CHURCHILL AND IRELAND

by Mary C. Bromage ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 2, 1964

The approach taken here is probably as sound as any there is towards the understanding of a man and an era, and it quite incidentally provides a fascinating footnote to the larger stories of both. Assuming that ""the Churchill decisions were never matters of the moment"" but rather ""were based upon a corpus of beliefs, inherited and acquired,"" this author has carefully traced down the threads leading to one minor decision: not to seize the Irish seaports when their use was denied to England during World War II. The idea is that ""one involvement, minutely examined, may shed light"" on Churchill's ""over-all pattern of leadership."" Minute is certainly the word for this examination, and light is just as certainly shed, but how broad or far-reaching the beam actually is may be open to some queries. Beginning as far back as 1874, with the legacy of attitudes from his father, Lord Randolph, Miss Bromage scrutinizes all her subject's speeches and writing on the Irish Question, and finds a policy grounded upon ""simply what was good for England."" The tale is thus of a veering course hrought a long career, but with one constant objective. The synechdoche, on the whole, works well; the result is a good likeness of a great leader, but in miniature.

Pub Date: Oct. 2, 1964

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Univ. of Notre Dame

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1964

Categories: NONFICTION