Winston Churchill: His Times, His Crimes
Winston Churchill: His Times, His Crimes is a 2022 book by British-Pakistani writer, journalist, political activist and historian Tariq Ali. In it, Ali discusses Winston Churchill's racial and imperialist views.
 First edition | |
| Author | Tariq Ali |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Published | London |
| Publisher | Verso Books |
Publication date | May 2022 |
| Media type | Hardback |
| Pages | 448 |
| ISBN | 9781788735773 |
Synopsis
The book is described as "A coruscating portrait of Britain’s greatest imperialist."[1]
Reception
Historian Andrew Roberts was highly critical of the book, stating that the book "makes so many basic factual errors that Churchill’s reputation emerges unscathed from this onslaught", and that the "quality of Ali’s research is so execrable that he even cites the fictional TV series Peaky Blinders as a source".[2] Similarly, Simon Heffer, writing in The Daily Telegraph, argues that Ali "fails to consider the historical context" and "seems to mount a class analysis of Churchill's wickedness, but he never really succeeds", albeit concurring that Churchill "was a racist".[3]
Writing for Prospect, Priyamvada Gopal welcomed the book; noting that it "draws on more honest existing historical scholarship than most popular biographies of Churchill" and portrays Churchill as "profoundly authoritarian, with a soft spot for fascist strongmen, and a hostility to working-class assertion."[4]
References
- "Winston Churchill: His Times, His Crimes by Tariq Ali". Verso Books. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- Roberts, Andrew (14 May 2022). "What the Marxist Tariq Ali gets wrong about Winston Churchill". The Spectator. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
- Heffer, Simon (10 May 2022). "Tariq Ali's Churchill biography is a Marxist insult to history". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- Gopal, Priyamvada (12 May 2022). "The cult of Winston Churchill". Prospect. Retrieved 12 May 2022.