Description
Book SynopsisThis powerful book provides a nuanced comparison of Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle as they thought, spoke, and acted through two world wars and the subsequent Cold War. Will Morrisey frames geopolitics as the realm of necessity, and his book will help those who want to learn the art of statesmanship from two of its most accomplished practitioners. Morrisey credits their success in defending political liberty to their ability to frame successful geopolitical strategies. As leaders in and out of power, they defended their countries against the rising superpowers of the twentieth century: the tyrannies of Germany and the Soviet Union, but also, in a different way, the challenge of America's rise to worldwide stature and eventual dominance. Along with these similarities, there were two crucial differences: Churchill stood at the head of a maritime nation while de Gaulle led a land power situated on the dangerous northern European plain; Churchill enjoyed a stable political foundat
Trade ReviewMorrisey’s historical and geopolitical surveys are invaluable in themselves, but their even greater merit lies in his invitation to the reader to think along with these two statesmen as they negotiate great geopolitical challenges while led by the purpose of preserving their peoples’ liberty. Though the particular challenges to freedom may change, dangers will recur. It will, therefore, always be of value to examine notable displays of wisdom that may guide us through our own trials. For anyone seeking to understand the art of statesmanship, this book is a necessity. * Law and Liberty Online *
Churchill and de Gaulle: The Geopolitics of Liberty uses two world figures to teach about statesmanship as the highest form of practical reason. Since Churchill and de Gaulle are Morrisey’s exemplars, it is particularly appropriate that he relies heavily upon their writings, though there is ample additional source material provided. What the author is really trying to do here is show the reader how to think critically about geopolitical issues in terms of moral principle and prudence. He succeeds brilliantly. -- Robert Reilly, American Foreign Policy Council
Will Morrisey’s thoroughly researched and insightful study sheds important new light on the complex lives of two titans of the twentieth century—Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle. -- Lee Pollock, The Churchill Centre
Will Morrisey provides the reader with an unmatched treatment of Churchill and de Gaulle. His learned and eloquent book reveals the myriad ways in which the two greatest statesmen of the twentieth century provided a humane and spirited defense of liberty even as they opposed the armed tyrannies that did so much to menace freedom in their time. He is also sensitive to their differences, rooted as they were in two distinct civic and national experiences. -- Daniel J. Mahoney, Assumption College
Table of ContentsIntroduction: What Is the Geopolitics of Liberty? Chapter 1: The Greatness of Great Britain Chapter 2: The Grandeur of France Chapter 3: The Geopolitics of Great Britain Chapter 4: The Geopolitics of France Chapter 5: How Churchill Understood the Geopolitics of the First World War Chapter 6: How de Gaulle Understood the Geopolitics of the First World War Chapter 7: How Churchill Understood the Geopolitics of the Second World War Chapter 8: How de Gaulle Understood the Geopolitics of the Second World War Chapter 9: How Churchill Understood the Geopolitics of the Cold War Chapter 10: How de Gaulle Understood the Geopolitics of the Cold War Conclusion: Geopolitics of Liberty
