Chapter One, Churchill and History Summary and Analysis

When author John Keegan is growing up in post-war Britain, he regards Winston Churchill as a relic of a previous generation—once a great wartime leader, the man's Conservative Party represents the old capitalist, imperialist ways of the British Empire. For Keegan's generation, it is now time to mature, to turn towards the future, and leave relics like Churchill where they belong: in the past.

However, when Keegan comes to the New York City to study, he discovers a country on the rise. Unlike Britain, the United States is in its ascendancy and New York City displays the energy of that great rise to power. To pass the time, Keegan sometimes listens to records and comes across a popular American record of Churchill's wartime speeches. Churchill displays the energy of the British...