This is a splendid book. My suspicion has always been that a lot of people are frightened away from it by the fact that it is just the first of a six-volume series, and the sheer size of the work is intimidating. If that's your reaction, think again; first, Churchill's work, while comprehensive, is also readily consumable in bite-sizes. Second, this particular volume really stands on its own for anyone who would like to understand the "why" of World War II.

Admittedly, on that "why" question, Churchill represents a particular point of view, but it is a point of view which, with hindsight, seems to have been dead-on. Had the allies not insisted on squeezing Germany nearly to death at Versailles, or had the allies not failed miserably to enforce the military terms of treaties with Germany or to arm themselves for the emerging conflict, the whole history of the twentieth century would have been very different.

My view is that historical reading is almost always best when it comes from the hand of a participant in the events; and Churchill's role in the war and in the runup to the war was important indeed. This volume covers the span of time from the end of WWI through the invasions of Poland and Norway (and the eve of the German invasion of France), and the most interesting aspect is not the military, but the political, aspect of the story. The validity of Churchill's point of view as a military historian has been the subject of much debate, but his political understanding of the factors leading up to the war is deep and detailed. No one was more aware of the threat Germany posed, and when Norway fell, no one was a more obvious choice to replace Chamberlain as PM than Churchill.

I bought this book because I wanted to understand how and why the war began, and I had no intention of reading all six volumes of Churchill's war history. But this book was so gripping and intense that I couldn't stop, and I proceeded to read the whole darned thing. Highly recomended.

This is the first volume of Churchill's Noble Prize winning six part chronicle of World War II. The Gathering Storm depicts the rise of Hitler and the indifference of the leaders of the European democracies to the clouds of the gathering storm. Churchill incorporates contemporary documentation and his own reminiscence in this opening memoir. Churchill was a great statesman with great literary ability - a winning combination. The Gathering Storm a unique work and has a message for us in today's world.

Read and reviewed by Jimmie A. Kepler

Churchill gathered his researchers and secretaries and wrote an account of the events of World War II. These memoirs would span a work of six volumes, and added with his other literary achievements win for him the Noble Prize in Literature. The 'Gathering Storm', Volume I, starts with the end of World War I..the war to end all wars..and concludes on May 10,1940 with Germany's invasion of the Low Countries(Holland/Belgium) and France. May 10 was also the day that Neville Chamberlain resigned as Prime Minister and Churchill was asked, by the King, to form a new Government...in effect becoming the new head of Government or Prime Minister.

This is a work that is well worth reading. The contents and wisdom are just as relevant today as then. Churchill was relentless in his opinions, good and not-so-good, and did all in his power to try and stem the coming war. He had the advantage of being in the early government as First Lord of the Admiralty from 1911 to 1915. Driven into the wilderness years by forcing the Darnanelles,..a plan he still maintained would have worked if not for the 'timid observationists'..he would still keep active in governmental affairs and had enough connections to keep up-to-date with current events. Chamberlain, in 1939, would put him back into the Admiralty as First Lord..ironically going full circle back to his old office. Now with victory and hindsight, he was in the enviable position to see and write about the events that took place, and what could have happened if certain plans had or hadn't been implemented.

Churchill states that all the trials he went through prepared him for the great task of war. Had he remained in office, the position of Prime Minister would never have come his way. He would have been swept out of office with the failed administration. Those 'invisible wings' of fate were watching out for him. He was freed from party antagonisms and with six years of warning, about the oncoming events, no one could reproach him. What he had warned about was now real and the future was not certain. Churchill felt he knew a great deal about it all and was sure he could not fail. As Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, he now had the power to direct the whole scene. That was one of the areas I felt he craved more than any. The power to move the action forward on the offensive instead of always on the defensive.

Churchill wrote of the events that were transpiring with Germany's disregard for the Treaty of Versailles, Locarno and the failure at Munich. The rise of Hilter and his ascension to Chancellor, the absorption of Austria, the neutralization of Czechoslovakia, and the fall of Poland. The timidity of England and France to respond to the treaties and strike a blow for freedom in retaliation. He doesn't hold back his opinions and what he felt should have been done. As First Lord of the Admiralty he pushed for taking the port at Narvik Norway and found this plan changed from a sea strike to a failed pincer attack. He watched with frustration the failed, yet fortunate, attempt to tangle and embed the war on the Norwegian front. It was fortunate because shortly the war was to break full upon the Western Front and all was needed there. Norway ended the twilight or false war and moved the events forward into an all out compaign of total war.

The face and technology of war has changed over these many years. I doubt we'll ever see countries signing peace documents on battleships again. Unfortunately the reality is that war is still very much alive and with us. These facts alone make these volumes important reading. Possibly the most important aspect is that we can learn from a great man's experiences and hopefully not repeat the past. Well worth adding to the library.

And he did. This compulisively readable account of Europe between the wars and from 09/39 to 05/40 covers European diplomatic history, shifts in British politics, Britian's unwillingness to prepare for war, Hitler's rise to power and German re-armament. It ends with the invasion of France/the Low Countries and Chuchill's ascent to Prime Minister of a National Government. For all it's readablity and heavy use of documentation and primary sources, this is still a memior and sometimes self-serving.

In his preface Churchill states that one day president Roosevelt asked him for suggestions as to what the war should be called. He replied at once " the Unnecessary War "

While hindsight is always 20-20, it is impossible to read this brilliant account without coming to the conclusion that Churchill was giving way to understatement. The absurd idiocies of the governments of the victorious Allies of The Great War from 1918 to 1939 were so blatantly appalling as to be beyond belief.

To name just one, there was strong pressure in the British Parliament and Press to have France, in the interest of fair play (?) reduce its army by half and allow Germany to double its own.-- As Hitler was rallying millions to his banner.

The chapter on Hitler is perhaps the best. To quote Churchill again: " When eventually he came to power there was no book (Mein Kempf) which deserved more careful study from the rulers, political and military , of the Allied powers. All was there . . . "

But the Allies, embroiled with their own party strifes, took little notice.

Juncture after juncture, The Second World War could have easily been avoided. Repeat, easily.

For readers only familiar with Churchill's reputation as an orator, this is a chance to get to know why so many justly regard him as one of the greatest prose writers of the 20th century.

Furthermore, neither Hitler, Roosevelt, nor Stalin had the means or inclination to give an insider's first rate account of the war. Here you will see it from the summit, blow by blow.

It is indeed a tragedy, but one superbly told.

This is the first volume in a six-part work covering World War Two. It's best looked upon as Churchill's war memoirs rather than an attempt at a definitive history of the conflict. Of course, Churchill was a major figure in the war, and therefore cannot be regarded as a dispassionate analyst: he was far too close to the events and lacked the research that subsequent years have provided. All these observations are truisms, but it's worth stating that the reader should expect a very personal and Anglo-centric account.

This first volume covers the period from 1919 to the fall of the Chamberlain Government following the disasterous campaign in Norway in 1940. A major chunk of the book is taken up by Churchill's account of the faults and consequences of the Versailles Treaty, the rise of Nazi Germany and the growing threat to peace. There is very little on events in the Far East. There's not much either to throw doubt upon Churchill's role as the unheeded herald of the menace posed by the dictators, but he does have the grace to concede that the trials of World War One and the horrendous losses suffered in that war had scarred deeply the collective psyche. The reluctance to re-militarise can be better understood in that context.

Events have since shown of course that few politicians have the courage either to act contrary to what they perceive as public sentiment, or to clear their minds of preconceptions when all the evidence does not suit them. Either of these traits on their own are problematic, but it seemed that both were working at the same time in the inter-war period, to disasterous effect. As Churchill points out, few (including those on the Left) demurred from the prevailing wisdom: this must be borne in mind when British politicians of all types during the post-war period posed as implacable pre-war anti-appeasers.

Of course, few of the democracies were without these traits, and few come out of Churchill's account with total absolution - barring perhaps Czechoslovakia. Even Poland took part in the post-Munich dismemberment of that country. Churchill's account is of a tragedy, but not one which started in 1919. Rather the "peace" between the two World Wars was nothing more than a pause in the greater tragedy of twentieth-century history.

His account is passionate, lively and accessibly written. As I stated above, not one for a student wanting a definitive story, but is nonetheless gripping.

G Rodgers

Surely the Second World War was the most dramatic event in modern times anywhere in the world. It's been discussed, analyzed, surveyed, picked apart, revised, and otherwise examined since even before it actually began. Yet Winston Churchill's masterful account is the only such work produced by a head of government at the time. His six-volume set is one of the landmark pieces of writing, and in this first volume, The Gathering Storm, Churchill sets down the events leading into and beginning the war.

Notably, most of this volume covers the time prior to Churchill's time as Prime Minister. Nonetheless, working from personal correspondences and of course with the known archives, he tells of the lead-up to war with sharp clarity. The most notable feature in this volume (and presumably later ones) is not only Churchill's Britain-centered perspective, but also his Churchill-centered perspective. In short, this is not so much a professional history as it is a set of memoirs with extensive commentary. The author is often present in these words as a participant, and no effort is made to set any distance between himself and the action. This is entirely appropriate, as it would be a gross underutilization for Churchill's own presence to go ignored. This does not mean that he covers no material for events he did not witness, a pointless project for any participant, but it does mean that the reader should expect extensive editorializing. Churchill was more of a professional war thinker than any of the national leaders of the conflict. While his own background for most of his adult life was in civilian government, it was in military-related venues that he made his name and reputation, and it was these that eventually gained him the highest office.

The remaining features of Churchill's presentation that should be noted include his extensive use of primary documentation. He has reproduced many of the official letters and documents relating to government functioning during this time, and these make up a sizeable portion of the text. Additional documents are found in the appendices, including extensive minutes of various meetings. Thus, while providing a real feel for events and thoughts at the time, the overall presentation is sometimes rendered choppy. Again, this work should not be confused with a proper historical account. For this reason, too, the reader should remember that this work was written only a few years after the end of the war, and at a time when many of the named figures were still very much alive and in government. Churchill is lavish with his praise, and one wonders how much politics might enter these pages.

Churchill's gift to the world is a magnificently begun piece of personal history. It is, I think, not without reason that he received a Nobel Prize in literature for his lifetime achievements with works such as these. Through all the letters and documents he weaves a clear and engaging picture of a world on a collision course with disaster.