Winston's War
by Max Hastings
Politics and governmentMilitary HistoryMilitary leadershipWorld War, 1939-1945History
4.0
Open LibraryAbout this book
A vivid and incisive portrait of Winston Churchill during wartime from acclaimed historian Max Hastings, Winston's War captures the full range of Churchill's endlessly fascinating character. At once brilliant and infuriating, self-important and courageous, Hastings's Churchill comes brashly to life as never before. Beginning in 1940, when popular demand elevated Churchill to the role of prime minister, and concluding with the end of the war, Hastings shows us Churchill at his most intrepid and essential, when, by sheer force of will, he kept Britain from collapsing in the face of what looked like certain defeat. Later, we see his significance ebb as the United States enters the war and the Soviets turn the tide on the Eastern Front. But Churchill, Hastings reminds us, knew as well as anyone that the war would be dominated by others, and he managed his relationships with the other Allied leaders strategically, so as to maintain Britain's influence and limit Stalin's gains. At the same time, Churchill faced political peril at home, a situation for which he himself was largely to blame. Hastings shows how Churchill nearly squandered the miraculous escape of the British troops at Dunkirk and failed to address fundamental flaws in the British Army. His tactical inaptitude and departmental meddling won him few friends in the military, and by 1942, many were calling for him to cede operational control. Nevertheless, Churchill managed to exude a public confidence that brought the nation through the bitter war. Hastings rejects the traditional Churchill hagiography while still manag…
Themes & subjects
Politics and governmentMilitary HistoryMilitary leadershipWorld War, 1939-1945HistoryNonfiction
Characters & people
Setting
Great BritainGran Bretaña1936-194520th century1936-1952 (Jorge VI)
About the author
Max Hastings
28 Dec 1945
Sir Max Hugh Macdonald Hastings (born 28 December 1945) is a British journalist and military historian, who has worked as a foreign correspondent for the BBC, editor-in-chief of *The Daily Telegraph*, and editor of the *Evening Standard*. He is also the author of numerous books, chiefly on defence matters, which have won several major awards. **Source**: [Max Hastings](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Hastings) on Wikipedia
Reviews
No reviews yet — be the first to write one from the Log screen.
Quotes
No quotes yet.
