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Five Days in London, May 1940

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Five Days in London, May 1940

By: John Lukacs
Narrated by: Geoffrey Howard
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About this listen

 In the days between May 24th and 28th, 1940, the British War Cabinet held a historical debate over whether to negotiate with Hitler or to continue the war. In this magisterial work, John Lukacs demonstrates the decisive importance of those five days. Lukacs takes us hour by hour into the critical unfolding of events at 10 Downing Street, where Churchill, who had only been prime minister for a fortnight, painfully considered his 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, and how the citizenry, though only partly informed about the dangers that faced them, nevertheless began to support Churchill's determination to stand fast.©1999 John Lukacs (P)1999 Blackstone Audio Inc. Europe Great Britain Military Politics & Government War Winston Churchill England Royalty Imperialism United Kingdom British History

Critic Reviews

"With a delightful British accent and a professional quality voice, Howard...communicates the tension during those fateful days." (AudioFile)
"[This book] is lucid and splendidly readable, and furthermore, commands a host of dramatic characters....[It] has the power and sweep of Shakespeare's chronicle plays." (Boston Globe)
"Eminent historian Lukacs delivers the crown jewel to his long and distinguished career with this account....It is the work of a man who lives and breathes history, whose knowledge is limitless and tuned to a pitch that rings true." (Publishers Weekly)
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doesn't actually detail any of the peace offers by Hitler. treats the death and destruction caused by the extension of the war as if it was necessary. boomer history

bad history

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