Gandhi Churchill

In this fascinating and meticulously researched book, bestselling historian Arthur Herman sheds new light on two of the most universally recognizable icons of the twentieth century, and reveals how their forty-year rivalry sealed the fate of India and the British Empire. They were born worlds apart: Winston Churchill to Britain’s most glamorous aristocratic family, Mohandas Gandhi to a pious middle-class household in a provincial town in India. Yet Arthur Herman reveals how their lives and careers became intertwined as the twentieth century unfolded. Both men would go on to lead their nations through harrowing trials and two world wars—and become locked in a fierce contest of wills that would decide the fate of countries, continents, and ultimately an empire. Gandhi & Churchill reveals how both men were more alike than different, and yet became bitter enemies over the future of India, a land of 250 million people with 147 languages and dialects and 15 distinct religions—the jewel in the crown of Britain’s overseas empire for 200 years. Over the course of a long career, Churchill would do whatever was necessary to ensure that India remain British—including a fateful redrawing of the entire map of the Middle East and even risking his alliance with the United States during World War Two. Mohandas Gandhi, by contrast, would dedicate his life to India’s liberation, defy death and imprisonment, and create an entirely new kind of political movement: satyagraha, or civil disobedience. His campaigns of nonviolence in defiance of Churchill and the British, including his famous Salt March, would become the blueprint not only for the independence of India but for the civil rights movement in the U.S. and struggles for freedom across the world. Now master storyteller Arthur Herman cuts through the legends and myths about these two powerful, charismatic figures and reveals their flaws as well as their strengths. The result is a sweeping epic of empire and insurrection, war and political intrigue, with a fascinating supporting cast, including General Kitchener, Rabindranath Tagore, Franklin Roosevelt, Lord Mountbatten, and Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. It is also a brilliant narrative parable of two men whose great successes were always haunted by personal failure, and whose final moments of triumph were overshadowed by the loss of what they held most dear.

Mahatma Gandhi started his first all-India movement against British colonial rule a century ago. Winston Churchill was, and continued to be, unimpressed by Gandhi's efforts. It has been fifty years since Churchill's passing, and he is still one of the most discussed historical figures in many areas of the world, including England and the United States. During his life, Winston had obtained honor in several areas as he was a historian, politician, statesman, parliamentarian, journalist, soldier, and painter. Even with all his accomplishments, he still is a man who does not often receive the credit he deserves. Part of the reason for this is because it is so hard to grasp the many areas of Churchill's life, especially when looking at the length and accomplishments of his political career. Mohandas Gandhi bent his small frame and reached for the ground. Supporting himself on the long pole he carried, his layers of loose white robes flapping gently in the breeze, he scooped a handful of natural salt from the dry earth. Lifting it, grains spilling from his hands, he looked an oddly insignificant figure. But the title Mahatma meant a man revered, a sage, a holy person. His body may look frail, but it was filled with strength. And so was his mind. Inside you'll read about A look at Winston Churchill's Childhood, Military Career and as an Author Winston Churchill, Family Man, and Politics The Later Years of Sir Winston Churchill Mahatma Gandhi. From Salt Marches to War Mahatma Gandhi. The Quiet Revolutionary Learns His Trade Mahatma Gandhi. Amritsar - The Greatest Injustice Mahatma Gandhi. Assassination of An Icon And much more!Many people call Churchill one of the last great historians while others discuss his political career, which is the area of his life he is most known for. His political career spanned from about 1900 and well into the 1940s, which saw him face two wars and varying social changes. In his early years, Winston Churchill wanted to prove he was more than just a son of aristocratic parents. Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Just over seventy years from Gandhi's death and India is unrecognizable from the troubled state that saw his death. It has the seventh biggest economy in the world and is closing fast on its former ruler, the United Kingdom.

Winston Churchill has been venerated as a resolute statesman and one of the great political minds of the last century. But, as Madhusree Mukerjee reveals in this groundbreaking historical investigation, his deep-seated bias against Indians precipitated one of the world's greatest man-made disasters -- the Bengal Famine of 1943 -- resulting in the deaths of over four million Indians. Combining meticulous research with a vivid narrative, Churchill's Secret War places this overlooked tragedy into the larger context of World War II, India's freedom struggle and Churchill's legacy.

A collection of speeches given by Churchill in the 1930s, fiercely opposing the India Bill and India home rule. In 1931, Britain's Conservative Party proposed the India Bill, a piece of legislation that would make significant changes to the way India governed itself under British rule. Winston Churchill was against the bill and defended his position with characteristic conviction and oratory brilliance. This book contains seven speeches and three important addresses Churchill gave on the subject, printed originally to generate popular support for Churchill's opinion. Churchill's opposition to Indian home rule is one of his more controversial political positions and led to a period of political isolation for him. Despite the strength of his oration, the India Bill was approved by Parliament in 1935. Documenting a rare loss for Churchill, these speeches provide an important insight into his mind and strategy as a political leader.

The first volume of a magisterial biography: the definitive portrait of the life and work of one of the most abidingly influential--and controversial--men in modern history. Here is a revelatory work of biography that takes us from Gandhi's birth in 1869 through his upbringing in Gujarat, his 2 years as a student in London, and his 2 decades as a lawyer and community organizer in South Africa. Ramachandra Guha has uncovered a myriad of previously untapped documents, including: private papers of Gandhi's contemporaries and co-workers; contemporary newspapers and court documents; the writings of Gandhi's children; secret files kept by British Empire functionaries. Using this wealth of material in a brilliantly nuanced narrative, Guha describes the social, political and personal worlds in which Gandhi began his journey to become the modern era's most important and influential political actor. And Guha makes clear that Gandhi's work in South Africa--far from being a mere prelude to his accomplishments in India--was profoundly influential on his evolution as a political thinker, social reformer and beloved leader.

The British prime minister recounts battles from Midway to Stalingrad, and how the Allies turned the tide of WWII: “Superlative.” —The New York Times The Hinge of Fate is the dramatic account of the Allies’ changing fortunes. In the first half of the book, Winston Churchill describes the fearful period in which the Germans threaten to overwhelm the Red Army, Rommel dominates the war in the desert, and Singapore falls to the Japanese. In the span of just a few months, the Allies begin to turn the tide, achieving decisive victories at Midway and Guadalcanal, and repulsing the Germans at Stalingrad. As confidence builds, the Allies begin to gain ground against the Axis powers. This is the fourth in the six-volume account of World War II told from the unique viewpoint of the man who led his nation in the fight against tyranny. The series is enriched with extensive primary sources, as we are presented with not only Churchill’s retrospective analysis of the war, but also memos, letters, orders, speeches, and telegrams, day-by-day accounts of reactions as the drama intensifies. Throughout these volumes, we listen as strategies and counterstrategies unfold in response to Hitler’s conquest of Europe, planned invasion of England, and assault on Russia, in a mesmerizing account of the crucial decisions made as the fate of the world hangs in the balance. “No memoirs by generals or politicians . . . are in the same class.” —The New York Times

Find out about accomplishments of Mohandas Ghandi, Winston Churchill, and Nelson Mandela as influential world leaders.