Churchill's Flawed Decisions

Errors in Office of The Greatest Briton

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• Publisher: Pen & Sword Military
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781526708564
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Political Biographies
• Index: Politics & International Relations

An examination of the political and military controversies that turned out to be missteps on the road to greatness for the British Prime Minister. Winston Churchill is undoubtedly one of the most respected and best-loved characters England has ever known. However, much of how people view him is based on his leadership during the bleak and dire times of the Second World War. If it wasn't for him, Britain would almost definitely have lost the war: there were those in government who encouraged Churchill to strike a deal with Hitler at the time of the Dunkirk evacuations, which took place just three weeks after he had been made Prime Minister, but he stuck resolutely to his guns and said, "no." However, Churchill was never the favorite to take over after Neville Chamberlain resigned. Indeed, everyone believed Lord Halifax would be the next Prime Minister, although even he thankfully recognized that Winston Churchill was the best man for the job, even though King George VI disagreed. Yet there was another side to Churchill that is not often spoken of, and one that led to him making some questionable decisions. Some of these, it could be argued, were for national security reasons, but others were not, proving that even the very best are not always as perfect as they first appear. This book looks at Churchill's most questionable decisions throughout his career—from the Sidney Street Siege in London in January 1910 through the Bengal Famine of 1943 to the Mau Mau Uprising in British Kenya between 1952 and 1964.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 Churchill’s Younger Years
• Chapter 2 Early Political Issues
• Chapter 3 Miners in Tonypandy (1910)
• Chapter 4 Gallipoli 1915
• Chapter 5 The Iraq Uprising of 1920
• Chapter 6 Black & Tans 1920
• Chapter 7 Invasion of Norway 1940
• Chapter 8 SS Lancastria 1940
• Chapter 9 Sinking of the French Fleet 1940
• Chapter 10 Coventry Blitz 1940
• Chapter 11 Fall of Singapore 1942
• Chapter 12 Bengal Famine of 1943
• Chapter 13 Dresden Bombings 1945
• Chapter 14 Malayan Emergency 1948
• Chapter 15 Mau Mau Uprising 1952
• Chapter 16 Other Bits about Churchill
• Chapter 17 Churchill Imperialist or Racist?
• Conclusion
• Sources
• About the Author
• Plate section