The Treasures of Winston Churchill, the greatest Briton. Winston Churchill has recently been voted the greatest Briton. His nine decades spanned from the era of cavalry charges to the nuclear age, and he was active in both. He had a keen historical perspective and analytical mind, and in World War II he was quick to oppose Hitler and see the importance of US involvement, and hence played a seminal part in ensuring the survival of not only Britain but arguably Western democracy itself.
That is not to say he was without fault – the disastrous Gallipoli campaign, the creation of Iraq in 1921, his blind spot over India, his over-romantic view of the British Empire – all these contributed to a reputation for unreliability that dogged much of his time in public life. But the sheer size of his seven decades in the public spotlight, covering wars in Africa and the Indian frontier as a young man, his 60 years in Parliament with a unique record of Cabinet office at the heart of power in two world wars, and above all the fact that he was right to oppose Hitler in 1940, show that Winston Churchill deserves the stature that posterity has given him.
Few characters in history have written as much as Churchill, and his writings and the photographic record happily provide the opportunity to put together a unique illustrated portrait of this remarkable man. Even more unforgettable was the power of his oratory, adding a truly heroic dimension to a leader who was undoubtedly a true statesman.
