Five Days In London, May 1940
by John Lukacs /
1999 / English / PDF
9.2 MB Download
The days from May 24 to May 28, 1940 altered the course of the
history of this century, as the members of the British War Cabinet
debated whether to negotiate with Hitler or to continue the war.
The decisive importance of these five days is the focus of John
Lukacs's magisterial new book.
The days from May 24 to May 28, 1940 altered the course of the
history of this century, as the members of the British War Cabinet
debated whether to negotiate with Hitler or to continue the war.
The decisive importance of these five days is the focus of John
Lukacs's magisterial new book.
Lukacs takes us hour by hour into the critical unfolding of
events at 10 Downing Street, where Churchill and the members of
his cabinet were painfully considering their war
responsibilities. We see how the military disasters taking place
on the Continent -- particularly the plight of the nearly 400,000
British soldiers bottled up in Dunkirk -- affected Churchill's
fragile political situation, for he had been prime minister only
a fortnight and was regarded as impetuous and hotheaded even by
many of his own party. Lukacs also investigates the mood of the
British people, drawing on newspaper and Mass-Observation reports
that show how the citizenry, though only partly informed about
the dangers that faced them, nevertheless began to support
Churchill's determination to stand fast.
Lukacs takes us hour by hour into the critical unfolding of
events at 10 Downing Street, where Churchill and the members of
his cabinet were painfully considering their war
responsibilities. We see how the military disasters taking place
on the Continent -- particularly the plight of the nearly 400,000
British soldiers bottled up in Dunkirk -- affected Churchill's
fragile political situation, for he had been prime minister only
a fortnight and was regarded as impetuous and hotheaded even by
many of his own party. Lukacs also investigates the mood of the
British people, drawing on newspaper and Mass-Observation reports
that show how the citizenry, though only partly informed about
the dangers that faced them, nevertheless began to support
Churchill's determination to stand fast.
