In 1953, the citation for the Nobel Prize in Literature noted its conferral for “mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values.” The Laureate was Winston Spencer Churchill and the literary work proximate to the conferral of the Prize was Churchill’s six-volume history, The Second World War.

The first volume of The Second World War, titled The Gathering Storm, covers European and world events from the end of the First World War in 1918 up until the beginning of Churchill’s time as Prime Minister in May of 1940, covering Churchill’s narrative description of the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, the League of Nations, the Great Depression, and the rise of Hitler in Germany and the rise of imperial Japan, as well as Churchill’s account (and critique) of British and American foreign policy in the inter-war period.

Beyond the historical insights, Churchill’s lucid narrative and vivid voice conveys his incomparable perspective as both a close observer and an effective agent in this critical time. Over five sessions, this seminar will grapple with concrete instances where good intentions prove disastrous, a desire for justice proves dangerous, and hope proves deadly. On the other hand, the conversation will also reflect on moments of moral clarity, prudential consideration, and profound conviction.

Image: Winston Churchill, then Home Secretary, 1911

Prof. Zeitlin on Churchill

This course is offered by Humanities at Hertog. It takes place weekly on Sundays, via Zoom, from 4 PM to 6 PM ET. Fellows will receive a $150 Amazon Bookshelf voucher contingent upon participation in the course and completion of a brief response paper. All course materials will be provided.

Faculty

Samuel Garrett Zeitlin

Samuel Zeitlin is Lecturer in Modern Intellectual History at University College London, specializing in political thought, international relations, and the history of philosophy.

Preview the Syllabus by Week/Session

Readings:

 

Discussion Questions:

  1. What role does Churchill assign to economics in his account of the interwar period?
  2. What, in Churchill’s view, would have been the optimal economic policies in the period in which he was Chancellor of the Exchequer (November 1924–June 1929)?
  3. What is Churchill’s view of the Paris Peace Conference?
  4. What are the key errors, in Churchill’s view, of the Baldwin government?
  5. What, on Churchill’s account, catalyzes the political situation in Germany from 1929–1933?

Readings:

 

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is Churchill’s view of the Spanish Civil War?
  2. How does Churchill assess German politics and policy in the interwar period? What are Churchill’s sources?
  3. What is the place of Churchill’s public and parliamentary speeches in the narrative?
  4. What is Churchill’s view of the comparative military strength and balance of power in the period 1933–1938?
  5. How does Churchill account for German-Austrian relations between 1933 and 1938?

Readings:

 

Discussion Questions:

  1. What, if anything, is unexpected in how Churchill describes Czechoslovakia and the Munich Agreement?
  2. How does Churchill present himself in the interwar period?
  3. What is Churchill’s view of the Soviet Union in the interwar period?

Readings:

 

Discussion Questions:

  1. How does Churchill narrate the outbreak of the war?
  2. What, from Churchill’s perspective, is significant about the opening months of fighting in Europe in World War II?
  3. What, from Churchill’s perspective, distinguishes the different theatres of the war?

Readings:

 

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is salient in Churchill’s account of warfare in Scandinavia?
  2. To what extent, from a read of The Gathering Storm, may Churchill be said to have a view of history or a philosophy of history?
  3. What is Churchill’s relative assessment of his political contemporaries in the interwar period?

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