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Winston S. Churchill
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The World Crisis: 1911–1914 (Winston S. Churchill World Crisis Collection) Kindle Edition

by Winston S. Churchill (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 431 ratings
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The causes of the Great War are examined in this first volume of the series that is “essential reading, as fresh and compelling as ever” (Jon Meacham, bestselling author of Franklin and Winston).
 
An absorbing history of the outbreak of World War I from a true insider’s point of view, the first volume of Winston S. Churchill’s five-volume The World Crisis is unsurpassed as both a historical and personal account of the earth-shaking events leading up to WWI. Beginning in 1911, when Churchill was First Lord of the Admiralty, this report is based on thousands of his personal letters and memos.
 
Churchill’s epic series opens with a chilling description of the Agadir Crisis, and provides an in-depth account of naval clashes in the Dardanelles, one of Churchill’s major military failures. It takes readers from the fierce bloodshed of the Gallipoli campaign to the tide-turning battles of Jutland and Verdun—as well as the United States’ entry into the combat theatre. Written in powerful prose by a great leader who would also go on to receive a Nobel Prize in Literature, The World Crisis, 1911–1914 provides a perspective you won’t find anywhere else: a dynamic insider’s account of events that would shape the outcome of modern history.
 
“Whether as a statesman or an author, Churchill was a giant; and The World Crisis towers over most other books about the Great War.” —David Fromkin, author of A Peace to End All Peace
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  1. Book 1 of 5
    Winston Churchill's World Crisis Collection
  2. Print length
    272 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    RosettaBooks
  6. Publication date
    September 23, 2013
  7. File size
    11976 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

''Essential reading, as fresh and compelling as ever.'' --Jon Meacham, bestselling author of Franklin and Winston

''Whether as a statesman or an author, Churchill was a giant; and The World Crisis towers over most other books about the Great War.'' --David Fromkin, author of A Peace to End All Peace

About the Author

Sir Winston S. Churchill (1874-1965) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on two occasions, from 1940-1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. Celebrated as one of the greatest leaders of the twentieth century, he was also a gifted orator, statesman and historian. The author of more than 40 books, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953 and in 1963 was made an honorary citizen of the United States.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07H18FWXR
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ RosettaBooks (September 23, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 23, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 11976 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 431 ratings

About the author

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Winston S. Churchill

Winston S. Churchill

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Winston S. Churchill (1874-1965) has been called 'the greatest Briton'. An international statesman, orator, biographer, historian, author and Nobel Prize winner, his works remain in print with the world's leading publishers.

Educated at Harrow and Sandhurst, Winston spent several years in the army before becoming a newspaper correspondent and then an MP. His cabinet positions included First Lord of the Admiralty at the outbreak of the First World War and later Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Churchill became Prime Minister in 1940 and for five years led Britain though its 'finest hour'. Defeated in the July 1945 election, he was Leader of the Opposition until re-elected Prime Minister in 1951. He was knighted in 1953, the same year he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. He stepped down as Prime Minister in 1955 and remained an MP until 1964.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
431 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

John Stults
5.0 out of 5 stars History as literature
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2019
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It is easy to see how WSC won the Nobel prize in literature for this and his six vol history of WWII
He begins his story several years before the war and continues in this vol to the end of 1914. Yes WSC is the prime character in the story and he obviously concentrates on the admiralty the most. Interesting, in spite of political differences, he in this vol has only generally nice things to say about his political opponents. It is also easy to see how he was unpopular with ranking navy officers. To some extent due to his much more intense work ethic.
In the years leading up to the war a great deal of the political infighting in the size of the royal navy and the building of specific ships and classes of ship becomes reality. I am reminded of some of the infighting during the Reagan build up.
Should the reader desire, extensive appendices of mostly naval documents covering everything from professional education, creation of a naval staff, and fleet sizing are available. Within the body of the text enormous amounts of official documents mostly written by WSC are include. If you are interested in the start up of WWI and how a democracy prepares for war, this is a great and worthy read. It also provides the views and many speeches and correspondence of one of the 20th centuries great men. I highly recommend this book and personally look forward to reading the second vol.
9 people found this helpful
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John Thomas
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding history leading to WWI
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2022
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Winston Churchill transported/exposed me to first hand recollections of crucial periods of 20th century history. My favorite radio show was 'CBS is there' later adapted to TV and narrated by Walter Cronkite as, 'You were There'. These shows took you back in history and used reporters as if the past was happening now. This was my impression of Winston Churchill's writing style. It was certainly written from the English perspective but still breath taking in scope. Highly recommended.
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Avam
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read.
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2023
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This is a good read. Kind of a hard slog but lots of interesting information. Not as well written as some of his other books. I believe this is because of all the correspondence lain out in the book. Still interesting.
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john w vinson
5.0 out of 5 stars A World Leader's Personal Account of the End of Peace
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2019
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As the world reenters the era of great power competition Churchill's personal account of the events leading to the great war and the first 6 months of combat offers lessons to today's world. It is not a complete history for today's reader in the sense that Churchill was writing for an audience that had lived through the events. He assumes the reader knows the chronology of events and details that modern readers do not unless they have made the effort to find this information elsewhere. However, as a principal participant in the events he has a unique insight into the thinking of the governments involved. It is difficult for modern readers to understand the fears driving each of the governments in their decisions. Churchill makes these fears clear. The modern reader remembers World War 1 as a static affair with the two sides facing each other across no man's land in more or less permanent entrenchments. Churchill shows that the first 6 months were a dynamic battle moving across Belgium and France that foreshadows the French collapse in World War 2. He also shows clear evidence that at the end of the first 6 months of the war the German Army leadership believe the failure to take Paris means they have lost the war. All of the blood shed after that was for naught. His efforts to reform the Royal Navy during a time of rapid technological change provide a case study for today's American military leaders.
5 people found this helpful
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Hakej
5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful
Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2017
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Sir Winston Churchill evokes strong reactions in people. Some admire him, as I do, while others view him as a deeply flawed colonialist (probably true, but one has to bear in mind the period), a warmonger (in my opinion, untrue), an alcoholic (undeniably true) and a ham (quite possibly true).
His political opinions and personal traits notwithstanding, WSC was an extraordinary man and a masterful writer.
The World Crisis, his History of World War I, (re-?)published in 1938 - his foreword is amazingly prescient - is on par with his Memoirs of WW2. I view both as absolute "must read" material for anyone interested in the period.
By all means read other authors, including some representing non-Allied and non-Western points of view, but do yourself a favor and also read Churchill. It's just too good to miss.
9 people found this helpful
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michael J Monteith
5.0 out of 5 stars War at the leadership.
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2020
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Great read and significantly enlightened the readers understanding of the many aspects of the conduct of the war and the momentous loads borne by those involved in the daily machinations and multiple weighty decisions having to be made throughout this monumental endeavour. Truly enlightening.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Sara L. Wilmott
5.0 out of 5 stars Winston Churchill always wrote the truth. He was an ...
Reviewed in Canada on August 25, 2017
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Winston Churchill always wrote the truth. He was an historian with integrity, realizing how important it was that all facts be revealed, not just some. However, today's universities claim his accounts of WWI, and those of Lloyd George, are of little consequence. Those are the revisionists who claim Britain and French hubris started both world wars in the last century, not German aggression. Read this book carefully, because the facts are in the subtle details.
2 people found this helpful
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Client d'Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable to all historians
Reviewed in France on July 18, 2017
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This book had me spellbound. Winston Churchill describes step by step, order by order, the events as he experienced them which led up to and followed on the outbreak of the First World War. His literary talents amaze and entertain me. His capacity to describe complicated events in a manner that all can understand and his wit, humour and objectivity make these memoirs, as all his other literary works, an invaluable asset for the amateur historian that I pretend to be.
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Ricardo Pujol Borrell
4.0 out of 5 stars History explained by one of the protagonists
Reviewed in Spain on June 22, 2015
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Fascinating account of the beguining of WW1; it is good reading for anybody who wants to understand XX century history; Winston Churchill was a statement with a comprehensive view of the world from de British point of view but open minded and well informed; and he writes very well, a bit retoric,
2 people found this helpful
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GarakFan
3.0 out of 5 stars Glänzender Organisator und Kriegstreiber
Reviewed in Germany on August 17, 2014
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Die Rückschau des auch literarisch hochbegabten Grosspolitikers ist anregend und vermittelt Einblicke in eine besonderes Gebiet der englischen Kriegsvorbereitungen. Die Marine wurde von Churchill als deren zivilem Vorgesetzten energisch gefördert und technisch vorzüglich dotiert. Allerdings sind viel zu viele spezifische Details beschrieben, für einen Kontinentalmenschen oft unverständlich. Churchills Blick auf die Weltlage ist recht beschränkt, der grosse Widersacher, der später zum Feind wird, ist ausschliesslich Deutschland (und Tirpitz), Balkanprobleme sind fast vollständig ausgeblendet. Dank Churchills Bemühungen ist England, wenigstens mit seinen Seestreitkräften, vorzüglich vorbereitet in den Ersten Weltkrieg eingetreten.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 6, 2014
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There is much to be learnt here. What were the strategic considerations behind the naval arms race of the 20th century. What really meant British naval power. How you would organize naval squadrons at sea and ensure supremacy. How Germany alienated England, why England went to war, and why after its original effort Germany's defeat was virtually ensured.
Churchill's style is also brilliant, with strong images without ever being pompous.
This is a unique insight from a brilliant man at the nexus of the events and about real power. And reasoned, cold logical use of power.

Never read something quite like it...
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