• Where Power Stops

  • The Making and Unmaking of Presidents and Prime Ministers
  • By: David Runciman
  • Narrated by: David Runciman
  • Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (17 ratings)

Prime member exclusive:
pick 2 free titles with trial.
Pick 1 title (2 titles for Prime members) from our collection of bestsellers and new releases.
Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts.
Your Premium Plus plan will continue for $14.95 a month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.
Where Power Stops  By  cover art

Where Power Stops

By: David Runciman
Narrated by: David Runciman
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.75

Buy for $18.75

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

Lyndon Baines Johnson, Margaret Thatcher, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Barack Obama, Gordon Brown, Theresa May, and Donald Trump: each had different motivations, methods, and paths, but they all sought the highest office.

And yet when they reached their goal, they often found that the power they had imagined was illusory. Their sweeping visions of reform faltered. They faced bureaucratic obstructions, but often the biggest obstruction was their own character.  

However, their personalities could help them as much as hurt them. Arguably the most successful of them, LBJ showed little indication that he supported what he is best known for - the Civil Rights Act - but his grit, resolve, and brute political skill saw him bend Congress to his will.  

David Runciman tackles the limitations of high office and how the personal histories of those who achieved the very pinnacles of power helped to define their successes and failures in office. These portraits show what characters are most effective in these offices. Could this be a blueprint for good and effective leadership in an age lacking good leaders?

©2019 David Runciman (P)2019 Hachette Audio UK

What listeners say about Where Power Stops

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    12
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

No Reviews are Available
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Amazon Customer
  • Amazon Customer
  • 02-16-20

Excellent political analysis

Came to David Runciman from his excellent Talking Politics podcast. The book is well written, well read and both intriguing and enlightening in its dissection of the egos, motives and madness of the major politicians of the last fifty years.

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Edmund
  • Edmund
  • 12-28-19

Your mate david runciman gives his takes

More blokey than his last, this is less rigourous and more half-baked. Good listen though.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Michelle Farrington
  • Michelle Farrington
  • 10-05-19

Runciman Delivers Again

Insightful, funny, pensive - Runciman convers the gamut loud political analysis and what it means to have and lose power. A must read for anyone interested in current Western political thought.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Anonymous User
  • Anonymous User
  • 12-12-20

Good Info

Not awful by any stretch but definitely not as engaging as the authors other works around the same time. If the choice is between this and another offering from Runciman, I’d go with the other.