The Complete Collection of Winston S. Churchill. A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Vol. 1-4. Illustrated : The Birth of Britain, The New World, The Age of Revolution, The Great Democracies , livre ebook

Winston S. Churchill
The Complete Collection of Winston S. Churchill. A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Vol. 1-4. Illustrated:
The Birth of Britain, The New World, The Age of Revolution, The Great Democracies
The Complete Collection of Winston S. Churchill. A History of the English-Speaking Peoples is a seminal historical work by British statesman and writer Winston S. Churchill, comprising four volumes: The Birth of Britain, The New World, The Age of Revolution, and The Great Democracies. This illustrated edition presents the classic masterpiece, which chronicles the history of English-speaking peoples from ancient times to the early 20th century.
In the first volume, The Birth of Britain, Churchill explores the formation of England, from the Roman conquest to the end of the Middle Ages. The second volume, The New World, covers the Age of Exploration and the colonization of America. The Age of Revolution, the third volume, examines the impact of revolutions—from the English Revolution to the American and French Revolutions—on the development of modern democratic societies. The final volume, The Great Democracies, focuses on the growth of the United States and the British Empire during the 19th century.
Churchill not only narrates key events but also delves into their long-term consequences, highlighting the interconnectedness of politics, culture, and the mindset of English-speaking nations. The book stands out for its vivid storytelling, in-depth analysis, and the author’s skill in presenting historical facts, making it engaging for both scholars and general readers. The illustrations enhance the text, providing a richer understanding of the eras and events described.
Contents:
- The Birth of Britain (1956)
- The New World (1956)
- The Age of Revolution (1957)
- The Great Democracies (1958)
Table of Contents
Volume One: The Birth of Britain
Chapter I. Britannia
1
2
Chapter II. Subjugation
1
2
3
Chapter III. The Roman Province
1
Chapter IV. The Lost Island
1
2
3
4
5
Chapter V. England
1
2
3
4
Chapter VI. The Vikings
1
2
3
4
Chapter VII. Alfred the Great
1
2
3
4
Chapter VIII. The Saxon Dusk
1
2
3
4
Chapter IX. The Norman Invasion
1
2
Chapter X. William the Conqueror
1
2
Chapter XI. Growth Amid Turmoil
1
2
3
4
5
6
Chapter XII. Henry Plantagenet
1
2
Chapter XIII. The English Common Law
Chapter XIV. Cceur de Lion
1
2
3
Chapter XV. Magna Carta
1
2
Chapter XVI. On the Anvil
1
2
3
4
Chapter XVII. The Mother of Parliaments
1
2
3
Chapter XVIII. King Edward I
1
2
3
4
5
6
Chapter XIX. Bannockburn
1
Chapter XX. Scotland and Ireland
1
2
3
Chapter XXI. The Long-Bow
1
Chapter XXII. The Black Death
1
2
Chapter XXIII. King Richard II and the Social Revolt
1
2
3
4
5
6
Chapter XXIV. The Usurpation of Henry Bolingbroke
1
2
Chapter XXV. The Empire of Henry V
1
Chapter XXVI. Joan of Arc
1
2
Chapter XXVII. York and Lancaster
1
2
Chapter XXVIII. The Wars of the Roses
1
2
3
4
Chapter XXIX. The Adventures of Edward IV
1
2
3
4
5
Chapter XXX. Richard III
1
2
3
4
Volume Two: The New World
Chapter I. The Round World
1
2
3
4
5
Chapter II. The Tudor Dynasty
1
Chapter III. King Henry VIII
1
2
Chapter IV. Cardinal Wolsey
1
2
Chapter V. The Break with Rome
1
Chapter VI. The End of the Monasteries
1
2
3
4
Chapter VII. The Protestant Struggle
1
2
3
Chapter VIII. Good Queen Bess
1
2
3
4
5
Chapter IX. The Spanish Armada
1
Chapter X. Gloriana
1
2
3
Chapter XI. The United Crowns
1
2
3
4
Chapter XII. The Mayflower
1
2
3
Chapter XIII. Charles I and Buckingham
1
Chapter XIV. The Personal Rule
1
2
Chapter XV. The Revolt of Parliament
1
2
3
4
Chapter XVI. The Great Rebellion
1
2
3
4
5
Chapter XVII. Marston Moor and Naseby
1
Chapter XVIII. The Axe Falls
1
2
3
4
Chapter XIX. The English Republic
1
2
Chapter XX. The Lord Protector
1
2
3
4
Chapter XXI. The Restoration
1
2
3
Chapter XXII. The Merry Monarch
1
2
Chapter XXIII. The Popish Plot
1
2
Chapter XXIV. Whig and Tory
1
2
3
Chapter XXV. The Catholic King
1
Chapter XXVI. The Revolution of 1688
1
2
3
Volume Three: The Age of Revolution
Chapter I. William of Orange
1
2
Chapter II. Continental War
1
2
3
Chapter III. The Spanish Succession
1
2
Chapter IV. Marlborough: Blenheim and Ramillies
1
2
3
4
5
6
Chapter V. Oudenarde and Malplaquet
1
2
3
4
Chapter VI. The Treaty of Utrecht
1
2
3
4
Chapter VII. The House of Hanover
1
2
Chapter VIII. Sir Robert Walpole
1
2
Chapter IX. The Austrian Succession and the “Forty-Five”
1
2
Chapter X. The American Colonies
1
2
Chapter XI. The First World War
1
Chapter XII. The Quarrel with America
1
2
3
Chapter XIII. The War of Independence
1
2
Chapter XIV. The United States
1
2
3
Chapter XV. The Indian Empire
1
2
3
4
Chapter XVI. The Younger Pitt
1
2
3
Chapter XVII. The American Constitution
1
Chapter XVIII. The French Revolution
1
2
3
Chapter XIX. France Confronted
1
Chapter XX. Trafalgar
1
Chapter XXI. The Emperor of the French
1
2
Chapter XXII. The Peninsular War and the Fall of Napoleon
1
2
3
4
Chapter XXIII. Washington, Adams, and Jefferson
1
2
Chapter XXIV. The War of 1812
1
2
3
Chapter XXV. Elba and Waterloo
1
2
3
4
5
Volume Four: The Great Democracies
Chapter I. The Victory Peace
1
2
3
Chapter II. Canning and the Duke
1
2
3
4
Chapter III. Reform and Free Trade
1
2
Chapter IV. The Crimean War
1
2
3
Chapter V. Palmerston
1
2
3
Chapter VI. The Migration of the Peoples: Canada and South Africa
1
2
Chapter VII. The Migration of the Peoples: Australia and New Zealand
1
2
3
4
Chapter VIII. American Epic
1
2
3
4
Chapter IX. Slavery and Secession
1
2
Chapter X. The Union in Danger
1
2
3
4
Chapter XI. The Campaign Against Richmond
1
2
3
4
5
Chapter XII. Lee and McClellan
1
2
3
Chapter XIII. Chancellorsville and Gettysburg
1
2
3
4
5
Chapter XIV. The Victory of the Union
1
2
Chapter XV. The Rise of Germany
1
Chapter XVI. Gladstone and Disraeli
1
2
3
4
5
Chapter XVII. American “Reconstruction”
1
Chapter XVIII. America as a World Power
1
Chapter XIX. Home Rule for Ireland
1
2
3
4
Chapter XX. Lord Salisbury’s Governments
1
2
3
4
Chapter XXI. The South African War
1
2
3
4
5
6
Publisher: Andrii Ponomarenko © Ukraine - Kyiv 2025
ISBN: 978-617-8616-23-6
Volume One: The Birth of Britain
Chapter I. Britannia
In the summer of the Roman year 699, now described as the year 55 before the birth of Christ, the Proconsul of Gaul Gaius Julius Caesar, turned his gaze upon Britain. In the midst of his wars in Germany and in Gaul he became conscious of this heavy Island which stirred his ambitions and already obstructed his designs. He knew that it was inhabited by the same type of tribesmen who confronted the Roman arms in Germany, Gaul, and Spain. The Islanders had helped the local tribes in the late campaigns along the northern coast of Gaul. They were the same Celtic stock, somewhat intensified by insular life. British volunteers had shared the defeat of the Veneti on the coasts of Brittany in the previous year. Refugees from momentarily conquered Gaul were welcomed and sheltered in Britannia. To Caesar the Island now presented itself as an integral part of his task of subjugating the Northern barbarians to the rule and system of Rome. The land not covered by forest or marsh was verdant and fertile. The climate, though far from genial, was equable and healthy. The natives, though uncouth, had a certain value as slaves for rougher work on the land, in mines, and even about the house. There was talk of a pearl fishery, and also of gold. “Even if there was not time for a campaign that season, Caesar thought it would be of great advantage to him merely to visit the island, to see what its inhabitants were like, and to make himself acquainted with the lie of the land, the harbours, and the landing-places. Of all this the Gauls knew next to nothing.” [1] Other reasons added their weight. Caesar’s colleague in the Triumvirate, Crassus, had excited the imagination of the Roman Senate and people by his spirited march towards Mesopotamia. Here, at the other end of the known world, was an enterprise equally audacious. The Romans hated and feared the sea. By a supreme effort of survival they had two hundred years before surpassed Carthage upon its own element in the Mediterranean, but the idea of Roman legions landing in the remote, unknown, fabulous Island of the vast ocean of the North would create a novel thrill and topic in all ranks of Roman society.
Moreover, Britannia was the prime centre of the Druidical religion, which, in various forms and degrees, influenced profoundly the life of Gaul and Germany. “Those who want to make a study of the subject,” wrote Caesar, “generally go to Britain for the purpose.” The unnatural principle of human sacrifice was carried by the British Druids to a ruthless pitch. The mysterious priesthoods of the forests bound themselves and their votaries together by the most deadly sacrament that men can take. Here, perhaps, upon these wooden altars of a sullen island, there lay one of the secrets, awful, inflaming, unifying, of the tribes of Gaul. And whence did this sombre custom come? Was it perhaps part of the message which Carthage had given to the Western world before the Roman legions had strangled it at its source? Here then was the largest issue. Caesar's vision