Churchill's Promised Land: Zionism and Statecraft (A New Republic Book) - Softcover

Makovsky, .

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0300143249 ISBN 13: 9780300143249

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2012

Synopsis

This book is the first to explore fully the role that Zionism played in the political thought of Winston Churchill. Michael Makovsky traces the development of Churchill's positions toward Zionism from the period leading up to the First World War through his final years as prime minister in the 1950s. Setting Churchill's attitudes toward Zionism within the context of his overall worldview as well as within the context of twentieth-century British diplomacy, Makovsky offers a unique contribution to our understanding of Churchill. Moving chronologically, the book looks at Churchill's career within the context of several major themes: his own worldview and political strategies, his understanding of British imperial interests, the moral impact of the Holocaust, his commitment to ideals of civilization, and his historical sentimentalism. While Churchill was largely sympathetic to the Jews and to the Zionist impulse, he was not without inconsistencies in his views and policies over the years. Makovsky's book illuminates key aspects of Middle Eastern history; Zionist history; and British political, imperial, and diplomatic history; and further helps us understand one of the pivotal figures of the twentieth century.

About this title

Review:

"'Makovsky's book demonstrates that Churchill's Zionism did not emerge fully formed but developed gradually, shaped by his other concerns and always ruled by his pragmatism... For an honest, but not hostile, explanation of Churchill's stance toward the Jewish world that also sheds much light on his outlook and his conduct as a politician, Michael Makovsky's account can hardly be bettered.' Literary Review 'A solidly constructed book... We are introduced, carefully and respectfully, to a corner of Churchill's mind and political behaviour that undoubtedly deserves exploration.' David Vital, Times Literary Supplement"

About the Author:

Michael Makovsky has a Ph.D. in diplomatic history from Harvard and is foreign policy director of the Bipartisan Policy Center, a think tank based in Washington, D.C. He lives in Washington.

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0300143249
• ISBN 13: 9780300143249
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 366