643. Churchill Defiant by Barbara Leaming- summary

643.  Churchill Defiant by Barbara Leaming.  Well written with a hint of a mystery.  If you are like me and do not know this period well, the story unfolds in an exciting way.  World War II ends.  Churchill, after leading his country through the war and many have said saving Western Civilization in the process, lost his position as Prime Minister in the elections held in 1945.  Privately he was devastated.  But he decided the he would not step down as head of the Conservative Party.  Just about everyone expected him to retire.  He was after all 77 when re-elected in 1951.  In fact he was so taxed in World War II that it is quite the miracle that he survived the war.  In fairness a young healthy man would not have physically done better.  He was indeed defiant in several ways.  He defied his age.  He ignored requests to retire.  He defied his own party.  He defied the opposition party which  jumped on his blunders which he committed partly due to his age.  He at least diplomatically defied the United States.  What drove him?  Well, ambition, but something else.  He foresaw World War I and no one listened.  He knew that the manner in which World War I was concluded that another war was in the future.  He predicted World War Two and no one believed him.  He tried in vain to convince President Roosevelt not to trust the Russians and was ignored.  He tried to persuade President Truman that Russian would never leave territory conquered from Nazi Germany.  He was brushed aside.  Yet, in every case he turned to be right, dead on, hit the nail on the head.  Must have been frustrating and irksome to say the least.  So when World War II ended and he lost power what he saw was the danger of the USA pitted against USSR.  The two must be brought together in order to strengthen world peace.  He was rebuffed again and again by Truman.  When one avenue was closed, Churchill opened up another path to negotiations.  He had to defy his own party members, some of which simply disagreed with his program; others were angling for their own hopes to become Prime Minister.  Churchill seemed to view government and rules as a conundrum to be made into a tool to be used by him as a serve to his fellow citizens.  A twisted path convoluted and mined which pleased his human mind to navigate.