Churchill, the End of Glory: A Political Biography

In this reappraisal of Churchill's career from his entry into politics in 1900 until he was voted out of office in 1945, Charmley brings the great man's warts into high relief: his taste for luxury, his impetuousness, his abrasive personality, his self-absorption, his lack of foresight. This deeply researched, masterfully written biography by a British lecturer in history was a controversial bestseller in England, largely because of its argument that Churchill's political compromises with Stalin constituted appeasement. The author points out, for instance, that Churchill denounced his predecessor, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, for acceding to Hitler's annexation of Czech territory in 1938, but then pressured the Poles in 1944 to accept Stalin-imposed territorial sacrifices that made the Munich Pact ``look like a simple frontier adjustment.'' Charmley's major reassessment is an engrossing survey of British foreign and domestic politics during the first half of the 20th century, with the emphasis on Churchill's role in much of it. (Sept.)