Churchill

By: The Great Courses, J. Rufus Fears

Narrated by: J. Rufus Fears

Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

His friend, colleague, and esteemed political foe Clement Attlee once memorialized Winston Churchill as "the greatest Englishman of our time - I think the greatest citizen of the world of our time." More than a half-century later, Churchill's life remains proof that a single individual can change the course of history for the better and make of life a blessed and noble thing, despite public and private trials too numerous to name.

Who was this extraordinary man who rose up at an hour when freedom and right stood in mortal peril before tyranny and terror to rally the British people? To say with courage, genius, and eloquence, "Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour.'"

Moreover, how did he accomplish this amazing feat? And how was it that this achievement was just a single part of a long and fruitful life in a stunning array of endeavors?

In these 12 inspiring lectures, Professor Fears presents a well-balanced portrait of Churchill that does not whitewash his flaws. Yet he also draws on the most recent historical scholarship and material from Churchill's writings and speeches to make the case that Churchill belongs with Pericles of Athens and Abraham Lincoln as one of the greatest statesmen in the history of democracy.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2001 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2001 The Great Courses

loved it!

I learned so much! I have always admired Winston Churchill's courage. It was fascinating to hear the rest of his story.

wonderful!

Loved it! Stirring summary of Churchill's life and legacy and a wonderful answer to misinformed Churchill critics, well written and well read.

Churchill-a truly great man

Churchill was great statesmen and leader, truly courageous and visionary and now there are barely awake stumbling bumbling buffoons like Biden.

If Walter Mitty were English, he drank a lot.

As a Yank, I had a passing knowledge of Sir Winston Churchill. Last year, I listened to "Hero of the Empire:", on Audible. WOW. Next, I listened to "The Great Anglo-Boer War", twice, because the Boer War just seemed so interesting. I got this book many months ago and it may have been a "2 for 1", I don't remember, but, I'm glad I did. As an American, he really is a Walter Mitty type character. He is descended from one of the original English dynasties, his father was was at the top of the British government and his mother was an American. Sir Winston proceeds to be a Huck Finn/Walter Mitty/Audie Murphy hero.

I understand how the English electorate did not appreciate Sir Winston, all of the time. I suspect he was even reviled by the ANZACs, understandably so. I did not know about his children. I expect he was larger than life to them. I knew he was Minister of The Admiralty, but, I did not know he was an Army officer, at the front, for the last year of the war. The professional British Army is exceptionally fluid in their requirements, if need be.

I knew he painted, but not as well as he did. I knew he wrote about English history, I did not know he was so prolific. I got through the first volume of his 4 volume set(The Birth of Britain: A History of the English Speaking Peoples, Volume I), on Audible. If you are not acquainted with the first 200 or 300 years of English royalty, this will be tough.

If you have a hard time with alcohol, you may have some questions. For example, when does one start drinking and when does one stop? The answer, when you wake up, go to sleep or exhaust your supply. Also, if your are captured by enemy forces. Suffice to say, Sir Winston does not appear to take sobriety to the extreme. In "Hero Of The Empire", Sir Winston is not the only man going to South Africa with luggage laden with wine and whiskey. A years supply of alcohol was as much required as good socks.

Overall I enjoyed the listen. But, be advised, there is one thing you should consider, the author and narrator, Dr. Fears. He is lively, never monotone and he will keep your attention. And he sounds a lot like Jerry Seinfeld.

Great overview of Churchill's Life

Great listen. Introduced to important points in Churchill's life. Narration was engaging and full of passion.

Excellent!!

I truly enjoyed the course in the life and career of Winston Churchill. This course was a balance between struggle, setback, will and triumph. The delivery from Professor Fears was engaging and enlightening. An excellent primer for a deeper look into the greatest statesman of the 20th century.

Excellent Course

Winston Churchill stood alone against Hitler. This short course is an excellent introduction to one of the greatest people in the history of the world.

Churchill, champion of liberty

I have enjoyed Churchill's autobiography in audio book form, before listening to this series of lectures. I am sure Professor Fears drew greatly from that source material, and he mentions at the end of the lecture books by colleagues that gave a new analysis of Churchill's life, that scourged Churchill and considered him a failure. That was a bold move but also appreciated, because it gives the reader a chance to explore alternate points of view.
Fears starts the lecture by giving us a history of Churchill's ancestors, then he proceeds to provide for us not just the facts of Churchill's life, but how his character was formed, how it emerged, and how Churchill through both successes and failures demonstrated that he was a champion of liberty not just for the people of England but for the people of the world. I think Fears does a good job supporting his argument, even going so far as to then take the contrary position, to see if that position could be proved, the Churchill was a failure.
The lectures are slightly dated, and new history has come to light. For example, at the time the lectures were written, the U.K. was part of the European Union. Fears says that Churchill would have liked to have seen the UK as part of that union, what would he have thought about the UK stepping back out of the union?
It would've been interesting to hear Professor Fears explore the hard and tragic decision Churchill made, to attack the French fleet in the Mediterranean, to keep it from falling into the hands of the Germans.
Also to consider the question of whether the British knew that Coventry was going to be bombed and let it happen in order to keep the Germans from knowing that the Allies had access to the Germans code.
Fears is a very good lecturer, if not an outstanding one, but I do believe this great course is worth enjoying. I thank professor Fears for championing Churchill as it historical figure worth knowing about, A person from home we can learn lessons that we can apply to our own lives. And two of those great lessons are: "Stand up and fight for what you believe in" and "Never give up."

A True Lion Of Statesmanship

Freedom is a precious gift that is taken for granted by far too many people. Freedom loving people everywhere owe a profound degree of gratitude to Sir Winston Churchill. If you are blessed to live where your liberty is respected, you’re indebted to Mr. Churchill.

These lectures were wonderful.

Passion is an understatement.

The professor displays a quality that I loved in my college professors, a true passion for the subject. It creates a very engaging atmosphere that leaves you wanting more. He does A very good job of presenting both sides of Churchill although he does lean into the positives and dismisses some detractors on occasion. Overall five stars cross the board. Enjoyable way to learn about Churchill