Robert Gildea, author of Empires of the Mind

In The Titans of the Twentieth Century, the eminent scholar Michael Mandelbaum provides a group portrait of the most influential political figures of the twentieth century: Woodrow Wilson, Lenin, Hitler, Churchill, FDR, Ghandi, David Ben-Gurion, and Mao. Mandelbaum's selective principle is a combination of novelty, political power, geopolitical importance, and long-term influence. For better or worse, these are the men who did more than anyone else to shape the world that we live in today. Through their lives, this book provides a unique window into the political forces that shaped the twentieth century and laid the groundwork for the twenty-first.

Viewed by some as the saviour of his nation, and by others as a racist imperialist, who was Winston Churchill really, and how has he become such a controversial figure? Combining the best of established scholarship with important new perspectives, this Companion places Churchill's life and legacy in a broader context. It highlights different aspects of his life and personality, examining his core beliefs, working practices, key relationships and the political issues and campaigns that he helped shape, and which in turn shaped him. Controversial subjects, such as area bombing, Ireland, India and Empire are addressed in full, to try and explain how Churchill has become such a deeply divisive figure. Through careful analysis, this book presents a full and rounded picture of Winston Churchill, providing much needed nuance and context to the debates about his life and legacy.

The British statesman, orator and author Winston Churchill served as prime minister twice, achieving legendary status for rallying the British people during World War II and leading the country from the brink of defeat to victory. In addition to his careers of soldier and politician, Churchill was a prolific writer, starting with war journalism charting his adventures in British India, at the Siege of Malakand, at Sudan during the Mahdist War and in Africa in the Second Boer War. He excelled as a writer of history, producing multi-volume studies of both World Wars and other grand subjects to critical acclaim. Many of his speeches and parliamentary answers were also published in pamphlets and collected editions. In 1953 Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature ‘for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory’. For the first time in publishing history, this eBook presents Churchill’s complete works, with numerous illustrations, rare texts, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Churchill’s life and works * Concise introductions to the major texts * Churchill’s novel ‘Savrola’ and the rare short stories * Images of how the books were first published, giving your eReader a taste of the original texts * Excellent formatting of the texts * The complete non-fiction works and speech collections * Special chronological and alphabetical contents tables for the speeches * Easily locate the works you want to read * Includes Churchill’s autobiography * Features two biographies, including Kraus’ seminal study – discover Churchill’s incredible life * Ordering of texts into chronological order and genres CONTENTS: The Novel Savrola (1900) The Shorter Fiction Man Overboard (1898) If Lee Had Not Won the Battle of Gettysburg (1931) The Dream (1966) The Non-Fiction The Story of the Malakand Field Force (1898) The River War (1899) London to Ladysmith via Pretoria (1900) Ian Hamilton’s March (1900) Lord Randolph Churchill (1906) My African Journey (1908) The World Crisis I: 1911-1914 (1923) The World Crisis II: 1915 (1923) The World Crisis III: 1916-1918 (1927) The World Crisis IV: The Aftermath 1918-1922 (1929) The World Crisis V: The Eastern Front (1931) Thoughts and Adventures (1932) Marlborough I (1933) Marlborough II (1934) Marlborough III (1936) Marlborough IV (1938) Great Contemporaries (1937) The Second World War I: The Gathering Storm (1948) The Second World War II: Their Finest Hour (1949) The Second World War III: The Grand Alliance (1950) The Second World War IV: The Hinge of Fate (1950) The Second World War V: Closing the Ring (1951) The Second World War VI: Triumph and Tragedy (1953) Painting as a Pastime (1948) A History of the English-Speaking Peoples I: The Birth of Britain (1956) A History of the English-Speaking Peoples II: The New World (1956) A History of the English-Speaking Peoples III: The Age of Revolution (1957) A History of the English-Speaking Peoples IV: The Great Democracies (1958) The Speeches Introduction to Churchill the Orator Mr Brodrick’s Army (1903) For Free Trade (1906) Liberalism and the Social Problem (1909) The People’s Rights (1910) India (1931) Arms and the Covenant (1938) Step by Step (1936) Into Battle (1941) The Unrelenting Struggle (1942) The End of the Beginning (1943) Onwards to Victory (1944) The Dawn of Liberation (1945) Victory (1946) Secret Sessions Speeches (1946) The Sinews of Peace (1948) Europe Unite (1950) In the Balance (1951) Stemming the Tide (1953) The Unwritten Alliance (1961) Index of Speeches List of Speeches in Chronological Order List of Speeches in Alphabetical Order The Autobiography My Early Life (1930) The Biographies Winston Churchill: A Biography (1940) by René Kraus Mr. Churchill: A Portrait (1942) by Philip Guedalla

There never was a Churchill from John of Marlborough down who had either morals or principles', so said Gladstone. From the First Duke of Marlborough - soldier of genius, restless empire-builder and cuckolder of Charles II - onwards, the Churchills have been politicians, gamblers and profligates, heroes and womanisers. The Churchills is a richly layered portrait of an extraordinary set of men and women - grandly ambitious, regularly impecunious, impulsive, arrogant and brave. And towering above the Churchill clan is the figure of Winston - his failures and his triumphs shown in a new and revealing context - ultimately our 'greatest Briton'.

A major new history of Churchill in the 1930s, showing how his meetings at Chartwell, his country home, strengthened his fight against the Nazis In the 1930s, amidst an impending crisis in Europe, Winston Churchill found himself out of government and with little power. In these years, Chartwell, his country home in Kent, became the headquarters of his campaign against Nazi Germany. He invited trusted advisors and informants, including Albert Einstein and T. E. Lawrence, who could strengthen his hand as he worked tirelessly to sound the alarm at the prospect of war. Katherine Carter tells the extraordinary story of the remarkable but little known meetings that took place behind closed doors at Chartwell. From household names to political leaders, diplomats to spies, Carter reveals a fascinating cast of characters, each of whom made their mark on Churchill’s thinking and political strategy. With Chartwell as his base, Churchill gathered intelligence about Germany’s preparations for war—and, in doing so, put himself in a position to change the course of history.