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Five Days in London, May 1940 by [John Lukacs]

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John Lukacs

Five Days in London, May 1940 Kindle Edition

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A “gripping [and] splendidly readable” portrait of the battle within the British War Cabinet—and Churchill’s eventual victory—as Hitler’s shadow loomed (The Boston Globe).

From May 24 to May 28, 1940, members of Britain’s War Cabinet debated whether to negotiate with Hitler or to continue what became known as the Second World War. In this magisterial work, John Lukacs takes us hour by hour into the critical events at 10 Downing Street, where Winston Churchill and his cabinet painfully considered their responsibilities. With the unfolding of the disaster at Dunkirk, and Churchill being in office for just two weeks and treated with derision by many, he did not have an easy time making his case—but the people of Britain were increasingly on his side, and he would prevail. This compelling narrative, a Washington Post bestseller, is the first to convey the drama and world-changing importance of those days.

“[A] fascinating work of historical reconstruction.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Eminent historian Lukacs delivers the crown jewel to his long and distinguished career.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A must for every World War II buff.”—Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Superb…can be compared to such classics as Hugh Trevor-Roper’s The Last Days of Hitler and Barbara Tuchman’s The Guns of August.”—Harper’s Magazine

Print length

260 pages
Language

English
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Publisher

Yale University Press
Publication date

September 10, 1999
File size

2410 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In his six-volume history of World War II, Winston Churchill deemed the year 1942 as "the hinge of fate," the year in which the German and Japanese armies began to be turned back. John Lukacs suggests that the last days of May 1940 were more important still in turning the tide of war in democracy's favor, for it was in those few days that Churchill convinced his cabinet that Britain should fight on, alone, if need be, against Adolf Hitler's regime. Even as a quarter of a million British troops were being evacuated from Dunkirk, Churchill struggled to reverse the British government's policy of appeasement. In this, he faced opposition from several quarters, including prominent figures within his own Conservative Party. Writing with evident admiration for Churchill--who, he points out, was not well liked, and who had been prime minister for only two weeks when war broke out--Lukacs gives his readers a fly-on-the-wall view of the heated conferences between such well-known participants as Harold Nicholson, Lord Halifax, Neville Chamberlain, and Alexander Cadogan.

"Churchill understood something that not many people understand even now," Lukacs writes in the closing pages of his book. "The greatest threat to Western civilization was not Communism. It was National Socialism. The greatest and most dynamic power in the world was not Soviet Russia. It was the Third Reich of Germany. The greatest revolutionary of the twentieth century was not Lenin or Stalin. It was Hitler." By convincing his government that his view was correct, Churchill afforded Western civilization a slim chance at survival--no small achievement, and one well worth honoring with this fine study. --Gregory McNamee

--This text refers to the audio_download edition.

From Library Journal

By May 1940, just one year into World War II, Great Britain stood virtually alone against Hitler and the unstoppable German Army. Belgium and France were only days away from capitulation, and the British Expeditionary Force was being squeezed into the beachhead at Dunkirk. Things were not going at all well for Britain, and Churchill and his War Cabinet had some tough decisions to make. Lukacs, a history professor and prolific author (The Hitler of History) examines the dynamics of the five days, May 24-28, 1940, when Churchill and his War Cabinet actually debated whether to negotiate peace with Hitler. This scholarly study reveals the drama, uncertainty, suspense, and courage of the men who would ultimately decide the fate of Britain. This is a marvelous example of the complex, behind-the-scenes diplomatic wrangling involved in seeking a national advantage in the deadly game of strategic move and countermove. Recommended for public and academic libraries.AWilliam D. Bushnell, USMC (ret.), Brunswick, ME
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the audio_download edition.

Review

"Customers are raving about Five Days in London."—Amazon.com

"John Lukacs's account of five dramatic days in May 1940, when Winston Churchill and his Cabinet had to decide whether to negotiate or stand alone against Hitler, is a relatively compact book, but it has the power and sweep of Shakespeare's chronicle plays. . . . One of Lukacs's impressive strengths is a gripping narrative drive. He is lucid and splendidly readable, and furthermore, commands a host of dramatic characters."―Robert Taylor, Boston Globe

"This is a readable and rigorous little volume that is put down with difficulty in the middle and with regret at the end."―Conrad Black, Daily Telegraph

"This is as dramatic a moment in history as you are likely to get."―Forbes Magazine

"[A] word-of-mouth best seller (and Giuliani favorite) . . . [a] gripping story of how Churchill rallied the British at a crucial juncture."—Michael Glitz, New York Post

"Historian John Lukacs, who has written widely on World War II and on Hitler and Churchill, comprehensively traces the events of that long weekend, which culminated in Churchill's decision on May 28th to fight on, no matter what happened to France. He did not, in that weekend of courage and remarkable self-confidence, win the war, as Lukacs makes clear, but rather gave the first breath of the bellows to the desperate embers of hope for the Allies."―David Murray, New York Times Book Review

"Lukacs's scholarship re-creates with great immediacy the chaotic few days during which, according to the author, Hitler came closest to winning the war. . . . Lukacs concentrates on the struggle with the British War Cabinet, which pitted the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, against the Foreign Secretary, Lord Halifax. . . . Churchill's stubborn refusal won out. The author's equally stubborn digging uncovered a stunning amount of defeatism and intrigue against Churchill by contemporary statesmen."―New Yorker

"New York mayor Rudy Giuliani says he has been reading and is inspired by John Lukacs’ Five Days in London, May 1940."—USA Today

"Lukacs, who has written about World War II in several earlier books, reviews the British record at this moment through hypothetical Anglophobe eyes. . . . [A] fascinating work of historical reconstruction. . . . [Lukacs] gives us much to ponder in this intriguing―and perhaps still controversial―story."―Stanley Weintraub, Wall Street Journal

"This gem of a book, the distillation of an important historian's life work, is a compelling antidote for those afflicted with historical amnesia."―Kai Bird, Washington Post

"Eminent historian Lukacs delivers the crown jewel to his long and distinguished career with this account of five days—May 24-28, 1940—that could have changed the world.' Lukacs posits that it was during those five days in London 'that Western civilization, not to mention the Allied cause in WWII, was saved from Hitler's tyranny.' . . . This new work focuses on these five days with a microscopic view. It is the work of a man who lives and breathes history, whose knowledge is limitless and tuned to a pitch that rings true."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"[Readers] are in for a treat that encompasses everything from grand strategy to British domestic politics, the behavior of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to the gritty diary of George Orwell, and even the glorious weather of those five crucial days. . . . Five Days in London is political history of a very high standard."―Morris Williams, The Daily Yomiuri

"Nobody has done more than John Lukacs to turn the short history book into an art form. His masterpiece, Five Days in London, 1940, was immediately recognized as a modern classic. The wonderful clarity of his thought led directly to the clarity of his prose. Lukacs, an American professor of Hungarian birth and the author of nearly 30 works, is undoubtedly one of the wisest thinkers on the period."―Antony Beevor, Toronto Globe & Mail

"A page-turner. . . . Painstaking, meticulous, and fascinating."―America

"Lukacs has constructed a gripping narrative. . . . This is a must for every World War II buff."―Jules Wagman, Cleveland Plain Dealer

"John Lukacs is one of the most original and profound of contemporary thinkers."—Paul Fussell

"No historian of the Second World War has John Lukac’s range, acuteness, intuition. He has written great works. Now comes a masterpiece. In the Five Days in London weare present, moment by moment, May 24 to May 28, 1940 as the British War Cabinet ponders whether to seek terms from Hitler, or fight on. Alone. . . . 'Not only the end of a European war but the end of Western civilization was near.' In the end Churchill prevails—just."—Daniel Patrick Moynihan

"I consider John Lukacs one of the outstanding historians of the generation and, indeed, of our time."—Jacques Barzun

--This text refers to the audio_download edition.

From AudioFile

Over five crucial days in May 1940, the British, under the leadership of Winston Churchill, resolve to fight the Nazis, rather negotiate with Hitler. With a delightful British accent and a professional quality voice, Howard reads this fascinating book. Howard's pace is excellent, and he never falters with the many names of foreign individuals and places. Howard's reading also communicates the tension during those fateful days. Lukacs's text, which presents the background to and significance of those days, is sharply written. M.L.C. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the audio_download edition.

About the Author

John Lukacs was professor of history at Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia, until his recent retirement and has been visiting professor at many universities. He is the author of twenty-one books, among them The Hitler of History, The Duel, The End of the Twentieth Century and The End of the Modern Age (which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize), and the most recent, A Thread of Years, also published by Yale University Press. He is the recipient of numerous academic honors and awards. --This text refers to the audio_download edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Eminent historian Lukacs (Thread of Years, etc.) delivers the crown jewel to his long and distinguished career with this account of five daysAMay 24-28, 1940A"that could have changed the world." Lukacs posits that it was during those five days in London "that Western civilization, not to mention the Allied cause in WWII, was saved from Hitler's tyranny." A grand view, to be sure, but the consequences are not in dispute: "Had Britain stopped fighting in May 1940, Hitler would have won his war," writes Lukacs. "Thus he was never closer to victory than during those five days in May 1940." A quarter-million British troops were trapped by the Germans at Dunkirk. The British public, ill-informed about this reality, remained apathetic, and the War Cabinet was divided over what action to take. Neither the United States nor the Soviet Union had yet entered the war, but Churchill resolved to fight "till Hitler is beat or we cease to be a state." Lukacs draws heavily on newspapers and public opinion research of the time to re-create the rapid series of events that turned the tide, swaying both the citizenry and the War Cabinet to rally behind Churchill. Though Churchill did not win the war in May 1940, as Lukacs puts it, he "did not lose it" then. Lukacs covered some of the same turf in The Duel, yet this new work focuses on these five days with a microscopic view. It is the work of a man who lives and breathes history, whose knowledge is limitless and tuned to a pitch that rings true. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the audio_download edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B007SWMZV0
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press; 1st edition (September 10, 1999)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 10, 1999
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2410 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 260 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #98,412 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #20 in 20th Century History of the UK
- #52 in Political History (Kindle Store)
- #84 in European Politics Books

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4.3 out of 5

383 global ratings

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Cabin Dweller

With a Fine Point

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 9, 2022

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Author John Lukacs has written several books on England and Churchill and WWII; there is even a joke included that his next work may be something like 30 minutes in May.

This book is an analysis of personality, and also foresight and judgment of events as they were unfolding. People know Churchill will win his legacy here, so readers must tune in to certain words, phrases, actions, letters, wires, the directions not given or taken in France. The force of Churchill's personality and intelligence are key, as he was coming out of political isolation and still kind to Chamberlain. One of the most underated measures of Churchill's character, as well as dedication to the British Empire, is his short memory with the Conservatives.

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In 1940, Churchill Did Not Lose the War

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 12, 2002

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The author's premise, correctly stated from the book, is that Hitler never came closer to winning his European war than at the end of May, 1940.
A newly installed Prime Minister, Churchill, was presented with: France on the verge of defeat, the BEF bottled up on the coast at Dunkirk, no allies on the horizon once France was gone, an aristocracy that had some members who admired and/or feared Hitler, and a Conservative majority in Parliament which at that point tolerated is presence rather than enthusiastically embracing him.
The War Cabinet, Churchill and four other senior members of the cabinet, had to decide whether or not to fight it out no matter what, or inquire of Hitler upon what terms he would allow England to survive. That is at least how Lord Halifax saw the options. Churchill was resolute from the beginning -- any hint try at accommodation would lead to the eventual destruction of Britain and cement the Nazi map of Europe in place.
The five days in question follow a long debate among the cabinet, or chiefly among Churchill and Halifax, regarding the issue of whether or not to advance an overture to Hitler. Chamberlain played some role, usually siding with Churchill as the discussions progresssed, but holding the balance of power none the less.
Why is this debate important? Well, with the clarity offered by hindsight, it is now easy to appreciate that any attempt at purchasing peace from Hitler would have only meant a thus weakened Britain would have been added to the Third Reich later. In the spring of 1940, serious people seriously discussed this acquiescence strategy in London. If that strategy had been followed, it is possible that the English government of the time could have lost the war for civilization. Thus, the author's important point is correct. During this period -- this hinge of history -- Churchill did not lose the war -- and thus deserves history's gratitude.
Why did Churchill simply not force the issue? For several reasons. He was in the PM's chair only a fortnight -- the second choice of the King and the Conservative Party (Halifax, the first choice, had turned it down requiring one to appreciate either his selfless patriotism, divine intervention, or some combination of both). It was probable that a major disagreement within the War Cabinet would have brought him down and proved disasterous for public morale. In addition, any public hint that the War Cabinet was even thinking about an accommodation of Hitler would have quite likely retarded the English people's will to resist. (I can state from personal experience in assuming a political leadership role at the head of a divided caucus that in the beginning one must build political capital until a point is reached where decisive action can be taken by the leader because it will be supported, even it the decision proves costly or presents great difficulty.)
Churchill had the wisdom to know that his only choice in making the right choice (ie, rejecting accommodation and fighting to the end), required his moving the War Cabinet decisively behind his position through personal diplomacy and moral suasion. Churchill proved to be a master of this technique (interesting to view because he is remembered publicly for his defiant and blustery leadership, but he was quite the canny politico, too).
This book tells the tale in an interesting way. Each day is a chapter. The War Cabinet meeting summaries are nicely interspersed with background discussions of the participants, an overview of the political and military situations and a daily reading of public opinion (as gleaned from an early survey technique employed by the government and some newspaper and diary accounts). I would have preferred more discussion of the cabinet sessions and thought the daily public opinion discussion could have been discarded. However, this is a neat little book that should be of interest to any WWII devotee or political science student. The author does a good job and makes his case well regarding the decisiveness of this time period for human history.

26 people found this helpful

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Jason G

a drama at the hinge of time

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 28, 2012

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I do not think in the history of the West, has it been as easy to point to such dramatic turning points, of the rising and falling of many, as the five days in London from May 24 through May 28th, 1940. From the perspective of over 70 years now, I think it is easy to just assume that the events that have happened since then - the winning over fascism, the ascendancy of the West over the communist bloc (led by America and Britain), even the lives that have lived in many cities and towns and their countless opportunities and choices. But what Lukacs has done in this work is to show how decisions made by so few, in such a small space changed the world largely for the better.

Five Days reads like a drama. Lukacs has an introduction, setting the scene in late May of 1940, the dire situation of so many continental European nations falling to NAZI Germany, leading to the march on Paris itself. He then spends a chapter on each day. He closes with a conclusion, showing the immediate effects of the decisions, particularly on morale and military achievement.

What should strike the reader here is the very small geography of this book - essentially the City of Westminster, the high government offices in London, and the relatively small cast of characters. I think the author makes the case well that so few people were involved here, that the reader can grasp the personalities involved, and see the consequences of why people acted like they did.

The reader will come away with the lingering wariness of conflict from the British Conservative party, particularly from the King's favorite, Lord Halifax. The real conflict of this drama is between Churchill, who had just surprisingly become Prime Minister and who was regarded with real wariness by the Conservative leadership, and Halifax. Also, the reader will understand a bit of the native, grassroots British character, and why it did not collapse in the face of real pressure from Germany.

The reader should come away with a great lesson in how leadership, consensus and turning opinion are done, particularly at the high government level, through a fog of seemingly contradictory information.

Understanding the real hinge of fate here, the reader should come away with why World War II was fought the way it was, from this point forward, and why an Empire stood against a new pagan tyranny, largely based on its character.

9 people found this helpful

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James M. Weir

Valuable insight into decisions made by Churchill's war cabinet in 1940

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 4, 2022

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Very readable account of the War Cabinet's decisions. Insight into Hitler's rise to power, with relevance to today's political situation (re Trump). Needs concentration since the insights are multiple and detailed. A valuable addition to the history of WWII.

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Peter Ellis

Overlong

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 18, 2021

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Nonetheless enjoyable, but for those of us who have studied that period of detail, he was not actually telling us anything we did not know already., just in more detail.

All roads lead to Rome. Even if an agreement had been proposed with the Axis, it would have been voted down in parliament. They would never have stood for it, because Churchill was not the only one who knew what an agreement with the Axis would have meant for us, and so did the people of this Country .

Churchill would have resigned other than propose it, which the cabinet would never have accepted anyway, so neither Chamberlain or Halifax would have had their way.

One person found this helpful

Cad

Proud to be British

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 6, 2014

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It has taken me 66 years to become aware of the extent of the debt that I owe to Churchill. This truly great leader, under the most unimaginable pressure, was not only the saviour of our nation but of the whole of Europe. And if you believe this to be a gross overstatement then remember this - during 1940 the heads of almost every country in Europe were taking refuge in England whilst Hitler was driving all before him. With no help forthcoming from Roosevelt the United Kingdom were the only country standing between Hitler and total domination of Europe. And the man to thank for that, the only man to thank for that, was Winston Churchill. He would ultimately be supported by the magnificent spirit and resilience of the British people, never more evident than when they have their backs to the wall and when all appears lost 'there was a white glow that spread from one end of the nation to the other'. How different our lives would have been had Churchill bowed to the purveyors of appeasement. A superbly written book and one that everyone should read.

15 people found this helpful

David Ashton

The Week that Changed the World

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 4, 2015

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Lukacs is an interesting historian with a distinctive style. He shines another light on why Churchill decided against negotiating a peace agreement with Germany, although Poland could not be rescued and Britain's own defences were far from secure, especially after the unexpectedly rapid collapse of France. He reveals however that Churchill briefly considered the Hitler-fan Lloyd George as a possible peace leader as an alternative to Oswald Mosley, who was then imprisoned without charge or trial just after stating that his British Union in the event of an enemy landing would be at the disposal of the government in driving in the Nazi invaders from our soil! One would like to see Lukacs, who has also written a good book on the sad outcome of WW2, examine the long forgotten and largely unknown efforts to impede the Allied war effort made by the Communists in Britain, America, France, Belgium and China during the Russo-German Pact. Churchill ruefully remarked after the war that we faced "even worse" perils from the USSR and "perhaps we had killed the wrong pig".

3 people found this helpful

M J Lipniacki

Good in Parts but too many assertions.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 13, 2017

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A reasonably good account of the deliberations within the War Cabinet during those crucial five days in May. However, many of the assertions made by Lukacs purporting to be an account of crucial events on the continent have been invalidated by more recent research, especially into operations involving the RAF and the BEF. A far better account is given in Hidden Voices of Dunkirk and The Making of Dunkirk by Joshua Levine. He systematically refutes the received cut and paste wisdom that the RAF took no part in military operations and the BEF simply retreated. Levine has produced work backed by documented facts as opposed to lazy assertions.

Von Clausewicz

Excellent account of a pivotal point in WW2

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 25, 2018

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Very well-reseached account of Churchill's resistance of the peaceniks under Halifax. The author has gone into the cabinet archives to out together a detailed itinerary of Churchill's moves and where possible his thoughts. Excellent background reading for anyone trying to get a grip on what was happening at this critical time, a period of lots of 'might have beens' which fortunately, weren't.

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