Churchill by Roy Jenkins

[Mount Suribachi]

Some of you may remember me asking about this a few months ago. Well I finally finished it. How was it I hear you cry?

Interesting. I never knew just how much Churchill did in his life, the man was truly a political collosus and a prolific writer as well as a gifted speaker (tho we already knew that eh?). The book also dispelled many myths about Churchill - the fact that the author was possibly the most liberal Home Secretary that Britain has ever had adds weight to his opinion that several left wing beliefs about Churchill are untrue eg he was opposed to womens suffrage ( he was in favour of it, but he disapproved of their methods).

Only on India do the long-standing beliefs about Churchills dark side turn out to be true. His opposition to greater freedom for India is inexplicable when compared to the rest of his life and actions, even more so when his reasons where clearly that it would be bad for Britain, wheras most of his career he did what was *right* not what was best for Britain.

The book tends to get very rambly and confusing. Long sentances with about 6 characters mentioned, all of whom Jenkins would refer to as "he" repeatedly left me http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wacko.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif . He is also fond of using lots of big words ("look at me, I went to Cambridge you know" it says to me). He also repeatedly goes into 6 page biographies of peripheral figures. Do I really need a 3 page history of who his wifes mothers lover may have been. This is even more frustrating when his first 18 years on Earth warrant a handful of pages with his fathers behaviour in parliament getting virtually the entire chapter on Winstons youth.

So in summary, I did not enjoy much of the writing in the book, but when Jenkins ignores everything else and just gets on with telling the story of Churchills life, it makes a fascinating and enlightening read.

[LordMonarch]

Quote[/b] ]
Only on India do the long-standing beliefs about Churchills dark side turn out to be true. His opposition to greater freedom for India is inexplicable when compared to the rest of his life and actions, even more so when his reasons where clearly that it would be bad for Britain, wheras most of his career he did what was *right* not what was best for Britain.

Interesting, Churchill believed in the British Empire above all, and would do many things to keep it in place. Many of his desicions were based on this, while others were based on what is right.

Indeed, it is hard to get an overview of his life but his conduct 1939-1941 makes him perhaps the greatest Western leader this century.

"I am strongly in favour of using poisonous gas against uncivilised tribes ... to spread a lively terror?"
Winston Churchill, writing as President of the Air Council, in 1919

He was not perfect and should not be painted as either a liberal or conservative hero, but he was a great man.

[Spino]

India was a huge cash cow (pun intended) for Great Britain and was the one of the brightest jewels in the crown for a long time. What else should Churchill have done?

Conquest and oppression of native populations is a nasty business but many of you seem to forget the local population of Bangladesh/India/Pakistan has been knee deep in bloody ethnic and religious strife for as long as people have lived in the Indian sub-continent. The people that comprise modern India were never unified prior to rule by Great Britain. Truth of the matter is Great Britain left that region of the world better than it found it.

It seems like the question before Churchill was a) place Great Britain's welfare above all else or b) place the nebulous ideology of 'human rights' vis a vis India's independence above all else. Given that Churchill was an Englishman, British Naval Officer, bureaucrat and Prime Minister his decisions were hardly surprising. Somehow if the situations were reversed and Chandragupta Maurya were alive during the 20th century and ruled over the people of Britannia I doubt he would have done anything different.

Dark side indeed.