Churchills History of the English Spe

I read this series a number of years back. Sir Winston Churchill put together a fascinating guide to the development of British civilization, ranging from the Roman conquest of Britain all the way into the dawn of the 20th century. It is clear from the reading that Churchill was quite proud of his British heritage. And why not? The British managed to rule nearly every corner of the globe and to have virtual command of the global economy. Churchill presented this as a logical progression from England's national awakening through such pivotal events as the Reformation and the Glorious Revolution. Also noteworthy is his chronicle of "the Great Democracies" and their role in spreading British civilization. While this book will annoy the PC crowd, I argue that it is a classic work on the rise of a great and enduring civilization.

If you can chose between the single volume and 4 volume versions, go for the later. It is definitely worth your time. Churchill's writing is as clear, witty and straightforward, as he was as a politician. Churchill proves to be a great historian.

To most people Churchill is known as one of Britain's greatest statesmen. That overshadows his literary achievements. He begins his account with Caesar's conquest of Britannia. The downfall of the Roman Empire plunges the colony into the Dark Ages. Britannia is not left unscathed by the waves of peoples' migrations sweeping across Europe. Germanic idioms of Saxon invaders replace Celtic dialects and coexist with the clergy's Latin. William the Conqueror casts French into the language melting-pot. England is racked by the War of the Roses until the Tudor dynasty unites and pacifies the country with iron determination. The defeat of the Spanish Armada opens the way for colonisation of the New World. Those colonies' War of Independence launches a second English-speaking nation with its own turbulent history. Britain's victory over Napoleon opens the way to world-wide Empire.Churchill makes the reader understand how the societies of the English-speaking peoples, their institutions and their language have evolved over a course of almost two thousand years. Many steps were the results of conflicts between opposing forces:King John had to appease the lords by issuing Magna Carta. His concern for stability through dy-nastic legitimacy led Henry VIII to break with Rome. Conflict between Parliament and Crown led to Civil War culminating in regicide. Frictions between mother country and colonies erupted in the American War of Independence. The issue of slavery almost tore the American Union asunder.Churchill presents each conflict in an impartial yet compassionate way. He forces the reader to understand opposing and hardly reconcilable views. That prepares the reader to understand the eventual solution. In retrospect, each conflict and its solution is seen as a step forward. Neither side was wrong - only the result is right.Churchill himself was an historic figure. That endowed him with a fine sense of history. His com-mand of the English language raises his work above the average of historical textbooks into the sphere of great literature. There are passages which one feels compelled to read aloud, only to be surprised at how their beauty at times assumes almost musical qualities. For his literary achieve-ments Churchill was rightly awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1955.

It is impossible to fully understand American history without understanding English history- Churchill offers insight as only a statesman could- and does it very well.

Exhaustive, pithy, insightful, illuminating and in places funny as hell; it is rare to say of a four-volume work, "I couldn't put it down", but of Churchill's work I say it truthfully.