[...]... historically significant and which were not, and both early in his career and near the end of it he declared the restoration of a Jewish state in the Promised Land to be of exceptional historical significance Eventually, preface xi Zionism became very dear to him and integral to his worldview, and he supported it at great political cost, contributing to his unpopularity among his colleagues and other members... immigration and Zionist development in Palestine; and publicly championed Zionism in the 1930s, earning a reputation as one of the leading Gentile Zionists in England As prime minister during the Second World War, Churchill eagerly and confidently battled the overwhelming majority of officials in his Conservative Party and government bureaucracy who were unsympathetic to Jews and Zionism, and he worked... the 1930s and 1940s, with the rise of Nazism, the Second World War, the Holocaust, and his own political “wilderness years” and then ascension to prime minister, Churchill also attributed urgent humanitarian and strategic value to Zionism and came to identify personally and ideologically with the Zionists and Jews, sharing common friends and foes 4 introduction Although Churchill’s notion of Zionism. .. by reconciling Austria and Prussia, and formed an alliance with Austria and France to oppose Russia and Prussia over Poland and Saxony Castlereagh also urged the European powers to form a Council of Europe, through which they could meet periodically to discuss their common interests and ways for maintaining the peace.7 Churchill followed the methods and concepts of Castlereagh and other 16 churchill’s... was very encouraging and supportive Many dedicated librarians and archivists were especially helpful They include Walter Ross-O’Connor, Thomas Bahr, Paul Vermouth, and the late Dave Paul at Harvard University, where the libraries and librarians generally are in a class unto themselves; Margaret W Ellingson at Emory University; Julie Ash of the National Archives in Kew, England; and Caroline Herbert... properly develop land; advance science, literature, or philosophy; or introduce liberal laws, culture, and institutions on their land in other words, contribute to the progress of civilization—in effect mortgaged their right to that land Perhaps this argument too had a loosely religious basis, a secular equivalent of the biblical injunction in Leviticus that God expelled nations from the Holy Land that did... books and speeches, and assessing threats and possible allies, then produced prescient, analytical, lucid, often brilliant memos and speeches on these issues and, when in government, actively pursued appropriate policies The objective was selfevident as was the need to subordinate other demands to it Churchill approached Zionism, and other lesser but still significant issues, differently His mood and. .. relevant issues, visited Palestine, and met Palestinian Arabs and Jews, which led to a fuller and deeper understanding of the issue He came to see Zionism as a cause that restored dispersed, persecuted Jews, a great ancient race whose heritage was integral to the foundation of Western civilization, to their historic homeland, where they could observe their traditions and civilize an area left barren by... thoughtful, and incisive critique of the manuscript, and to Michael Hurwitz for his deliberate and insightful review of the chapters, and steadfast and wise counsel on various aspects of the book’s publication David Bergman offered many penetrating and subtle comments about the content, and was a helpful sounding board I am also grateful to David Makovsky for his beneficial comments on some of the chapters, and. .. England, who reliably and cheerfully answered my numerous inquiries I will always remain heavily indebted to the late Karl Weintraub, the inspirational and legendary intellectual historian at the University of Chicago, who spent many hours giving me extra private instruction in college and who ever since has served as a model intellectual, historian, and teacher I am also grateful for the confidence and . alt="" churchill’s promised land