 | Five Days in London, May 1940 Subjects: World War 1939–1945 -- Diplomatic history; World War 1939–1945 -- Great Britain; Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1936–1945; Halifax Edward Frederick Lindley Wood 1st Earl of 1881–1959; Churchill Winston Sir 1874–1965; A "gripping [and] splendidly readable" portrait of the battle within the British War Cabinet--and Churchill's eventual victory--as Hitler's shadow loomed ( The Boston Globe ). From May 24 to May 28, 1940, members of Britain's War Cabinet debated whether to negotiate with Hitler or to continue what became known as the Second World War. In this magisterial work, John Lukacs takes us hour by hour into the critical events at 10 Downing Street, where Winston Churchill and his cabinet painfully considered their responsibilities. With the unfolding of the disaster at Dunkirk, and Churchill being in office for just two weeks and treated with derision by many, he did not have an easy time making his case--but the people of Britain were increasingly on his side, and he would prevail. This compelling narrative, a Washington Post bestseller, is the first to convey the drama and world-changing importance of those days. "[A] fascinating work of historical reconstruction."-- The Wall Street Journal "Eminent historian Lukacs delivers the crown jewel to his long and distinguished career."-- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A must for every World War II buff."-- Cleveland Plain Dealer "Superb...can be compared to such classics as Hugh Trevor-Roper's The Last Days of Hitler and Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August ."-- Harper's Magazine John Lukacs was born Janos Adalbert Lukacs in Budapest, Hungry on January 31, 1924. His father was Catholic and his mother was Jewish. He received an advanced degree in history from the University of Budapest. Although he was a practicing Catholic, he was considered Jewish enough to be conscripted into an army labor battalion when the Nazis occupied Hungary. He deserted in late 1944. When things did not improve under Soviet occupation and a Communist government, he fled illegally to the United States in July 1946. He was hired as a part-time lecturer in history at Columbia University to accommodate an influx of returning veterans. In 1947, he was hired by Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia to teach full time. He taught there for 47 years, retiring in 1994. He wrote numerous books including The Last European War; Confessions of an Original Sinner; The Duel: The Eighty-Day Struggle Between Churchill and Hitler; The Hitler of History; A Student's Guide to the Study of History; Churchill: Visionary. Statesman. Historian.; At the End of an Age; George Kennan: A Study of Character; and A Short History of the Twentieth Century. He died from heart failure on May 6, 2019 at the age of 95. (Bowker Author Biography) |
