Product Description

The days from 24 May to 28 May 1940 altered the course of history in the 20th century, as the members of the British War Cabinet debated whether to negotiate with Hitler or to continue the war. The decisive importance of these five days is the focus of John Lukacs's study.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #191372 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
"A fascinating book which reveals how Churchill persuaded the War Cabinet ... not to open negotiations with Mussolini."
-- David Owen, Daily Express, 8th May 2009

Kai Bird, Washington Post
"This gem of a book, [is] the distillation of an important historian's life work..."

Stanley Weintraub, Wall Street Journal
"A fascinating work of historical reconstruction ... Lukacs gives us much to ponder...

Customer Reviews

"He saved Britain, Europe and Western Civilization" Author
"But in May 1940 Churchill was the one who did not loose it" This is the theme of a compact, extraordinary 5 days that decided the outcome of WWII. This is certainly not the only event that brought the allies victory; however Mr. Lukacs demonstrates that while England was never in a position to win the war alone, she was in a position to loose it, and Churchill was the individual who saw that it was not lost.

I don't believe he overstates Churchill's role in the slightest. Had the War gone the other way Churchill certainly would have been the focus of all blame. Churchill was flawed, but during the decade of 1930, in what is often referred to as, "His Wilderness Years", the same men who would later owe their existence, and that of their Country's continuance to him, rejected him out of hand.

When he finally became Prime Minister it was when many of the disasters had begun or been completed. Churchill was given the mess that he inherited from Chamberlain and others; Alsace Lorraine gone, Austria gone, Czechoslovakia given away with Chamberlain's active participation punctuated by the "Peace In Our Time" debacle. Further, France was quickly falling apart, as were the Low Countries, Dunkirk loomed, and what is worse, Churchill had to cope with members of his own Cabinet that wanted to negotiate with Hitler as he was storming across Europe.

Churchill managed to bring those in government and the public to his side, and the rest as they say, is History. Mr. Lukacs provides great additional information, footnotes that are as informative as the body of the text, and an even handed description of those players involved including Churchill. Mr. Lukacs offers a brilliant documentation of History, which is also readable, and he plausibly demonstrates that what we may have thought of as an event that actually did take years to finish, may actually have been decided in 5 days.

Buy the book you will not be disappointed.

Once again, Lukacs captures the mood of a pivotal moment in
Once again, Lukacs captures the mood of a pivotal moment in World War II history. A must for all Churchill fans, this book accurately potrays the behind-the-scenes jostling that occured during those turbulent days.

Solid
A solid account of some very important days in our recent history. The book gives a very detailed picture of the mood of the war cabinet, the different problems it faced and what discussions arose. The author however sometimes dwells to much on the details, but in all a good and important book for all interested in WWII.