Churchill''s Military Histories : A Rhetorical Study

This volume examines Churchill's intentions in writing his books of military history and contends that Churchill's books teach readers the prudence needed for self-government in a democratic age.

In Churchill''s Military Histories: A Rhetorical Study, Algis Valiunas breaks new ground by examining not only Churchill''s works themselves, but his intentions in writing them. In clear and eloquent prose, Valiunas shows that Churchill''s many volumes of military history, written throughout his lifetime, teach readers the prudence needed for self government in a democratic age. Valiunas argues that the defining feature of Churchill''s histories is the way in which they maintain an aristocratic perspective on democratic times, without losing their democratic sympathies. Churchill''s histories are largely tales of war, and they delineate the actions of great captains and political men, but they also honor the heroism of ordinary men, individually and in the mass. Valiunas offers readers an engaging interpretation of Churchill''s military histories and demonstrates that Churchill knew war as few men do. From the cavalry charge at Omdurman to the defeat of Hitler, Churchill''s achievements as a soldier and statesman were equaled only by his powers as a historian.