Winston Churchill was arguably the most important figure in British history in the twentieth century. He held a large number of ministerial offices between 1900 and 1964, including the premiership in 1940- 45 and 1951- 55. He was certainly the most controversial politician of his era, not least on account of his opposition to appeasement in the 1930s. Yet his leadership during the Second World War transformed him into a popular hero, so that at his death he was lauded by most- though not all- as one of the greatest Britons who ever lived.

Churchill has been the subject of intense 'myth making' from supporters and opponents alike. Revisionist historians no longer accept either the wisdom of his opposition to appeasement or the quality of his leadership during the war that followed. This concise, accessible study charts a course through the historiography. Integrating the story of Churchill's career with the history of twentieth- century Britain, it provides an invaluable read for all those interested in a figure around whom controversy shows no signs of abating.