This collection of WWII speeches by the Nobel Prize-winning Prime Minister reflect his determination in the face of a fearsome enemy.
1942 was an important turning point in World War II. Britain and its allies had faced considerable challenges thus far. Beset by bombings and devastated by personal loss and the restrictions of war, the British public was losing patience with the war effort—and their prime minister. This collection of Winston Churchill’s wartime speeches from 1942 provides an enlightening commentary on this volatile time in history from the point of view of one of its most prominent leaders.
Churchill faced an uphill battle in his military efforts as well as in gathering political and public support for the struggle to come. But the tides had turned when the United States joined the war at the end of 1941. Churchill has been quoted as saying he felt certain of the Allied victory with the US on his side—and his speeches reflect this renewed sense of hope and conviction.
Sir Winston Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 "for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values." Over a 64-year span, Churchill published over 40 books, many multi-volume definitive accounts of historical events to which he was a witness and participant. All are beautifully written and as accessible and relevant today as when first published. During his fifty-year political career, Churchill served twice as Prime Minister in addition to other prominent positions-including President of the Board of Trade, First Lord of the Admiralty, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Home Secretary. In the 1930s, Churchill was one of the first to recognize the danger of the rising Nazi power in Germany and to campaign for rearmament in Britain. His leadership and inspired broadcasts and speeches during World War II helped strengthen British resistance to Adolf Hitler-and played an important part in the Allies' eventual triumph. One of the most inspiring wartime leaders of modern history, Churchill was also an orator, a historian, a journalist, and an artist. All of these aspects of Churchill are fully represented in this collection of his works.