Untitled on Churchill

John Lukacs`s account of Winston Churchill`s first speech to the House of Commons on May 13, 1940 provides a compelling portrait of a leader and a country in a dark time. Hitler had just invaded Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. The prospects looked grim to Churchill, and he had deep doubts. Lukacs provides a sometimes fascinating historical context to a history that we see only in retrospect. While we are aware of the hard-fought victory that was to come, and while many have read Churchill`s history of the time, at that time, Churchill knew only that the future was to be one of great sacrifice, and, as he said in his speech, Blood, toil, tears and sweat. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.