Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat : The Great Speeches

by Churchill, Winston (Author); Cannadine, David (Editor); Cannadine, David (Introduction by)

• ISBN13: 9780141442068
• ISBN10: 0141442069
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-12-18
• Publisher: Penguin Classics

Summary

The most eloquent and expressive statesman of his time phrases such as 'iron curtain', 'business as usual', 'the few', and 'summit meeting' passed quickly into everyday use Winston Churchill used language as his most powerful weapon at a time when his most frequent complaint was that the armoury was otherwise empty. In this volume, David Cannadine selects thirty-three orations ranging over fifty years, demonstrating how Churchill gradually hones his rhetoric until the day when, with spectacular effect, 'he mobilized the English language, and sent it into battle' (Edward R. Murrow).

Author Biography

Winston Churchill (1874-û1965) was prime minister of Great Britain from 1940 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1955. A prolific writer whose works include The Second World War and A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953.
David Cannadine is the author, most recently, of Mellon: An American Life, as well as The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy, which won the Lionel Trilling Prize and the Governors-' Award. He teaches at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London.

Table of Contents

A Churchill Chronology
Mastering His Voice 1900-1917
The Maiden Speech: 'A Certain Splendid Memory'	p. 19
The Transvaal Constitution: 'The Gift of England'	p. 28
Haranguing the Hustings: 'A Gust of Public-House Passion'	p. 45
The Navy's Task: 'We Have Got to Keep It Strong'	p. 56
The Dardanelles Scapegoat: 'I Have Done My Best'	p. 60
A Disastrous Proposal: 'Recalling Lord Fisher'	p. 71
Scorning and Warning 1917-1939
The Bolshevik Menace: 'An Aggressive and Predatory Form'	p. 85
A Budget Broadcast: 'Let Us Go Forward Together'	p. 93
The Indian Threat: 'A Seditious Middle Temple Lawyer'	p. 98
Britain's Air Defences: 'We Are Vulnerable'	p. 107
The Failure to Re-arm: 'The Locust Years'	p. 114
Munich: 'A Total and Unmitigated Defeat'	p. 129
Mobilizing the English Language 1940
The New Administration: 'Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat'	p. 147
The Impending Ordeal: 'Be Ye Men of Valour'	p. 150
Dunkirk: 'Wars Are Not Won by Evacuations'	p. 155
Alone: 'Their Finest Hour'	p. 166
The Battle of Britain: 'The Few'	p. 179
On the Death of Neville Chamberlain: 'An English Worthy'	p. 193
Waging the War of Words 1941 -1945
Appeal to America: 'Give Us the Tools'	p. 201
A Difficult Time: 'Westward, Look, the Land Is Bright'	p. 214
The Widening Conflict: 'A Long, Hard War'	p. 225
A No-Confidence Motion Repulsed: 'I Offer No Excuses'	p. 234
On the Death of Lloyd George: 'A Man of Action, Resource and Creative Energy'	p. 246
On the Death of Franklin Roosevelt: 'The Greatest Champion of Freedom'	p. 251
Victory in Europe: 'Forward, Till the Whole Task Is Done'	p. 257
Speaking with Different Tongues 1945-1955
Electioneering Once More: 'Some Form of Gestapo'	p. 269
Final Review of the War: 'Why Should We Fear for Our Future?'	p. 278
The Soviet Danger: 'The Iron Curtain'	p. 295
European Unity: 'Something That Will Astonish You'	p. 309
Tribute to George VI: 'The King Walked with Death'	p. 315
Debate on the Address: 'Time, Calm, Industry and Vigilance'	p. 320
Eightieth Birthday: 'This Superb Honour'	p. 334
Swan Song: 'Never Despair'	p. 338
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.