History of the English Speaking Peoples: Volume 4: The Great Democracies

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.

I had been meaning to read this book for a number of years. It has sat in my book shelf collecting dust. The pity is that I did not read it sooner.Churchill provides a lively and readable account of the great democracies of the 19 th Century. He starts with the years following the Napoleonic Wars and concludes with the Boer War. In between, he covers the American Civil War in some detail as well as progress in the other English speaking nations of Britain, Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. He also touches on other issues in Europe, particularly the rise of Germany under Bismarck.I can thoroughly recommend this book to the reader of general history. It has whetted my appetite to go back and read the earlier volumes. If they should be half as good as this one, it will be a pleasant journey.

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.

Winston Churchill will be remembered as the most heroic figure of the 20th Century. He is also one of history's greatest historians. His decision to write the history of peoples by a particular language was brilliant, and gave a broad outline to why we think the way we do. If you're going to the desert, a desert island, or one of Mars' moons, this is one of the few books you should pack.