Churchill and the King The Wartime Alliance of Winston Churchill and George VI |
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Author:
| Weisbrode, Kenneth |
ISBN: | 978-0-670-02576-3 |
Publication Date: | Oct 2013 |
Publisher: | Penguin Publishing Group
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Imprint: | Viking Adult |
Book Format: | Hardback |
List Price: | USD $26.95 |
Book Description:
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King George V1 and Winston Churchill were not destined to be partners, let alone allies. The reticent and cautious monarch stood in stark contrast to the exuberant, voluble, and volatile prime minister. The king had been a supporter of appeasement and Neville Chamberlain. Churchill had backed the king's brother during the abdication crisis. The war thrust them together, but their cooperation had to be earned - and the trust and loyalty they eventually shared helped Britain navigate...
More Description
King George V1 and Winston Churchill were not destined to be partners, let alone allies. The reticent and cautious monarch stood in stark contrast to the exuberant, voluble, and volatile prime minister. The king had been a supporter of appeasement and Neville Chamberlain. Churchill had backed the king's brother during the abdication crisis. The war thrust them together, but their cooperation had to be earned - and the trust and loyalty they eventually shared helped Britain navigate the most trying time in its history.
Kenneth Weisbrode explores the delicate fashioning of this key relationship; the king and Churchill met nearly every week privately over lunch during the war. As they worked through the many problems facing their nation and empire, they came to realize that they had more in common than meets the eye. Both had had difficult childhoods at the hands of remote parents; both as young men had found their mettle in military combat; both had made strong marriages to devoted wives; both had even overcome speech impediments so as to rouse their followers on radio and in person.
Weisbrode suggests how the king's shy nature was offset by Churchill's willingness to cast himself as the nation's savior. At the same time, Churchill's complicated political past was given credibility by the king's embrace and counsel. George lent Winston, the ultimate renegade and outsider, legitimacy and insider status; the prime minister in turn gave the king public confidence and poise. Together as foils, confidants, conspirators, and comrades, the duo guided Britain through war while inspiring renewed hope in the monarchy, parliament, and the nation itself. Neither man could have done it alone.
Advance Praise forChurchill and The King
'A thoughtful, deeply insightful account of two unconventional friends - the shy, stammering George V1 and the flamboyant Winston Churchill - who, after triumphing over their own personal adversities, join forces to rally their countrymen and inspire the world in the dark days of World War 11.' Lynne Olson, Author of Citizens of London, Troublesome Young Men, and Those Angry Days
'Weisbrode's excellent book of Churchill's relationship with King George V1 is very well done and will take an honored place on my Churchill shelf.' Paul Johnson, Author of Modern Timesand Churchill
'One of the last unexplored relationships of World War 11 is that between Winston Churchill and the only person who could have sacked him during that conflict, King George V1. They had very different personalities and views on politics, but their country needed them to work in perfect tandem. As Kenneth Weisbrode writes, 'Somehow they made it work,' and in this well-researched and well-written book, he shows how what began as a professional necessity turned into a genuine friendship, and eventually one of the best working relationships of either man's life.' Andrew Roberts, Author of The Storm of Warand Masters and Commanders
'The shy, stammering king and the loquacious, domineering prime minister were an odd couple - but they gave each other courage and confidence when England stood alone. Ken Weisbrode has written an elegant and perceptive study of friendship in power.' Evan Thomas, Author of Ike's Bluffand Sea of Thunder