Churchill: The Unexpected HeroDuring the Second World War, Winston Churchill won two resounding victories. The first was a victory over Nazi Germany, the second a victory over the legion of sceptics who had derided his judgement, denied his claims to greatness, and excluded him from high office on the grounds that he was sure to be a danger to King and Country. Churchill was the only British politician of the twentieth century to become an enduring national hero. The curious thing is that it happened at the age of 65, at a time when he was considered to be a spent force, with a track-record of disastrous decisions. All but the most hostile of his adversaries conceded that he possessed great abilities, remarkable eloquence, and a streak of genius. But it was almost universally agreed that he was a shameless egotist, an opportunist without principles or convictions, an unreliable colleague, an erratic policy-maker who lacked judgement, and a reckless amateur strategist with a dangerous passion for war and bloodshed. At one time or another in his career, he had offended every party and faction in the land, yet despite this he became the embodiment of national unity, an uncrowned king who threatened to eclipse the monarchy. In this incisive new biography, Paul Addison tells the story of Churchill's life in parallel with the history of his reputation. He seeks to explain why Churchill was transformed into a national hero, and why his heroic status has endured ever since in spite of the attempts of iconoclasts to debunk him. He argues that we are now in a position to reach beyond the mythology - both positive and negative - to see the real Winston Churchill, a warrior-statesman whose qualities were remarkably consistent through all the vicissitudes of his career. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 7 | |
2 The Renegade 19011911 | 29 |
3 The Lilliput Napoleon 19111915 | 57 |
4 The Winstonburg Line 19151924 | 82 |
5 Respectability Won and Lost 19241939 | 112 |
6 The Making of a Hero 19391945 | 153 |
7 Climbing Olympus 19451965 | 216 |
8 Churchill Past and Present | 246 |
Notes | 255 |
| 275 | |
| 287 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Admiral Admiralty Africa Alanbrooke allied American Anglo-American appeasement appointed argued Army Asquith attack Attlee August Baldwin battle Beaverbrook began bombing Britain British Cabinet campaign Chartwell Chiefs of Staff Churchill’s Churchillian Clementine Clementine Churchill Coalition command Complete Speeches conference Conservative Party critics Dardanelles December declared defence diary election Empire Europe father’s favour fight force France free trade French front Gallipoli gave German Gilbert hero historian Hitler House of Commons idea India January judgement July June Keynes Labour Party leader Lloyd George Lord Randolph Lord Randolph Churchill Mackenzie King March Martin Gilbert Mass-Observation military National naval Navy Nazi never Neville Chamberlain October Office political politician Prime Minister proposed R. A. Butler resignation Roosevelt Russia Second World Second World War Secretary social Soviet Union Stalin statesman strategic took Tory troops Ulster United victory War Cabinet Winston Churchill WSC Companion