3 days ago

Creating Churchill: OPPOSITION

In this episode, we explore Winston Churchill's relationship with his political opponent Clement Attlee: Labour leader, wartime coalition colleague and eventually Churchill's successor as Prime Minister in 1945. Churchill's insults about Attlee have become so familiar now that they're almost cliche. Talking to American President Harry Truman in 1946, Churchill said of Attlee, ‘There is less there than meets the eye’. Truman replied: ‘He seems a modest fellow.’ Churchill fired back: ‘He has much to be modest about’. Find out why Churchill could be so rude about Attlee behind his back.

Creating Churchill offers a fresh perspective on the life and legacy of the soldier, writer, and war leader Winston Churchill. As we approach the 150th anniversary of his birth on 30^th November, 2024, this podcast invites listeners to look beyond the now familiar bulldog image and rediscover the real Churchill, his strengths and his weaknesses, through the eyes of contemporaries he collaborated or clashed with.

Join Cambridge University historian David Reynolds and documentary producer Russell Barnes as they explore how Churchill’s extraordinary career and personality were shaped by relationships with the key figures in his life: friends, rivals, enemies and family.

Creating Churchill draws on David Reynolds’ book

Mirrors of Greatness: Churchill and the Leaders Who Shaped Him,

published by HarperCollins in the UK:

https://williamcollinsbooks.co.uk/products/mirrors-of-greatness-churchill-and-the-leaders-who-shaped-him-david-reynolds-9780008439910/

And Basic Books in the USA:

https://hachettebookgroup.com/titles/david-reynolds/mirrors-of-greatness/9781541620209/

Produced and edited by Russell Barnes.

Music by Rich Farnsworth.

Digital marketing by Lee Mann.

Sound engineering by Andrew Chappell.

Hosted by Podbean.

Creating Churchill is a ClearStory ‘Creating History’ production.