Bestselling historian John Lukacs traces the history of Churchill's pivotal first speech before Parliament - a speech that transformed both Churchill and the nation he had come to lead. On 13th May 1940, Churchill stood before Parliament to deliver his first speech as Prime Minister. Britain was embroiled in the first year of World War II; Neville Chamberlain's government had fallen three days earlier. Churchill needed to convince the nation that he was an able leader as he was fighting a war that was growing more destructive with each passing day. This is the pivotal event that bestselling historian John Lukacs mines in this taut, gripping book on the circumstances surrounding Churchill's speech. One of the world's experts on Winston Churchill, as well as 20th century European history in general, Lukacs is a master at excavating all lived experience of a particular historical moment, as he proved in his bestselling Five Days in London. A riveting portrait of leadership in its confrontation with radical evil, when the ideals of Western civilization hung in the balance, Lukacs' book will be essential reading for fans of military and diplomatic history, Churchill aficionados and anyone interested in leadership.