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Winston S. Churchill: Young Statesman, 1901–1914 (Volume II) (Churchill Biography Book 2) by [Randolph S. Churchill, Sir Martin Gilbert]

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Randolph S. Churchill

Winston S. Churchill: Young Statesman, 1901–1914 (Volume II) (Churchill Biography Book 2) Kindle Edition

by Randolph S. Churchill (Author), Sir Martin Gilbert (Introduction) Format: Kindle Edition

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Book 2 of 8: Winston S. Churchill Biography

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Volume II of this magisterial eight-volume biography takes Churchill’s story from his entry to Parliament in 1901 to the outbreak of war in 1914. When he took his seat in the House of Commons he was twenty-six years old. An independent spirit and rebel, on his maiden speech he was cheered by the Leader of the Opposition.

On 31 May 1904, three years after entering Parliament, Churchill joined the Liberals. In December 1905 he entered the government as Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies. In April 1908 he joined the Cabinet as President of the Board of Trade. On 12 September 1908 he married Miss Clementine Hozier. Their daughter Diana was born in 1909 and their son Randolph in 1911.

In the years leading up to the First World War, Churchill was at the center of British political life and change. At the Home Office he introduced substantial prison reforms and took a lead in curbing the powers of the House of Lords. At the Admiralty from 1911 he helped build the Royal Navy into a formidable fighting force. He learned to fly, and founded the Royal Naval Air Service. He was active in attempts to resolve the Irish Question and to prevent civil war in Ireland.

In 1914, as war in Europe loomed, Churchill wrote to his wife from the Admiralty: “The preparations have a hideous fascination for me, yet I would do my best for peace, and nothing would induce me wrongfully to strike the blow. I cannot feel that we in this island are in any serious degree responsible for the wave of madness which has swept the mind of Christendom.”

When war came, the fleet was ready. It was one of Churchill’s great achievements.

About the Author

RANDOLPH S. CHURCHILL, the only son of Winston Churchill, was born on 28 May 1911. Educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, he became a widely-read journalist in the 1930s, reporting first-hand on the German elections of 1932 and warning of Hitler’s military ambitions. In the Second World War he served as an intelligence officer at General Headquarters, Middle East, and in the Special Forces in the Western Desert. In 1944 he volunteered to parachute behind enemy lines to serve as a liaison officer with the Yugoslav partisans. For his war services he was awarded the MBE (Military).

Between 1938 and 1961 he edited six volumes of his father’s speeches. His own books include The Rise and Fall of Sir Anthony Eden; The Six Day War, a history of the six-day Arab-Israeli war of 1967, written with his son, Winston; and the first two main and five document volumes of the biography of his father: Youth, 1874–1900 and Young Statesman, 1901–1914. An Honorary Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge, Randolph Churchill died at his home, Stour, East Bergholt, Suffolk, on 6 June 1968.

About the Work

In the official biography of Sir Winston Churchill, his son Randolph—and later Sir Martin Gilbert, who took up the work following Randolph’s death—had the full use of Sir Winston’s letters and papers, and also many hundreds of private archives. The work spans eight volumes, detailing Churchill’s youth and early adventures in South Africa and India, his early career, and his more than fifty years on the world stage. No other statesman of modern times—or indeed of any age—has left such a wealth of personal letters, such a rich store of private and public documentation, such vivid memories in the minds of those who worked closest to him. Through these materials, assembled over the course of more than twenty years, one is able to know Churchill in a way never before possible.

Book 2 of 8

Winston S. Churchill Biography
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764 pages
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April 5, 2015
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00VQGKB9C
Publisher ‏ : ‎ RosettaBooks (April 5, 2015)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 5, 2015
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 11300 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 764 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 091630812X

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4.6 out of 5

134 global ratings

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Interesting life written in a unique style that some may or may not like

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 30, 2015

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This biography of Churchill is written by his son and covers several volumes. This second volume covers Churchill's early career as a member of parliament and his time in the cabinet up until the start of WW I.

They style is basically where the author takes excerpts from letters written to or from or about Churchill and fills in explanatory material in between. As a result, you get a good feel of what was written about Churchill from his contemporaries and what he personally felt. It is not a style that everyone will like, but gives us a good feel for the source material that historians generally work with. This is why so many volumes were needed to write his life history.

The first volume showed how he started out as an ordinary boy who became an extraordinary young man. This volume begins with his political career and shows how forceful of a person that he was. He excelled in everything that he did and seemed to have no fear of anyone and did what he thought was right.

He became one of the youngest members of the cabinet and was a force to be reckoned with. As a cabinet member he served in a wide variety of offices and dove into each new office and learned everything in great detail.

This was a fascinating volume and I will continue with the subsequent volumes.

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Pauline Youd, "Author, Adopted for a Purpose"

This is very long and detailed, but interesting.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 1, 2019

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This is very long and detailed and about half-way through I couldn'd wait to be finished, so I started another lighter book. When I finished that, I went back to Churchill, determined to finish but not read the next volume because of its length.
By the time I finished Young Statesman, I decided I had to read more. The next book should get up to a time I can recall through my parents. I can't believe I'm enjoying history, a subject that I hated in college.
The book is told through letters and speeches mostly so the personal human element is always present. I find myself looking up places (Dardanelles) and dates (World Wars I and II) because I want to know rather than having to memorize them for a test.

5 people found this helpful

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Arthur C Howard

The research done on this book was amazing. Churchill made me almost feel that I was ...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 30, 2017

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The research done on this book was amazing. Churchill made me almost feel that I was sitting in on private discussions. If anyone wants to REALLY understand Winston Churchill and the world in which he lived, this series is a must-read!

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Frank Thornton

The Beginning of a Master Politician!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 22, 2015

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Sir Winston was a WWII figure of immense stature and I have enjoyed the opportunity of finally reading his biography. This is the second volume of an eight volume biography which is a very daunting reading assignment. Nonetheless, it is fascinating to read, boring at times beyond belief, with the minutia of lengthy reproduction of letters, speeches, etc. But it gives the reader a significant and in-depth view of Winston's development as a supreme political figure of the 20th Century.

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J. Hill

Every detail from his life which is fascinating but gets ...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 24, 2015

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Every detail from his life which is fascinating but gets old half-way thru the book! I still have 4½ books to read. I was stationed in West Germany when Sir Winston died and a friend was on leave in England during the period of mourning. I compared his reports on what the British Empire did to honor his service and memory -- very close to that for JFK in November 1963

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Betty

Super and tells the many actions Chuchill took to save the west from great evil.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 9, 2015

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Super and very detailed. I enjoyed it immensely and also it is most informative of what has happened before which we should all know about. It seems to be happening again. We should re-build western virtue before it is once again on the edge of defeat. We must also fight the evil lurking!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 30, 2015

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Having read The Last Lion, this biography written by Churchill's son seems like required reading. The details about the never-ending up to the great war and the personal insights of the greatest leader in history give one chills. I am looking forward to reading the next installment.

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B. Scarborough

A great adventure story of a man who knew what he ...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 27, 2015

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A great adventure story of a man who knew what he wanted and went after it. Anyone who truly loves real history and real people should have a go at this. Multi volume work (I have six more to go) . . . .

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