Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: The Great Speeches

by Winston S. Churchill, David Cannadine (Editor)

The most eloquent and expressive statesman of his time - phrases such as 'iron curtain', 'business as usual', 'the few', and 'summit meeting' passed quickly into everyday use - Winston Churchill used language as his most powerful weapon at a time when his most frequent complaint was that the armoury was otherwise empty. In this volume, David Cannadine selects thirty-three orations ranging over fifty years, demonstrating how Churchill gradually hones his rhetoric until the day when, with spectacular effect, 'he mobilized the English language, and sent it into battle' (Edward R. Murrow).

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Politics, War, British Literature, World War II

355 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1941

About the author

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, politician and writer, as prime minister from 1940 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1955 led Great Britain, published several works, including The Second World War from 1948 to 1953, and then won the Nobel Prize for literature.

William Maxwell Aitken, first baron Beaverbrook, held many cabinet positions during the 1940s as a confidant of Churchill.

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (Can), served the United Kingdom again. A noted statesman, orator and strategist, Churchill also served as an officer in the Army. This prolific author "for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values."

Out of respect for Winston_Churchill, the well-known American author, Winston S. Churchill offered to use his middle initial as an author.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston...

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoever has tried to read one of Churchill's own accounts of either The World Crisis, 1911-1918 or the Second World War knows that it is hard not to lose track of the action due to his fantastic capacity for remembering every tiny detail, and giving it enough space to make a whole book of it.
This study actually focuses on one tiny detail in Churchill's political career, and with very good result. Revolving solely around the (probably most famous) speech held in 1940, at one of the darkest moments in European history, it shows Churchill in action and character in a way that the extensive studies and analyses fail to do. Capturing a moment in time, it gives structure to the man who did so much, and over such a wide timespan, that it is hard to grasp him. A case study, and a very readable introduction to Churchill.

[Vehka Kurjenmiekka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kyllähän tää jäbä osasi pitää puheita, ei siinä.

[Mpc1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick and enjoyable read and a good overview of Churchill's character. It's not a thorough biography but a great portrait of the critical importance Churchill played in the early days of world war 2. If nothing else, the reader comes away with a firm understanding of what an important role Churchill plays in the history of the world. He didn't win the war against Hitler but he very importantly didn't loose it. He was surrounded by people who were ready to capitulate to the Germans but he had the forsight to realize this would mean disaster. Plus he has the most bad-ass quotes of any English speaking politician in history. "I have nothing to give but blood, toil, tears and sweat." and in the same speech: "You ask, what is our policy? I say it is to wage war by land, sea, and air. War with all our might and with all the strength God has given us, and to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory. Victory at all costs - Victory in spite of all terrors - Victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival."

That's exactly what you want to hear from your elected leaders in May of 1940.

[Ben Denison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good, short recounting of Churchill’s takeover of the British government and the beginning of WWII. The interesting title focuses on Churchill’s matter of fact speech to the British people that he was offering no flowery future of easily defeating the enemy, but rather “blood, toil, tears and sweat.”

It also recaps some of the correspondence between Churchill and other world leaders, such as Roosevelt discussing the need for America to enter the war. The support for France, and other European countries.

Overall pretty Good, informative, and short enough not to wade into boring details.

[AskHistorians]

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorian...

[Daniel Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book deserves a good rating for the quality of the selection, and for the excellence of the oratory, regardless of the personal or other flaws of the orator.

[Rasmus Tillander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vita Sackville-West kuvaili Churchillin puheiden viktoriaanista poljentoa hyvin rauhoittavaksi sodan keskellä.

Vitan vibe check oli aika paikkaansapitävä. Churchillin puheita lukiessa (ja kuunnellessa) tulee jotenkin luottavainen olo. Nuotti ja klassisen sivistyksen läpileikkaamat sanavalinnat toimivat. Toki Winston osasi myös sytyttää tulen kuulijoidensa rintaan paatoksellisella epiikalla. Hän oli ehkä se viimeinen suuri klassinen oraattori.

Tässä valikoimassa on tietenkin Winstonin kovimnat bängerit: "Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat", "Their Finest Hour", Give us the tools and we' will finish the job", puheet jossa Churchill tuo maailmalla sellaisia ilmaisuja kuin rautaesiripun ja lopun alun. Mukana on toki myös B-puolen puheita, niitä missä Churchill möhlii poliittisesti, kutsuu Gandhia maanpetturiksi tai vertaa Labourin hallintoa Gestapoon.

Valikoinnin ja selitykset laatinut David Cannadine tekee erinomaista työtä taustoittaessaan Churchillin kehitystä puhujana ja poliittista ympäristä, jossa hän kulloinki toimi.

Puhuminen ja puheet ovat yksi suurimmista intohimoistani. Ja Winston saa kyllä suurimmat rispektini sillä saralla.

[L. M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine selection covering the different periods of Churchill's political career. After his cogent and illuminating introduction, Cannadine shrewdly keeps out of the way and allows his subject to do the rest.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent collection of speeches.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: The Dire Warning: Churchill?s First Speech as Prime Minister by John R. Lukacsis a focused account of Churchill's actions and thoughts leading up to the beginnings of WWII and his early speeches, for which he is so well known, to raise the spirits of the British population. Many have said he was the right person at the right place at the right time. The author sets the stage by explaining how Churchill's predecessors had bet the farm, so to speak, on reaching an agreement with Hitler and then, even worse, actually trusted him at his word that there would be no more territorial demands by Hitler and the Nazis! After that blunder became obvious for what it was, the British government turned over and Churchill was asked to form a new government. Winston Churchill, more than most at that time, knew that Hitler absolutely could not be trusted. He was also in a minority that correctly predicted problems with Stalin and Russia after the war's conclusion was on the horizon. Churchill is very well known as a talented orator and his speeches are best appreciated when spoken, as from an original recording or when spoken by a good narrator on an audio book. The only negative to me was that, because it was so focused, it was relatively short and many more speeches were coming. Definitely recommended!

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A succinct account of the time surrounding Churchill's first speech as Prime Minister.
A few notes:
- Lukacs describes Churchill as someone who is all too rare in history: a man who possessed the great virtue of magnanimity, and explains how Churchill used that virtue effectively to "bear providential results." See, e.g., his treatment of N. Chamberlain once Churchill became PM.
- Although not religious, Churchill believed that he was an instrument in the hands of Providence (see, e.g., his war memoirs, in which he notes that he had been "walking with destiny" in preparing for his role as the leader who would lead his country and the free world to victory over the Axis powers.)
- Churchill knew that without victory in WWII, there would be "no survival."
- Churchill never underrated Hitler or Germany's armed forces. Nor was he shortsighted about the danger of Russia's presence in the middle of Europe. Indeed, he was full of anxiety that he could not persuade the Americans (not FDR, not Eisenhower, and for some time, not even Pres. Truman) to be concerned with the division of Europe with Stalinist Russia.

[Jeffrey Franklin Barken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book to read aloud, and certainly one that will compel you to rise to the sound of your own voice! What fascinates me about Churchill is his ability to tell the story of his "island" and of epochs relevant to the empire, wield such charisma with his unwavering insistence that people never relent momentum or else face a "locust year," There is hardly more exhilarating literature. The concept that one man could "mobilize the English language and send it into battle," is at once a controversial theme rooted in colonial cruelties, but nevertheless, we must commend Churchill's stoicism for all time account of the way he inspired his people and the world to stare down the Nazi menace, find hope in their common struggle, and to realize the absolute definitions of duty and necessity that total war required. From a purely linguistic perspective, read this work aloud to know how the precision of English can render shivers, echoes and awe.

[Jemma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've had this book for some considerable time and have avoided it fearing it to be a dry read. As it turns out, it is compiled by a reputable historian and reads like a decent biography illustrated with relevant documents. What prevents this collection from having a higher rating is, however, that there are some key omissions which mean that a rosier picture is presented than should be. There is an attempt to be warts and all but it would be fully rounded if it had something on the General Strike and something on the waves of independence in the 40s and 50s.

[Ángel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crónica de una época crucial de la Historia, la respuesta a la invasión nazi de Europa, a través de sus personajes esenciales y, en particular, de Winston Churchill, de su liderazgo y las dificultades y obstáculos a las que se enfrentó, con el hilo conductor de sus discursos, y su trascendencia real en la evolución de los acontecimientos. Apasionante y muy ameno. Otra pequeña joya histórica del autor.

[María Frutilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

La edición de Turner está llena de erratas y la traducción no es muy buena. Mejor leerlo en inglés si es posible.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astute, insightful, enlightening.

[Ernest Haiat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biografía mínima de Churchill. Muy bien resumida, práctica y fácil de leer.

[Telps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Churchill is one of my idols. His speeches are historic! A good read.

[Philip Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains a selection of Churchill’s speech from his debut in Parliament in 1905 until his departure in 1955. They include his most famous wartime speeches and his ignominious claim during the 1945 campaign that Labour would require some kind of ‘Gestapo’ to ensure that they would remain in power.

This was a scurrilous claim and he thoroughly deserved the annihilation that he received at the polls. Churchill was a lover of liberty, democracy and the rights of man and loathed communism as well as fascism and tried to infer that Attlee’s Labour Party were the communists in disguise. Whether this was an opinion he truly believed or was scaremongering is not clear. However, in the 1950’election campaign he behaved with far greater decency towards Attlee and in one of his last speeches in 1955 he paid the Labour administration high tribute particularly with regard to instigating the UK’s independent nuclear deterrent program.

If I have any criticism it is the lack of detailed notes. Although each speech has an explanatory paragraph at the start putting it in a context. There are obviously many references to names and events in what follows which the modern reader may not be familiar. Clearly, the notes can’t be to detailed as they will form a book in itself but references to further reading would be helpful.

The speeches also provide a biographical snapshot of Churchill’s political career and provide an excellent introduction to the man along with his strengths and flaws. In fact reading the early speeches highlights Churchill’s flawed judgement on many domestic issues and confirms that he was a poor peace time minister and prime minister. This demonstrates why many of his colleagues were unsure of his appointment as prime minster in 1940. However, as the American journalist Ed Morrow pointed out that despite poor judgement which manifested itself several times during the war he was able ‘To mobilise the English language and sent it into battle which electrified both his fellow countrymen and the world at large.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: The Great Speeches is an anthology of thirty-three speeches written and given by Winston Churchill with an introduction written by David Cannadine. It is a collection of inspirational and influential speeches given by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War.

Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940–1945, during the Second World War, and again from 1951–1955. Apart from two years between 1922 and 1924, Churchill was a Member of Parliament from 1900–1964 and represented a total of five constituencies. Churchill was also well known for his military career and as a historian, painter and writer, and among his many awards was the Nobel Prize in Literature.

For the most part, this collection of speeches was written rather well and gives a wonderful impression of the speeches that Winston Churchill gave. Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: The Great Speeches is a wonderful collection, Cannadine selects thirty-three orations ranging over fifty years, categorized in five sections, which demonstrates how Churchill gradually hones his rhetoric.

Like most anthologies there are weaker contributions and Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: The Great Speeches is not an exception. While there are speeches better written over others – they are all rather inspirational and the few that weren't as powerful seem to be the outlier.

All in all, Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: The Great Speeches is a wonderful collection of powerful speeches given by one of the most notable Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom in recent memory.

[Joel D · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives an indication of Churchill's ability as an orator as well as his own politics and the history and politics of his times (spanning several decades!).

Some of the speeches are quite dry, even boring. They are still interesting to some extent as an example of how politics was discussed and debated in a different time and place... Churchill certainly seems superior to many of our current politicians.

Then you have the classic speeches, although these are, it turns out, more like classic paragraphs buried in a mound of hitherto unknown prose. But great to read them in full and come across other phrases or metaphors that are less known but still powerful.

Overall a decent read as an insight into Churchill, into rhetoric, and into sooner of the UK political developments through the first half or so of the twentieth century.

[Bailee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved the historical background and contextual introductions for each of these speeches to help with a frame of reference and keeping in mind what was going on, but I think reading Churchill’s speeches don’t do them justice as compared to listening to audio archives.

[Joseph D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting look at the first official speech of a very influential man.

[Terry Burgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must to try and get inside the man of unarguably one of the most important figures of the 20th century.

[Qing Wang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Churchill's speeches live in his time and his nation.

[Kyungin Park]

Luck is when preparation and opportunity meet

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, my negative is that the print is so so small, at my age it affects my eyes after a while.
Good book !

[Kk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good...it's Churchill afterall...class read

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winston Churchill – soldier, statesman, author, orator – is widely known as one of the most famous figures of the last century. His legend as the steady hand at the helm of Britain through perhaps the most perilous moment in that nation’s history is known the world round. And that legend is based, more than anything else, on his limitless courage and unshakable resolve – as conveyed to the British public and the watching world in series of seminal speeches. Many of those pivotal moments, as Britannia stood beleaguered against the whole of Axis might, have found their way into this collection of “The Great Speeches” of the great man. And though Churchill’s wartime words form the focus of the collection, they by no means comprise the whole. The book encompasses the entirety of his political career, from his maiden speech in the House of Commons to his final farewell to that same assembly some fifty five years later.

The breadth of subject matter covered makes for fascinating reading. Churchill’s career saw the end of colonial imperialism, the two greatest wars ever fought, and the beginnings of the new atomic age, and the man never wanted for the words with which to capture the time. For instance, the second selection of the book, “The Transvaal Constitution,” offers the young MP’s proposal for that document: a well thought out, highly practical critique, examining very specific issues from all angles and providing clear reasoning for his recommendations. I confess I haven’t researched whether the proposal was enacted and whether Churchill’s predictions came to pass, but had I been in the Commons that day, he would have had my vote. Churchill’s legacy may have been built on soaring rhetoric (“We shall go on to the end… we shall never surrender”) but it’s the attention to detail, necessary for the administration of the country, that are so fascinating for us history buffs. Even his great wartime speeches spend a good deal of time on detail, scrutinizing past failure or success and offering real, solid plans for the future. Editor David Cannadine deserves credit not only for his choice in selection, but also for his concise, pointed introductions which provide both context and commentary.

If the historian will be fascinated by the detail, the biographer will be equally fascinated by the words themselves. Churchill’s penchant for wit and pith is well documented, and all his speeches here ring through with his signature style. Ably moving from humor to sobriety, from subtle jibe to sledgehammer point, each of his compositions is a tour de force of language. Often impulsive and always opinionated, not all of Churchill’s arrows hit home. Even during the second war, when the gravity of Britain’s situation demanded unity of purpose, the Prime Minister had to face several votes of no confidence which he adroitly defused with his well-timed rhetoric. When focused on lesser tasks than the survival of the free world he could be vituperative and even vindictive, if at the same time clear-sighted. His characterization of Gandhi as “a seditious middle temple lawyer” was as inflammatory as it was accurate. Yet despite these foibles, one gets the sense that any lesser character would have been insufficient to the great task which Churchill handled so gracefully. History remembers the Second World War as a triumph for the Allies, but there were many moments when the reverse seemed likely, even inevitable. By sheer dint of the force of his will, Churchill mobilized and galvanized his countrymen to deeds of valor and heroism in an hour of desperate need, and while there was certainly much more to the man, his well-deserved legend as Britain’s greatest statesman will live on as long as the language which was his primary weapon.

Sadly (or perhaps not), YouTube did not exist in the days of Cicero, so the world will never know if that oft-made comparison was warranted, but I will close this review with a link to an edited version of Churchill’s Dunkirk speech, after the fall of France to the Nazi blitz and the narrow escape of the British Expeditionary Force. Let the reader ponder for himself the importance of these words to a frightened and reeling nation, to a frightened and uncertain world. Let the reader take to heart the immortal phrase: “we shall never surrender.”

[Robert Corzine · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: The Dire Warning" covers some of the same ground that Lukacs has plowed in earlier (and much longer) books, notably "Five Days in London: May 1940" and "The Duel: The Eighty-Day Struggle Between Churchill and Hitler".

In May 1940, Churchill had been proved right about Hitler after all and Parliament had reluctantly elected him Prime Minister of a national unity government. Very few people were wholehearted supporters, many in his own party distrusted him and did not expect him to last long in his new post. In one of his shortest speeches ever, he did what few politicians ever manage to do: in words that still move us, he delivered a dose of unfiltered bad news, stated his aims, and made no promises or guarantees as to the outcome.

"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat. We have
before us an ordeal of the most greivous kind. We have before us many,
many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask what is our
policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all
our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war
against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable
catalogue of human crime. that is our policy. you ask what is our aim?
I can answer in one word: it is victory, victory at all costs, victory
in spite of terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for
without victory there is no survival. Let that be realized; no survival
for the British Empire, no survival for all that the British Empire has
stood for, no survival for the urge and impulse of the ages, that
mankind will move forward towards its goal. But I take up my task with
buoyancy and hope. I feel that our cause will not be suffered to fail
among men. At this time I feel entitled to claim the aid of all, and I
say, come then, let us go forward together with our united strength."

His command of such language was one of Churchill's primary assets in this ordeal along with his understanding of Hitler, his adamantine will to never compromise or surrender, and #oddly# the loyalty that he received from his former opponent, Neville Chamberlain. The private letters to President Roosevelt #who was another intended audience for these now-famous speeches# and the deliberations and dissensions inside his own Cabinet make for a fascinating private counterpoint to the public speeches. Grave consequences for almost everyone in the world hung for those few months on what Churchill did and said in both spheres. Interestingly, Churchill was not particularly comfortable or very good at speaking for a radio audience. The Dunkirk speech was enthusiastically recieved, but his "blood, toil, tears and sweat" speech was not broadcast and his famous "finest hour" speech on June 18 fell a bit flat. It was months later, in printed form, that those words began to circulate and reverberate in print with effects well beyond the British Isles.

One new element that I don't believe Lukacs covers in the longer books is the material in chapter 3 on British public opinion compiled from the Mass Observation reports, a huge undertaking in the very early days of opinion polling.

As always, Lukacs regularly inserts into his narrative trenchant observations about the discipline of History and the practice of writing it. This book is highly recommended for fans of Churchill, fans of Lukacs, or for students of rhetoric, statesmanship, or the Second World War. Even if you are none of the above, you might enjoy this book merely as a very dramatic true story about one of the most pivotal moments in history.