Churchill and the Politics of War, 1940 1941

This is a new examination of Churchill's first year as Britain's wartime leader. It draws extensively both on official archives and on the private papers of many of the political and military leaders. Individual topics considered include Churchill's relations with Chamberlain and his party, and the political repercussions of the fall of France and the Battle of Britain.

This book offers a reappraisal of Churchill's role as Britain's wartime leader, and in particular reconsiders his response to the dominant strategic challenges of his first year as prime minister. Based on a detailed examination of the public and private records of both political and military leaders, Dr Lawlor analyses what were often conflicting views and reactions to events. She suggests that Churchill's own position reflected the uncertainties, differences and vacillations of his colleagues, and that he was a far more sophisticated and astute politician than he allowed himself to appear. The first part of the book considers the various reactions among the British leadership to the fall of France and the Battle of Britain. The second and third parts analyse the discussions and decisions which led to British action in the Middle East and to sending military support to Greece.