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The Roar Of The Lion: The Untold Story Of Churchill's World War Ii SpeechesStock informationGeneral Fields
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Description"My aunt, listening to the Prime Minister's speech, remarked of <"our greatest orator>", <"He's no speaker, is he?>"' -diary of teacher M.A. Pratt, 11 Nov. 1942. The popular story of Churchill's war-time rhetoric is a simple one: the British people were energized and inspired by his speeches, which were almost universally admired and played an important role in the ultimate victory over Nazi Germany. Richard Toye now re-examines this accepted national story - and gives it a radical new spin. Using survey evidence and the diaries of ordinary people, he shows how reactions to Churchill's speeches at the time were often very different from what we have always been led to expect. His first speeches as Prime Minister in the dark days of 1940 were by no means universally acclaimed - indeed, many people thought that he was drunk during his famous 'finest hour' broadcast - and there is little evidence that they made a decisive difference to the British people's will to fight on. In actual fact, as Toye shows, mass enthusiasm sat side-by-side with considerable criticism and dissent from ordinary people. Yes, there were speeches that stimulated, invigorated, and excited many. Author descriptionRichard Toye was born in Cambridge in 1973. He studied at the Universities of Birmingham and Cambridge, and is currently Professor of Modern History at the University of Exeter. His books include Lloyd George and Churchill: Rivals for Greatness, Churchill's Empire: The World that Made Him and theWorld He Made, and Rhetoric: A Very Short Introduction. He lives in Exeter with his wife and their two sons. Table of contentsINTRODUCTION ; 1. THE EPITAPH OF CAPITALISM ; 2. WINSTON WILL EXPLAIN EVERYTHING ; 3. THE DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH ALL OVER AGAIN ; 4. IF HITLER INVADED HELL ; 5. HE'S NO SPEAKER, IS HE? ; 6. WHAT A WAR-TIME SPEECH SHOULD BE, I SUPPOSE ; 7. THROWING A TEMPERAMENT LIKE A BLOODY FILM STAR ; 8. HUSH, HUSH, HUSH, HERE COMES THE BOGY MAN ; CONCLUSION ; APPENDIX: LISTENING FIGURES FOR CHURCHILL'S SPEECHES ; INDEX |