The Second World War (book series)

For the book by Antony Beevor, see The Second World War (book).

The Second World War

First edition in 6 volumes
Author	Winston Churchill and assistants
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Subject	Second World War
Publisher	HoughtonMifflin
Publication date	1948–1953
Awards	1953 Nobel Prize in Literature

The Second World War is a history of the period from the end of the First World War to July 1945, written by Winston Churchill. It was largely responsible for his being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953. Churchill labelled the "moral of the work" as follows: "In War: Resolution, In Defeat: Defiance, In Victory: Magnanimity, In Peace: Goodwill".

Churchill wrote the book, with a team of assistants, using both his own notes and privileged access to official documents while still working as a politician; the text was vetted by the Cabinet Secretary. Churchill was largely fair in his treatment, but wrote the history from his personal point of view. He was unable to reveal all the facts, as some, such as the use of Ultra electronic intelligence, had to remain secret. From a historical point of view the book is therefore an incomplete memoir by a leading participant in the direction of the war.

The book was a major commercial success in Britain and the United States. The first edition appeared in six volumes; later editions appeared in twelve and four volumes, and there is also a single-volume abridged version.

Writing

Churchill during the Second World War

When Churchill assumed office in 1940, he intended to write a history of the war then beginning. He said several times: "I will leave judgements on this matter to history – but I will be one of the historians." To circumvent the rules against the use of official documents, he took the precaution throughout the war of having a weekly summary of correspondence, minutes, memoranda and other documents printed in galleys and headed "Prime Minister's personal minutes". These were then stored at his home and Churchill wrote or dictated letters and memoranda with the intention of placing his views on the record, for later use as a historian. The arrangements became a source of controversy when The Second World War began appearing in 1948. Churchill was a politician not an academic historian and was Leader of the Opposition, intending to return to office, so Churchill's access to Cabinet, military and diplomatic records denied to other historians was questioned.

It was not known at the time that Churchill had done a deal with Clement Attlee and Labour government which came to office in 1945. Attlee agreed to allow Churchill's research assistants access to all documents, provided that no official secrets were revealed, the documents were not used for party political purposes and the typescript was vetted by the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Norman Brook. Brook took a close interest in the books and rewrote some sections to ensure that British interests were not harmed or the government embarrassed. Churchill's privileged access to documents and his knowledge gave him an advantage over other historians of the Second World War for many years. The books had enormous sales in both Britain and the United States and made Churchill a rich man for the first time. While Churchill's name appears on the books as the author, much of the series was gathered by a team of researchers.

After Churchill died and archives were opened, deficiencies of his work became apparent. Some of these were inherent in the position Churchill occupied as a former Prime Minister and a serving politician. He could not reveal military secrets, such as the work of the code breakers at Bletchley Park, or the planning of the atomic bomb. As stated in the author's introduction, the book concentrates on the British war effort. Other theatres of war are described largely as a background. The descriptions of the fighting on the Eastern Front and to a lesser extent, of the Pacific War are sketchy. Although he is usually fair, some personal vendettas are aired, for example against Sir Stafford Cripps, at one time considered by some the "only possible alternative wartime Prime Minister" to Churchill.

Legacy

1960s paperback edition in 12 volumes shared some titles with the first edition but for different portions of the work.

The Second World War can be read with profit by students of the period but as a memoir by a leading participant rather than a comprehensive history by a professional and detached historian. The Second World War, particularly the period from 1940 to 1942 when Britain fought with the support of the Empire and a few Allies, was the climax of Churchill's career and his inside story of those days is unique and invaluable.

American historian Raymond Callahan, reviewing In Command of History by David Reynolds about Churchill's The Second World War, wrote:

The outlines of the story have long been known—Churchill wrote to put his own spin on the history of the war and give himself and his family financial security, and he wrote with a great deal of assistance.

Callahan concluded that notwithstanding any changes to historians' understanding of the book, now that what Churchill wrote has been compared in detail to the released archives, Churchill "remains the arresting figure he has always been — dynamic, often wrong, but the indispensable leader" who led Britain to "its last, terribly costly, imperial victory." In Callahan's view, Churchill was guilty of "carefully reconstructing the story" to suit his postwar political goals.

John Keegan wrote in the 1985 introduction to the series that some deficiencies in the account from the secrecy of Ultra intelligence. Keegan held that Churchill's account was unique, since none of the other leaders (Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler) wrote a firsthand account of the war. Churchill's books were written collaboratively, as he solicited others involved in the war for their papers and remembrances.

Editions

The Second World War has been issued in editions of six, twelve and four volumes, as well as a single-volume abridgment. Some volumes in these editions share names, such as Triumph and Tragedy but the contents of the volumes differ, covering varying portions of the book.

First edition (hardcover) in six volumes

1. The Gathering Storm (1948)
2. Their Finest Hour (1949)
3. The Grand Alliance (1950)
4. The Hinge of Fate (1950)
5. Closing the Ring (1951)
6. Triumph and Tragedy (1953)

Full paperback edition in twelve volumes

1. The Gathering Storm
2. The Twilight War
3. The Fall of France
4. The Commonwealth Alone
5. Germany Drives East
6. War Comes to America
7. The Onslaught of Japan
8. Victory in Africa
9. The Invasion of Italy
10. Assault from the Air
11. The Tide of Victory
12. Triumph and Tragedy

Condensed edition in four volumes

1. Milestones to Disaster
2. Alone
3. The Grand Alliance
4. Triumph and Tragedy

See also

• History of the Second World War, the official history by the British government

Bibliography

• Best, Geoffrey. Churchill: A Study in Greatness. London:Continuum, 2002.
• Gilbert, Martin. Churchill: A Life. New York: Macmillan, 1992. p. 879.
• Reynolds, David. In Command of History: Churchill Fighting and Writing the Second World War. New York:Basic Books, 2007.