The Roar of the Lion: The Untold Story of Churchill’s World War II Speeches

The popular story of Churchill’s war-time rhetoric is a simple one: the British people were energized and inspired by his speeches, which were almost universally admired. Richard Toye now re-examines this accepted national story - and gives it a radical new spin. Using survey evidence and the diaries of ordinary people, he shows how reactions to Churchill’s speeches at the time were often very different from what we have always been led to expect. In actual fact, as Toye shows, mass enthusiasm sat side-by-side with considerable criticism and dissent from ordinary people. Yes, these were speeches that stimulated, invigorated, and excited many. But there were also speeches which caused depression and disappointment in many others, and which sometimes led to workplace or family arguments. Yet this more complex reality has been consistently obscured from the historical record by the overwhelming power of a treasured national myth.