CHURCHILL: A Study in Failure, 1905-1939

by Robert Rhodes James ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 27, 1970

British historian James was never very satisfied with the standard rationalizations of Churchill's political failure in the 1930's, particularly Lloyd George's hallowed pronouncement that it was the consequence of ""the distrust and trepidation with which mediocrity views genius at close quarters."" James suspected that any politician ""who could arouse mistrust and dislike on such a scale and for so long without substantial causes"" must have been doing something wrong, in this ""extended essay"" (quite extended) based on his research of Churchill's entire career up to 1939 and especially its vicissitudes and controversies, James puts it all down to character. Approaching the man primarily through his public self (his speeches and published works) and other people's recorded comments about him, and indulging in armchair analysis where it seems pertinent (e.g. Winston's attitude toward his father, Lord Randolph Churchill), James puts together a fairly unflattering portrait of an unchanging personality suited by its particular combination of strengths and weaknesses for wartime leadership but incapable of full development in lesser circumstances. Hyperactive, overaggressive, and single-mindedly fixated on his own star, romantic, restless, and lacking a sense of proportion, Churchill created hostility and distrust in all quarters that worked against his own intense ambition. James' portrayal is, of course, far from balanced, since his theme is failure and he structures his presentation accordingly. But as a determinedly critical reevaluation of a public hero, a counterweight to son Randolph Churchill's official biography, and a contribution toward future, more distanced assessments of Churchill's character and career, James' work certainly has its purpose and place.

Pub Date: April 27, 1970

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: World

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1970

Categories: NONFICTION