Zusatztext Praise for Churchill by Paul Johnson: "Johnson . . . give[s] the reader the definite sense of having known Churchill! or at least of having hung out with him for a bit . . . Churchill lets you spend some time in the man's company! and who wouldn't want that?" New York Times Book Review "Johnson's distillation of life lessons from Churchill's stories career [is written in] . . . vivid prose and [with] consistent intelligence and urbanity. Jon Meacham! Slate.com "[If] you appreciate clarity! authority! and verve in historical writing! you will understand why I gulped down [ Churchill ] and now declare it the most exciting biography I read in 2009." Jesse Kornbluth! Huffington Post "Johnson clearly shares and revels in Churchill's generosity of spirit and limitless intellectual energy. He has produced a book that is a joy and a worthy tribute to both of them." Washington Times "You read Johnson to be provoked and entertained! and on both these scores his biography! like its subject! succeeds wonderfully." The American Conservative "With deft narrative skill and keen insight! Johnson masterfully sketches the phases of Churchill's life . . . Along the way! Johnson gives us wonderful insights into Churchill's character . . . Rich with anecdote and quotation! Paul Johnson's Churchill illustrates the man's humor! resilience! courage! and eccentricity as no other biography before." National Review "Paul Johnson is the most celebrated and best-loved British historian in America." Wall Street Journal Informationen zum Autor Paul Johnson's many books, including A History of Christianity, A History of the Jews, Modern Times, Churchill , and Napoleon: A Penguin Life , have been hailed as masterpieces of historical analysis. He is a regular columnist for Forbes and The Spectator , and his work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal , and many others publications. He lives in London. Klappentext From the "most celebrated and best-loved British historian in America (Wall Street Journal), an elegant, concise, and revealing portrait of Winston Churchill In Churchill, eminent historian Paul Johnson offers a lively, succinct exploration of one of the most complex and fascinating personalities in history. Winston Churchill's hold on contemporary readers has never slackened, and Johnson's analysis casts new light on his extraordinary life and times. Johnson illuminates the various phases of Churchill's careerfrom his adventures as a young cavalry officer in the service of the empire to his role as an elder statesman prophesying the advent of the Cold Warand shows how Churchill's immense adaptability and innate pugnacity made him a formidable leader for the better part of a century. Johnson's narration of Churchill's many triumphs and setbacks, rich with anecdote and quotation, illustrates the man's humor, resilience, courage, and eccentricity as no other biography before, and is sure to appeal to historians and general nonfiction readers alike. Chapter Six Supreme Power and Frustration As prime minister and minister of defense, Churchill held power "in ever growing measure," as he himself put it, from May 1940 to July 1945. Probably no statesman in British history had held power for so long in so concentrated and extensive a form. So the first question to ask is: Did Churchill personally save Britain? Was his leadership essential to its survival and eventual victory? The question is best answered by examining the factors and virtues which operated in his favorsome determined by objective events, others by his own genius and exertions. They were tenfold. First, as a civilian leader, Churchill be...

Praise for Churchill by Paul Johnson:
 
"Johnson . . . give[s] the reader the definite sense of having known Churchill, or at least of having hung out with him for a bit . . . Churchill lets you spend some time in the man's company, and who wouldn't want that?"
—New York Times Book Review

"Johnson’s distillation of life lessons from Churchill’s stories career [is written in] . . . vivid prose and [with] consistent intelligence and urbanity.”
—Jon Meacham, Slate.com
 
"[If] you appreciate clarity, authority, and verve in historical writing, you will understand why I gulped down [Churchill] and now declare it the most exciting biography I read in 2009."
—Jesse Kornbluth, Huffington Post

"Johnson clearly shares and revels in Churchill's generosity of spirit and limitless intellectual energy. He has produced a book that is a joy—and a worthy tribute to both of them."
—Washington Times

"You read Johnson to be provoked and entertained, and on both these scores his biography, like its subject, succeeds wonderfully."
—The American Conservative

"With deft narrative skill and keen insight, Johnson masterfully sketches the phases of Churchill's life . . . Along the way, Johnson gives us wonderful insights into Churchill's character . . . Rich with anecdote and quotation, Paul Johnson's Churchill illustrates the man's humor, resilience, courage, and eccentricity as no other biography before."
—National Review

"Paul Johnson is the most celebrated and best-loved British historian in America."
—Wall Street Journal

Autorentext
Paul Johnson’s many books, including A History of Christianity, A History of the Jews, Modern Times, Churchill, and Napoleon: A Penguin Life, have been hailed as masterpieces of historical analysis. He is a regular columnist for Forbes and The Spectator, and his work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many others publications. He lives in London.

Klappentext

From the "most celebrated and best-loved British historian in America” (Wall Street Journal), an elegant, concise, and revealing portrait of Winston Churchill

In Churchill, eminent historian Paul Johnson offers a lively, succinct exploration of one of the most complex and fascinating personalities in history. Winston Churchill's hold on contemporary readers has never slackened, and Johnson's analysis casts new light on his extraordinary life and times. Johnson illuminates the various phases of Churchill's career—from his adventures as a young cavalry officer in the service of the empire to his role as an elder statesman prophesying the advent of the Cold War—and shows how Churchill's immense adaptability and innate pugnacity made him a formidable leader for the better part of a century. Johnson's narration of Churchill's many triumphs and setbacks, rich with anecdote and quotation, illustrates the man's humor, resilience, courage, and eccentricity as no other biography before, and is sure to appeal to historians and general nonfiction readers alike.

Leseprobe
Chapter Six
Supreme Power and Frustration As prime minister and minister of defense, Churchill held power "in ever growing measure," as he himself put it, from May 1940 to July 1945. Probably no statesman in British history had held power for so long in so concentrated and extensive a form. So the first question to ask is: Did Churchill personally save Britain? Was his leadership essential to its survival and eventual victory?

The question is best answered by examining the factors and virtues which operated in his favor—some determined by objective events, others by his own genius and exertions. They were tenfold. First, as a civilian leader, Churchill benefited from a change of national opinion toward the relative trustworthiness of politicians and service leaders—"frocks and brass hats," to use the phrase of his youth. In the First World War, reverence for brass hats and dislike of frocks made it almost impossible for the government, even under Lloyd George at his apotheo…