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A critical but fair political biography of Churchill that zooms in on crucial moments in his life and career that help us understand the man in his many contradictions.
While in A.J.P. Taylor's words, Churchill was 'the saviour of his country', he was also a deeply flawed character, whose personal ambition would cloud his political judgement - and as a result he was often plain wrong. But the book's central argument goes beyond biography: argues that Churchill has cast a dark shadow over post-war British history and contemporary politics - from the 'Churchillian stance' of Tony Blair taking the country to war in Iraq to the delusion of a special relationship with the United States to the fateful belief in British exceptionalism: that the nation can once again stand alone in Europe.
Wheatcroft takes a radically different approach to other hagiographies of Chruchill. This is a biography that doesn't just tell the story of his life but the equally fascinating one of his legacy, focusing on how Churchill was viewed by contemporaries and those who came after.
This book is both a biography of the man and a fresh and revealing account of post-war politics seen through his legacy.
© Geoffrey Wheatcroft 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021