From there, it was on to a political career with the Tories, mostly because that's where his father had been. But Winston, like his father, was to champion a liberal version of "Tory Democracy" that his party wasn't ready for, and that was better-suited to the rival Liberals. Eventually, he abandoned the Conservatives altogether, joining the Liberals in order to push greater social services and an early version of welfare and the National Health. In fact, if World War II hadn't happened, it's likely he'd be mostly remembered for those innovations.
His military career - resumed in earnest during World War I - also probably soured him for good on the brass. His famous description of the Great War troops, "lions led by donkeys," probably reflected his later determination as Prime Minister to defend the average soldier against the predations of the Generals.
Churchill's return to the Tories has also been criticized, mostly unfairly, as opportunism. By the time he crossed back, basically unwanted, Labour was in ascendancy. With the Liberals as out of intellectual steam then as they are today, the Tories really were the only party capable of opposing the radical socialism on the Labour agenda. The fact that the Conservatives failed to make the case for a capitalist program to oppose Labour's social program may not have been primarily Churchill's fault - he was busy fighting a war, after all. But it certainly was the party's greatest failing, and a lesson that today's Republicans could learn from.
Keegan's writing is typically crisp, he keeps the story moving without glossing over events, and keeps our interest. If you're looking for a solid, thumbnail biography that puts blood, sweat, toil, and tears into context, this is the one.
Edited: [GH]
Article comments
1 - Gordon GoHah Mellencamp Hauptfleisch
Solid, cohesive review.