The Second World War

by Winston Churchill

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Churchill's monumental book on World War II is, in short, a straightforward and detailed account of the events, both military and political, of the largest and deadliest conflict in history. Yet the story of war is amplified by Churchill's own personal viewpoint and direct involvement in these events. The manner in which he accomplishes this union of the external and internal provides the book with his individualistic stamp.

The completeness of his coverage of the war is astonishing. In an almost conversational tone, Churchill makes all of this material accessible to the non-specialist. His own role in events threads through the book and holds together what might otherwise become diffuse and unfocused. Of special importance is his account of the factors that led to war. Much of the public consciousness today about World War II is probably due at least in part to Churchill's having articulated these causative factors as completely and clearly as he did.

The repeated failures of Britain and France to stand up to Hitler through the 1930s understandably form the bulk of the earlier portion of the book. Yet Churchill does not write in an accusatory manner. From the point in the narrative at which he becomes prime minister, in 1940, his emphasis is on the unity of Britain and the defiant, unyielding spirit of its people. Churchill is an unabashed flag-waver. His implicit theme is his belief in a kind of uniqueness of the English-speaking peoples as a whole, and this is one reason he emphasizes his admiration for, and friendship with, President Roosevelt. The entry of the US into the war is seen by Churchill as the decisive turning point that makes victory for the Allies over the Axis a near certainty.

Apart from coverage of every important battle and military action in both European and Asian theaters, beginning with the German invasion of Poland and concluding with the final defeat of Germany and Japan, Churchill examines what would seem secondary topics were it not for the bearing they had on the war's outcome. These include the "hidden war" of scientific research that led not only to the development of the atomic bomb but also to seemingly smaller technological factors involving radar and the success the British had in disrupting the guidance systems of German aircraft. Diplomatic events, too—including the wartime conferences involving FDR, Stalin, and of course Churchill himself—are dealt with extensively.

Churchill's book is written with such lucidity that the most complex and outwardly inexplicable events become instantly understandable to the reader. If there is a fault in the man that affects his writing, it is perhaps a paradoxical mirror—a negative one—of the very qualities that made Churchill a larger-than-life wartime leader. In 1945, with victory secured, Churchill was voted out of office and a Labour government took over. This fact is relevant because Churchill himself was not the kind of man to change with the times. For example, his ethnocentric mindset, in evidence throughout The Second World War, was becoming obsolete. But on balance, the positive qualities in both the man and his writings outweigh the negative.

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