Churchill

By: The Great Courses, J. Rufus Fears

Narrated by: J. Rufus Fears

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

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

Fantastic

An excellent, but unabashedly sympathetic, overview of a towering figure by a wonderful teacher. Hits all the high points of Churchill's life while arguing him to be one of the greatest statesmen ever.

Beautiful Narration

Wonderful overview of Churchill’s life. The narrator is superb. I do wish the last 3 lectures were a bit more detailed.

Churchill's Biggest Fan

Any additional comments?

I really didn't know much about Churchill, and I learned a lot from this course. The author traces Churchill's family history to set the stage for Churchill's ascent to various positions of power, his thoughts and his decisions. His research is thorough. A reader with more knowledge than I about Churchill might be turned off bythe professor's "man crush" on Churchill. Churchill can do no wrong in this course (except exhibit a poor political antenna). His critics and political opponents can do no right and suffer from an absence of character. Seems unlikely that history is this one-sided. I'll leave the course with an appreciation of not only Churchill the statesman and war time leader, but also Churchill the author, the artist, the business man and the family man. I'll have to listen elsewhere if I want a less biased perspective of his opponents and a view of Churchill from some of his critics.

Good Overview But …

Fears’ delivery was somewhat distracting - for me & for him at times it seemed. Bordering on the melodramatic, with cadences of a preacher delivering a sermon, he almost loses track of what he is saying, every now and then, in his focus on how he is saying it.

Well done lecture series

All the themes were covered beautifully and in a very digestible way. Would revisit this.

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.