Churchill's Military Histories: A Rhetorical Study [Hardcover]

Algis Valiunas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2002

In Churchill's Military Histories: A Rhetorical Study, Algis Valiunas breaks new ground by examining not only Churchill's works themselves, but his intentions in writing them. In clear and eloquent prose, Valiunas shows that Churchill's many volumes of military history, written throughout his lifetime, teach readers the prudence needed for self government in a democratic age. Valiunas argues that the defining feature of Churchill's histories is the way in which they maintain an aristocratic perspective on democratic times, without losing their democratic sympathies. Churchill's histories are largely tales of war, and they delineate the actions of great captains and political men, but they also honor the heroism of ordinary men, individually and in the mass.

Valiunas offers readers an engaging interpretation of Churchill's military histories and demonstrates that Churchill knew war as few men do. From the cavalry charge at Omdurman to the defeat of Hitler, Churchill's achievements as a soldier and statesman were equaled only by his powers as a historian.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Algis Valiunas's book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand Winston Churchill. Though many have written about Churchill's books, few have penetrated his intention in writing them. Valiunas offers a new and discerning picture of Churchill's military histories, showing how they reveal the statesman's remarkable grasp of politics and war. (Muller, James W. )

The sources and depth of Churchill's genius as a stateman are in plain view in his classic histories that range widely across the span of centuries. Algis Valiunas does a great service to our time by recalling attention to these masterpieces that are otherwise being forgotten as Churchill recedes from memory. Valiunas's supple treatment of Churchill's classics remind us of their timeless character, and offers important lessons for our new century. (Hayward, Steven F. )

Winston Churchill was the greatest statesman of the twentieth century. As Algis Valiunas reminds us in this fine, ground-breaking book, he was also among its greatest and most perceptive historians. (Rahe, Paul A. )

A valuable book about Churchill's literary achievement. An excellent inroduction to the great man's moving and detailed accounts of wars ranging from the Norman Conquest to World War II. (National Review )

Digging beneath Churchill's rolling prose, Valiunas shows us a first-class mind pondering the lessons that warfare teaches. With Churchill's Military Histories, Algis Valiunas shows that we cannot grasp Churchill the historical figure without an understanding of Churchill the historian. (The Weekly Standard )

Winston Churchill, man of action, was also an historian of an uncommon sort today--a teacher. In fine words of his own Algis Valiunas describes Churchill's rhetoric as he taught democratic societies truths about war that they do not easily appreciate but need to know. (Mansfield, Harvey C. )

Both a relic of the past era and a spokesman to this one. (New York Times )

[Valiunas] writes in a fluid and eloquent style. His prose is clear and understandable. For anyone interested in the facts about Churchill's literary life, he or she can get a pretty good survey from the Valiunas book. (Ernest Teagarden H-Net )

About the Author

Algis Valiunas earned his Ph.D. in Social Thought from the University of Chicago. He is the author of numerous articles and reviews on a wide range of topics including literature, art, music, philosophy, history, and politics.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (July 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742521044
• ISBN-13: 978-0742521049
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,539,924 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book on Winston Churchill's writings on military history, October 10, 2010

By 

E. Jaksetic (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Churchill's Military Histories: A Rhetorical Study (Hardcover)

Winston S. Churchill was a prolific writer, and won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1953. According to the official Web site for the Nobel Prize, the Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Winston Churchill "for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values." This book takes a detailed look at Churchill's military histories.

In addition to a brief introductory chapter (Chapter 1) and a concluding chapter (Chapter 7), the book contains five chapters on Churchill's military histories. Chapter 2 deals with Churchill's early works on wars during the reign of Queen Victoria ("The Story of the Malakand Field Force"; "The River War"; and "The Boer War"). Chapter 3 deals with "The World Crisis," Churchill's history about the First World War. Chapter 4 deals with "Marlborough: His Life and Times," Churchill's history about his famous ancestor, John Churchill, Lord Marlborough, who fought successfully against the armies of King Louis XIV of France. Chapter 5 deals with "A History of the English-Speaking Peoples," Churchill's history of England and the United States. Chapter 6 deals with "The Second World War," Churchill's six-volume history of the World War II.

The author contends that Churchill's military histories contain recurring themes about self-government, political leadership, military virtues, heroism, sacrifice, and perseverance in the face of adversity. The author supports his thesis with numerous quotes from various works by Churchill, an interesting analysis of Churchill's writings, and references to some historical works by authors other than Churchill. Although the author examines Churchill's use of rhetoric, he does not make any discernable comparison between classical rhetoric and Churchill's use of rhetoric.

This is a scholarly book, but it is written in a fairly readable style. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Winston Churchill, British and European history, military history, or historiography.