THE WAR LORDS the leaders who changed the course of history

AN INVALUABLE COLLECTION OF A.J.P. TAYLOR’S BBC LECTURES ON THE FIVE MOST INFLUENTIAL LEADERS IN WW2.

‘Anything Mr Taylor writes is worth reading . . . he is our greatest popular historian since Macaulay.’ The Spectator

‘His informal, pithy style makes the book compelling — even exciting — reading.’ The Irish Times

‘He was a performer who made history fun.’ The Wilson Quarterly

‘Such was his flair as a stylist that many of his books are likely to be read for pleasure.’ Dr Paul Addison, Reviews in History

The Second World War was the most catastrophic conflict the world has ever known. It defined today’s global landscape.

Every decision of this epic conflict was made by one of the five ‘war lords’: Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin, Hitler and Mussolini.

In this concise and provocative book, A.J.P. Taylor outlines the lives and legacies of the ‘war lords’. Those who had the most influence on the Second World War. He describes what drove their decisions and ambition, and how these five men changed the course of history.

The War Lords was originally a series of improvised BBC TV lectures, first broadcast in 1976. This transcript of these lectures is ideal for anyone with an interest in the history of war in the twentieth century.

Alan John Percivale Taylor (1906–1990) was perhaps the best-known British historian of the twentieth century, celebrated for his accessible and frequently humorous style almost as much as for his academic prowess and insight. He popularised history through television and was a brilliant storyteller who could make the most complex historical narratives understandable to a wide audience.