Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: The Dire Warning: Churchill’s First Speech as Prime Minister [Hardcover]

John R. Lukacs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 13, 2008

On May 13, 1940, Winston Churchill stood before the House of Commons to deliver his first speech as Prime Minister. Europe was in crisis: Three days earlier, Germany had invaded France and the Low Countries. Facing only feeble resistance, Hitler’s armies were rapidly sweeping westward. Accused of mishandling the war, Neville Chamberlain’s government collapsed, and Churchill was chosen to succeed him. Churchill had little support within the new government when he rose to address it on May 13. “I have never believed in him,” wrote one MP. Another described Churchill as a “disaster.” In fact, Churchill lacked confidence, both in himself and in his ability to lead his nation to victory, for he recognized far earlier than most the military genius of Adolph Hitler, and the potency of the German military. “I hope it is not too late,” Churchill had confided to his bodyguard on May 10. “I am very much afraid that it is.” In Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat, the eminent historian and master storyteller John Lukacs recreates this pivotal moment in world history, and reveals Churchill as he has rarely been seen before: as a man both unsure of himself and deeply fearful of his nation’s defeat. Churchill made no promises to his country in his speech, because he knew he had none to make. And yet he rallied England onward in the face of a vicious enemy. For Churchill-and Churchill alone-understood what was at stake: the fate not only of nations, but of civilization itself.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Churchill was Britain’s prime minister from 1940 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1955 and led the nation through World War II. On May 13, 1940, he gave his first speech before the House of Commons, three days after Germany invaded France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. In his now-famous speech, he said, “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.”  Lukacs, a history professor with more than 20 books to his credit, posits that beneath Churchill’s bravery lay his understanding of a looming catastrophe, still unimaginable to most: that it was probably too late, and that Adolf Hitler was close to winning the war. In this lucidly written history, the author tells of Churchill’s determination to succeed in defeating Hitler, his nine secret sessions with the War Cabinet, and the British army’s defeat at Dunkirk. Lukacs has captured this moment in history with meticulous precision. --George Cohen

Review

"Foreign Affairs"
"Lukacs knows his story and tells it well."

"City Journal"
"For his noble deeds and speech, the great English statesman surely deserves our gratitude and admiration. And it is to John Lukacs's credit that he allows us to appreciate this against the obfuscations of both the revisionist Left and Right....Lukacs is wonderfully attentive to the human element, to the difference that a single man made in shaping history."

"Forbes"
"A short book, packed with drama and incisive analyses."

"Christianity Today"
"World War II: We think we know it all, yet along comes a little book from a masterful historian that gives us a famous incident afresh, and in a way that sheds light on the whole terrible conflict. For readers of history on your gift list, this is a perfect choice--and be sure to set aside a copy for yourself."

"New York Review of Books"
"Anything Lukacs writes is worth reading."

"Washington Post Book World"
"Penetrating"

"Washington Times"
"Powerful and moving history... compact page-turner of a book."

"Deseret News"
"In this extraordinary book, John Lukacs, an eminent World War II historian, discusses what he considers an extraordinary speech."

"Roanoke Times"
"This "snapshot" of one the world's greatest leaders in the infancy of his ascendency to glory provides a valuable contextual understanding of the skills of one man who engaged Adolph Hitler in a war of wills and had the will to win."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 147 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (May 13, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465002870
• ISBN-13: 978-0465002870
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,041,879 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insight Through Context, July 26, 2008

By 

David Donelson "Author of The Dynamic Manager... - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: The Dire Warning: Churchill’s First Speech as Prime Minister (Hardcover)

Few men have used the English language with such grace and to such good ends as Winston Churchill. John Lukacs focuses on the key phrase in Churchill's first speech before Parliament as Prime Minister to provide some wonderful insights into both Churchill's thinking and the nation's state of mind as continental Europe crumbled before the onslaught of Hitler's armies and Britain began to realize it was the last, lone defender of the free world.

Churchill's speech was little appreciated at the time. In fact, the man was himself Prime Minister almost by default. Chamberlain was still the leader of the Conservative Party, Halifax probably could have had the post had he really wanted it since he was the first choice of King George VI, and it was only through Labour's insistence that they would not join a national government unless it was led by Churchill that the question was finally decided. One of the many telling details Lukacs reveals is that Chamberlain was wildly applauded when he entered the House to hear Churchill speak on May 13, 1940; Churchill's entrance was mostly ignored.

The speech was significant, Lukacs says, not so much for its poetry as for what it tells us about Churchill's vision of history as it shaped his leadership both throughout the war and afterward. Early on, Churchill recognized the power of Hitler's war machine and the strength of the German nation. He also had a truly terrifying vision of a world plunged into darkness by the very possible Nazi victory in Europe. The cold, black science of Fascism would mean the end of civilization, and Churchill knew that Britain was at the very beginning of a long, hard struggle whose outcome was far from certain.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds: A Novel of Scandal, Love and Death in the Congo

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the read, May 17, 2008

By 

Michael P. Maslanka (dallas, texas United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: The Dire Warning: Churchill’s First Speech as Prime Minister (Hardcover)

Thankfully weighing in at only 147 pages, Lukacs looks at Chuchill's speeches during the desperate days of May and June 1940 , puts them in context, and gives us this Big Idea: only Churchill really understood what was at stake and that defeat would mean a new Dark Age. To fight on, even if defeated, would give hope and be a symbol for those hundreds of years later who might rise up and emerge from the darkness. Also of interest: why the way he treated Chamberlin after he was voted out and Churchill voted in made all the difference in preventing a peace at any price with Germany. Churchill was magnanimous to him, and Chamberlin appreciated it and so became an ally(albeit one who did not so much overtly support Churchill as one who did not obstruct his leadership). Lukacs quotes a bit of the speech that Churchill gave after Chamberlin died. I have read it before and it is powerful, the grasping of the gist of this truth: don't second guess, today's hero is tomorrow's goat, and back again. And then this gem:"The only guide to a man is his conscience; the only shield to his memory is the rectitude and sincerity of his actions." Worthwhile read.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Power of Words, May 22, 2008

By 

Christian Schlect (Yakima, Washington/USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: The Dire Warning: Churchill’s First Speech as Prime Minister (Hardcover)

This concise book goes beyond the actual speech of the title and allows for Professor Lukacs' informed and strong views about Prime Minister Churchill's bedrock thinking on the immense issues of civilization that were at stake in 1940.

I think this book will be most enjoyed by those readers having a fair prior understanding of the dismal political realities in Europe and America at the start of World War II.