Gandhi & Churchill: The Epic Rivalry that Destroyed an Empire and Forged Our Age
by Arthur Herman
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Historian Arthur Herman sheds new light on two icons of the twentieth century, revealing how their forty-year rivalry sealed the fate of India and the British Empire. Born worlds apart--Churchill to Britain's most glamorous aristocratic family, Gandhi to a pious middle-class provincial household in India--they led their nations through harrowing trials and became locked in a contest of wills that would decide the fate of countries, continents, and ultimately an empire. More alike than show more different, they became bitter enemies over the future of India--and Churchill would do whatever was necessary to ensure that India remain British, including a fateful redrawing of the entire map of the Middle East. Herman cuts through the legends and myths about these two charismatic figures, revealing their flaws as well as their strengths. The result is an epic of empire and insurrection, war and political intrigue, with a fascinating supporting cast.--From publisher description. show lessTags
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This double historical biography was, IMO, well-written. Not only did the author seem to research his subjects thoroughly, but he wrote with a clear, critical eye, not glossing over the faIlings of either man, nor exaggerating either one's strengths or weaknesses. This novel was well-crafted as well, with the intersections of the lives of Gandhi and Churchill woven together in a way that flowed well, and made the book even more interesting.
This was an outstanding book. It would make a nice gift for history buffs.
This was an outstanding book. It would make a nice gift for history buffs.
I was fascinated by this comparative biography which looks critically at Gandhi and Churchill, two men who have been much idealized and mythologized.
Come on, attempting to compare a true saint like Gandhi to that foul mouthed, ill tempered, mean curmodgeon, asura, rakshasa, offspring of satan would be like doing the same with one of Christ's true apostles with Pontius Pilate.
A nice biography of these two men. There is one theme though that runs through and that is the workings of the evil british empire. The way it acquired territories through through the force and the power of the gun and held it through trickery, subterfuge, chicanery, bribing, cajoling, coercion, cheating and outright violence. The evil deeds of this man, read pg 272, like the arbitrary division of Syria in to Iraq, Jordon and Palestine has repercussions to this day in the form of turmoil in the middle east.
The show more Americans did the right thing in giving them a taste of their own medicine by evicting them by force and this example should have been followed by all the other colonies. show less
A nice biography of these two men. There is one theme though that runs through and that is the workings of the evil british empire. The way it acquired territories through through the force and the power of the gun and held it through trickery, subterfuge, chicanery, bribing, cajoling, coercion, cheating and outright violence. The evil deeds of this man, read pg 272, like the arbitrary division of Syria in to Iraq, Jordon and Palestine has repercussions to this day in the form of turmoil in the middle east.
The show more Americans did the right thing in giving them a taste of their own medicine by evicting them by force and this example should have been followed by all the other colonies. show less
Come on, attempting to compare a true saint like Gandhi to that foul mouthed, ill tempered and mean curmodgeon would be like doing the same with one of Christ's true apostles with Pontius Pilate.
A nice biography of these two men. There is one theme though that runs through and that is the workings of the evil british empire. The way it acquired territories through through the force and the power of the gun and held it through trickery, subterfuge, chicanery, bribing, cajoling, coercion, cheating and outright violence. The evil deeds of this man, read pg 272, like the arbitrary division of Syria in to Iraq, Jordon and Palestine has repercussions to this day in the form of turmoil in the middle east.
The Americans did the right thing in show more giving them a taste of their own medicine by evicting them by force and this example should have been followed by all the other colonies. show less
A nice biography of these two men. There is one theme though that runs through and that is the workings of the evil british empire. The way it acquired territories through through the force and the power of the gun and held it through trickery, subterfuge, chicanery, bribing, cajoling, coercion, cheating and outright violence. The evil deeds of this man, read pg 272, like the arbitrary division of Syria in to Iraq, Jordon and Palestine has repercussions to this day in the form of turmoil in the middle east.
The Americans did the right thing in show more giving them a taste of their own medicine by evicting them by force and this example should have been followed by all the other colonies. show less
Excellent objective account of two remarkable intersecting lives and about what really happened to India and the British Empire.
For Edwin Feulner, With my best wishes, Arthur Herman
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38 works; 1 member
Author Information
16+ Works 6,280 Members
Arthur Herman, PhD, is the author of the New York Times bestseller How the Scots Invented the Modern World, which has sold a half million copies worldwide, and Gandhi and Churchill, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He is the author of six previous books and a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, DC.
Awards and Honors
Awards
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- Gandhi & Churchill : the epic rivalry that destroyed an empire and forged our age
- Original publication date
- 2008
- People/Characters
- Winston Churchill; Mohandas Gandhi; Rabindranath Tagore; Franklin Delano Roosevelt; Louis Mountbatten Earl Mountbatten of Burma; Muhammad Ali Jinnah
- Important places
- British Empire; India
- Epigraph
- I see no being which lives in the world without violence.
—Mahabharata - First words
- Mutiny.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Their story is the great untold parable of the twentieth century.
- Blurbers
- D'Este, Carlo; Chaudhuri, Pramit Pal; Langworth, Richard M.
Classifications
- Genres
- History, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir
- DDC/MDS
- 325.54094109041 — Society, Government, and Culture Political science International migration and colonization Asia Indian Subcontinent
- LCC
- DA47.9 .I4 .H47 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Great Britain History of Great Britain England History
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 487
- Popularity
- 61,580
- Reviews
- 6
- Rating
- (4.14)
- Languages
- English, Portuguese
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 12
- ASINs
- 4
