No comments about Winston S. Churchill: Last of the Conservatives?.

4 comments about Churchill and Hitler: In Victory and Defeat.

1. When I first saw this book I got excited. I thought what a great concept writing a biography of both of these extremely influential leaders in the same book. It would give the reader an amazing perspective to see how these leaders came about, and what influenced them and led them to be the men they ended up as. I thought that both men would be a study in contrast that would give readers a greater insight into these men and their times. Instead what I found was a lop sided work that was nothing but a study in the author's own biases.
   
   We all know the history of these two men, and so I don't expect a history of Hitler to cast him in a positive light, but what I do expect is some historical perspective and even-handedness by the author. The author from the very beginning suggests that he is somewhat of a fan of Churchill and as such the book may have a slight bent towards Churchill. I thought that would be fine, and I thought it showed great integrity in the author that he was willing to admit this. I also thought since the author himself was aware of his bias that would mean he was aware during his writing, and would thus have worked against his own feelings to give readers a more balanced account. No such luck though, as I found out this work is about as lopsided a book as I have ever come across. Churchill is portrayed as a great hero from the beginning, while the writing on Hitler oozes vitriol from the very beginnings.
   
   The history writer must do their best to set aside personal feelings to attempt to truly capture the objective truth. History must be allowed to speak for itself because when authors let their biases seep in then history becomes subjective, and when history becomes subjective it can also become dangerous. It is a very difficult thing to accomplish (especially with these two figures). Unfortunately this author didn't even give it a try, and this book suffers terribly for it. My disappointment is certainly compounded by my initial excitement.



2. As I read the author's account of Superman Churchill, passing lightly over Churchillean stumbles such as putting Britain on the gold standard, Gallipoli, holding badly needed troops in northern Norway, etc., I realized I was reading hagiography and not history. The abhorrence of unpleasant stuff extends to Hitler. It's hard to believe that anyone could write a book about the dictator and never even mention the Holocaust, but Strawson did, without explanation or apology. I'm surprised he didn't omit World War II.



3. I am a Churchill admirer and was anxiously to read Strawson's book. I was a bit disappointed once I finished it. I had hoped for a detailed description - by a military man - of the war and Churchill's and Hitler's role leading their nations. Strawson spends almost half of the book "setting up" the war. This may be a good tack for those who might not know much about the background of the two protaganists. But, if you do know anything about Churchill's and Hitler's youth and rise this is needless filler. Also, Strawson seems to draw quite extensively from Isiah Berlin's "Churchill in 1940" and Allan Bullock's "Hitler" as sources. Having read both I am a little disconcerted that Berlin's work (a short but brilliant monograph) figures so prominently. And although Bullock's work is also well done, there are other superb Hitler biographies - like Joachim Fest's. I am additionally disappointed that Strawson's editors did not put full citations in the work - as foot or endnotes. Overall, this book didn't give me all I wanted. But, it is an admirable effort by an aging general who wants to leave his mark on modern military history.



4. this book does a fairly good job in paralleling the lives of hitler and churchill.the authors objectivity,however is clouded by his unbridled admiration for churchill.i was a bit disappointed in this because in order to get the full flavor of a person a balance of negatives and positives must be met.yet i admire the authors military acuman.he tells a good one of the north african campaign how the british rolled up the italian army,capturing no less than 10 divisions only to be repelled by rommels panzer forces.one of the best parts of the book to me was when the author did a comparison of leadership and temperaments between rommel and montgomery.he did a good job in explaining the might of the german army,and how it was developed in the 1930's.indeed one is left with the impression that german leaders like rommel and guderian were among the most innovative of the war.the author illustrates how hitler though a master of stragedy and creating bold concepts,gave in to his megalomania,and eventually lead the wehrmact to disaster.stalingrad is a case in point.overall i enjoyed the book, particularly the battle of britain, and despite the possibility of imminent invasion,churchill was eager to get the british back on the offensive.this book makes clear how important the meditterean was to the british empire.for history buffs this book may be a revisit of old territory.yet for students of military history this book is worth a read because he describes several of the campaigns so well,like the allied landing in anzio, and how general lucas waffled;blowing the allies chance of walking into rome with little german resistance.still this book disappointed me in one respect.the author fails to explain how hitler became the monster who caused the death of millions.there is little description of his childhood.

No comments about Churchill's Grand Alliance: The Anglo-American Special Relationship 1940-57.

No comments about Mr. Gladstone: A Monograph.

2 comments about Disraeli Gears: Cream (Classic Rock Series).

1. The life and career of Eric Clapton has been extensively covered in various other books, but there are a precious few about the definitive power trio he was apart of in the 1960's. Cream is one of the best rock bands from the 60's and Disraeli Gears is their best album. John Platt not only gives a crisp and insightful look into the making of the album, but to the origins of the band itself. Mr. Platt supplies us with liberal doses of the bassist and lead vocalist Jack Bruce's thoughts as well as commentary from drummer Ginger Baker and Mr. Clapton. The book also details their live work which is the band is renowned for. Mr. Platt has written a superb book that is another great volume in the Classic Rock Series.



2. For you Cream fans waiting for the "reunion", this will make you long all the more. John Platt does a very good job on retracing the history of the band's recordings, with the emphasis on the Disraeli Gears album. The book does spend too much time on the subject of exact dates and many of the inconsistent accounts leave you with a feeling of; "so what was the real version"? But, all aside, the best documented account I have found on one of the most talented bands in rock/blues history.

   As a big Jack Bruce fan, I found myself reinforced with what I always believed: Jack was THE driving force behind the band and had more of his influence been allowed to develop, their survival may have been prolonged.

1 comments about Gladstone: 1875-1898.

1. As the dominant Liberal politician of the nineteenth century, William Gladstone is one of the most important figures in the history of Victorian Britain. His diaries constitute an essential source of information about his life and times, and their publication under the editorship of Colin Matthew, was one of the great historical publishing projects of recent times. This book, a follow-up to Matthew's Gladstone, 1809-1874, collects the introductory essays from the volumes of these diaries; together, they provide considerable insight into the later life and career of the most remarkable politician of Victorian England.
   
   In 1875 Gladstone was a fit 65 years old. Though he had announced his retirement the year before, this meant retirement from politics (which he always saw as a second-order activity), as he devoted himself to a number of theological and ecclesiastical debates. He remained an elemental force in politics, however, and his anger with the massacre of Bulgarian Christians by their Ottoman rulers precipitated his return to the political arena. The result was the famous Midlothian campaign, which Matthew defines as one of the great set-pieces in the history of Victorian Britain.
   
   Matthew argues that Gladstone's return to politics was defined by his earlier retirement. The Midlothian Campaign set the stage for his political activity after 1875, which took the form of "campaigns" inspired by unusual crises and special causes. As a result he discovered the politically abnormal issues and orchestrated politics around them - in effect, as Matthew puts it, giving politics a millenarian tone. Gladstone's campaign for the seat was also notable, though, for the introduction of a new type of political communication - the stump speech. This was a product of the changes that Victorian Britain was undergoing, a result of the expansion of the electorate and the emergence of the popular press - for, as Matthew notes, Gladstone's audience wasn't the listeners but the readers of the newspapers which carried his speeches.
   
   Gladstone's success was reflected in the returns from the general election of 1880, which not only saw him triumphant in Midlothian but the return of the Liberals to government as well. Matthew's account of Gladstone's second administration comprises a quarter of the book, and focuses on the main areas of the prime minister's concern. The first was in foreign affairs, where Gladstone was most committed to restoring right conduct after the excesses of "Beaconsfieldism." Here Matthew sees the prime minister as prescient in his concern about imperial "overstretch," recognizing the importance of the economy in defining Britain's strength and worrying about the burden the empire was placing upon it. Yet the occupation of Egypt in 1882 was a measure far more expansionistic than anything undertaken by Disraeli's government, though Matthew notes that Gladstone considered this intervention much more justified than those of the previous administration. Domestically, Gladstone's government was more successful, particularly with parliamentary reform, which Matthew considers the great legislative triumph of the administration.
   
   Yet it was Ireland that ultimately occupied most of Gladstone's attention, becoming the issue that would dominate the remainder of his political career. Upon returning to office in 1880, his government faced rising tension in Ireland over the issue of land, tension embodied in the rise of the Land League. In response, Gladstone wanted to readjust social and financial relationships without an expensive scheme of land purchase. This meant maintaining the predominantly Protestant landowning class, which he believed was the key to keeping order when in fact the opposite was increasingly the case. By preserving the landowners, land agitation grew, which led to more coercion, which in turn led to the demise of Liberalism in Ireland and the growth of the Home Rule movement.
   
   Faced with this problem, the prime minister eventually embraced Home Rule as the solution. Here Matthew charts Gladstone's intellectual construction of his approach towards Home Rule, noting that his conversion to the issue was by gradual evolution rather than sudden change. The key to this process was recognition of the new pluralism in the region and containing it within parliamentary absolutism - a process rooted in the assumption that the Home Rulers were willing to operate within the constitutional sphere. Yet while Gladstone courted the Home Rulers, his assumption that the Liberals would rally behind the measure - which was in line with his traditional "big bill" approach towards handling his party in the House of Commons - proved disastrously incorrect, splitting the party and setting the stage for the Conservative victory in the election of 1886. Though acknowledging the rejection of Gladstone's proposal, Matthew argues that it provided the framework for discussing constitutional revision of the United Kingdom for the century that followed.
   
   While an elderly figure after his defeat in 1885-6, Gladstone retained much of his vigor. Unlike the aftermath of the Liberal defeat in 1874, Gladstone was committed to winning another election in order to form another government which would successfully pass Home Rule. Apart from some initial approaches to Parnell (an overture that was thwarted by the sensational O'Shea divorce case), however, Matthew argues that Gladstone did little to formulate a party consensus on the particulars of a new Home Rule Bill prior to taking office once more as Prime Minister after the weak Liberal victory in the 1892 election. The legislation which emerged was more limited than its predecessor, and though passed by the Commons it was defeated in the Lords, thus frustrating Gladstone's last great legislative measure. With his age increasingly beginning to tell, Gladstone retired in 1894, dying four years later.
   
   Few books can equal this volume in its perceptiveness about Gladstone's later years. A winner of the prestigious Wolfson History Prize when it was first published, it is nessesary and rewarding reading for anybody seeking to understand the life and career of one of the most important figures in modern British history.

No comments about Lloyd George (British History in Perspective).

No comments about Correspondence Of John Sedgwick, Major-General V1.

1 comments about The Private Lives of Winston Churchill.

1. This extensive read is a broad brush stroke for the reader who is looking for a landscape portrait about the man as if it were written by him personally. The book begins coverage tracing his pre-history origin shedding light on the beginnings of his psycological make up then on thru his living influences leaving the reader with a good understanding of Winston and his personality as Winston lived it. Suffering thee, as he puts it "The Black Dog" for most of his life it becomes clear to the reader that he did live his role in life beyond just satisfying his personal ego (unlike most politicians), though his ego was not anything small it did gain it's personal satisfactions and it's blows.

   Much like his life the book is long and never boring.

No comments about The life and times of Major John Mason of Connecticut, 1600-1672.