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Churchill cover art

Churchill

By: The Great Courses, J. Rufus Fears
Narrated by: J. Rufus Fears
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Summary

His friend, colleague, and esteemed political foe Clement Attlee once memorialized Winston Churchill as "the greatest Englishman of our time - I think the greatest citizen of the world of our time." More than a half-century later, Churchill's life remains proof that a single individual can change the course of history for the better and make of life a blessed and noble thing, despite public and private trials too numerous to name.

Who was this extraordinary man who rose up at an hour when freedom and right stood in mortal peril before tyranny and terror to rally the British people? To say with courage, genius, and eloquence, "Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour.'"

Moreover, how did he accomplish this amazing feat? And how was it that this achievement was just a single part of a long and fruitful life in a stunning array of endeavors?

In these 12 inspiring lectures, Professor Fears presents a well-balanced portrait of Churchill that does not whitewash his flaws. Yet he also draws on the most recent historical scholarship and material from Churchill's writings and speeches to make the case that Churchill belongs with Pericles of Athens and Abraham Lincoln as one of the greatest statesmen in the history of democracy.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2001 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2001 The Great Courses

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Brilliant, but sometimes lacks nuance

This was a brilliant history of Churchill, but at times it did come across a little polemical and lacked a little nuance. Almost everything Professor Fears had to say was positive, even when Churchill himself would have been more self-critical.

The Dardanelles particularly stood out for me as an episode which Professor Fears really only skirts round Churchill’s mistakes.

Also notable is the almost total lack of a mention of Churchill dealings with India and Gandhi, something that might be excusable given how short the work is were it not for the fact that Professor Fears spends a whole chapter on Lord Marlborough. I think the fate of over 1 billion people is worth a bit more time than it was given.

Overall though Professor Fears’ style is very entertaining and I learned a lot.

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Ery good listen

Clear and precise, gives a thorough picture of a great man, who stood firm in guarding freedom.

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This isn’t history, it is hagiography

I am an enormous admirer of Churchill, and have read most of great man’s works. Churchill was brilliant, honorable and courageous, but he had his flaws. These lectures ignore or try to reinterpret these negative aspects of Churchill, turning him into a cartoon rather than portraying the very real, remarkable person he was. Look for Roy Jenkins’ superb biography him instead. It is also on Audible. It will give you a much more realistic view of the man - as will any of Churchill’s own works.

By the way... lecture 1, Queen Anne was Queen Mary’s younger sister, not her daughter, something the lecturer would know if he’d read Churchill’s magnificent History of the English Speaking Peoples (also to be found on Audible).

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7 people found this helpful