Churchill's trial : Winston Churchill and the salvation of free government

Overview: A penetrating look at the necessity of constitutional limits upon government and exceptional men to lead those governments, uniquely taken by overlaying the life and writings of Winston Churchill with the American experiment. Churchill faced his own death, often and bravely. He led millions of people who did the same. Why did he and they do these things, things which we still remember and honor them for doing? Many think Churchill s achievements during the greatest period in his life, the Second World War, called out an aspect of his character and ability suited for that unique circumstance but not for most others in which he lived. Churchill s Trial is an attempt to discover that something. Active in politics for 55 years that spanned the most traumatic events so far in history: the greatest wars, the greatest depression, the greatest political transformations, the greatest social upheavals, the greatest advancements of technology and therefore of human power, Churchill left one of the richest records about his life and actions. Today we all face obstacles and necessities and we all spend much of our time doing things that we must do, often things we would rather not do. For the statesman, these things are both numerous and grave: numerous, because peoples and the matters that concern them are myriad; grave, because they involve justice and injustice, life and death. To cope with them is a special capacity and art. The ability to cope with them is constantly and urgently required, but those who can do it at a high level are not common. There are lessons to be learned both positive and negative, from Churchill s life and leadership that can help us to live our own lives, cope with our own problems, and serve the cause of our own country as it appears today." No statesman shaped the twentieth century more than Winston Churchill. To know the full Churchill is to understand the combination of boldness and caution, of assertiveness and humility, that defines statesmanship at its best. With fresh perspective and insights based on decades of studying and teaching Churchill, Larry P. Arnn explores the greatest challenges faced by Churchill over the course of his extraordinary career, both in war and peace—and always in the context of Churchill’s abiding dedication to constitutionalism. Churchill’s Trial is organized around the three great challenges to liberty that Churchill faced: Nazism, Soviet communism, and his own nation’s slide toward socialism. Churchill knew that stable free government, long enduring, is rare, and hangs upon the balance of many factors ever at risk. Combining meticulous scholarship with an engrossing narrative arc, this book holds timely lessons for today. Arnn says, “Churchill’s trial is also our trial. We have a better chance to meet it because we had in him a true statesman.” In a scholarly, timely, and highly erudite way, Larry Arnn puts the case for Winston Churchill continuing to be seen as statesman from whom the modern world can learn important lessons. In an age when social and political morality seems all too often to be in a state of flux, Churchill’s Trial reminds us of the enduring power of the concepts of courage, duty, and honor. —Andrew Roberts, New York Times bestselling author of Napoleon: A Life and The Storm of War Larry Arnn has spent a lifetime studying the life and accomplishments of Winston Churchill. In his lively Churchill’s Trial, Arnn artfully reminds us that Churchill was not just the greatest statesman and war leader of the twentieth century, but also a pragmatic and circumspect thinker whose wisdom resonates on every issue of our times. —Victor Davis Hanson, senior fellow, The Hoover Institution, Stanford University In absorbing, gracefully written historical and biographical narration, Larry Arnn shows that Churchill, often perceived as inconsistent and opportunistic, was in fact philosophically rigorous and consistent at levels of organization higher and deeper than his detractors are capable of imagining. In Churchill’s Trial Arnn has rendered great service not only to an incomparable statesman but to us, for the magnificent currents that carried Churchill through his trials are as admirable, useful, and powerful in our times as they were in his. —Mark Helprin, New York Times bestselling author of Winter’s Tale and In Sunlight and in Shadow Churchill’s Trial , a masterpiece of political philosophy and practical statesmanship, is the one book on Winston Churchill that every undergraduate, every graduate student, every professional historian, and every member of the literate general public should read on this greatest statesman of the twentieth century. The book is beautifully written, divided into three parts–war, empire, peace–and thus covers the extraordinary life of Winston Churchill and the topics which define the era of his statesmanship. —Lewis E. Lehrman, cofounder of the Lincoln and Soldiers Institute at Gettysburg College and distinguished director of the Abraham Lincoln Association To Know The Full Churchill Is To Understand The Combination Of Boldness And Caution, Of Assertiveness And Humility, That Defines Statesmanship At Its Best. Arnn Explores The Greatest Challenges Faced By Churchill Over The Course Of His Extraordinary Career, Both In War And Peace-- And Always In The Context Of Churchill's Abiding Dedication To Constitutionalism. Preface: Why Churchill? -- Introduction: Churchill's Trial -- War. The Fighter ; A More Terrible Kind Of War ; The Statesman's Virtue ; The Strategist -- Empire. Strategy And Empire -- Peace. Lo! A New England ; Some Form Of Gestapo ; Bureaucracy ; The Social Reformer ; The Constitutionalist -- Conclusion: Churchill's Trial And Ours. Larry P. Arnn. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 355-361) And Index. A penetrating look at the necessity of constitutional limits upon government and the exceptional men who lead those governments, uniquely taken by overlaying the life and writings of Winston Churchill with the American experiment.