Sir Winston Churchill

Manfred Weidhorn explores this emerging conservatism through consideration of different Churchillian interests - such as domestic issues and the concept of imperial mission. The most complex aspect of Churchill's conservatism is his ambivalence to war. A closer reading of his utterances and of the observations of those about him suggests a definite and idiosyncratic love of war. Clear too, says Weidhorn, is that violence was a means - not an end - for Churchill. A man of peace, Churchill's extremity in posing issues sometimes made peace elusive. But in the crunch of 1940, his eccentricity, or obsession, became Western Civilization's salvation. During his years in the wilderness, Churchill wrote a huge biography of his ancestor, the Duke of Marlborough. Besides presenting the Duke - a brilliant general much maligned for avarice and warmongering - in a favorable way, his work sheds an interesting light on the imminent World War II.

During his long lifetime, Sir Winston Churchill wrote 50 books and more than 800 feature articles. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953. This book, by the author of "Young Winston's Wars" and "Bibliography of the Works of Sir Winston Churchill", combines literary criticism with a consideration of the writings in the context of Churchill's public life. Almost all Churchill's publications, argues Frederick Woods, were weapons written deliberately to win a battle, whether that battle was over the future of India, the fate of the freedom-loving world, the rehabilitation of renowned ancestors, or his own fluctuating reputation. In every case, Churchill strove mightily to win, and often presented his case with less than the objectivity that might be expected of one popularly considered to be a major historian.

A complete look at the paintings of Sir Winston Churchill throughout his life. Written and compiled by Minnie Churchill (granddaughter) and David Coombs.