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Leadership in War

Lessons from Those Who Made History

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Brought to you by Penguin.

Taking us from the French Revolution to the Cold War and the Falklands, Andrew Roberts presents us with a bracingly honest and insightful look at nine major figures in modern history: Napoleon Bonaparte, Horatio Nelson, Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, George C. Marshall, Charles de Gaulle, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Margaret Thatcher.

Each of these leaders fundamentally shaped the outcome of the war their nation was embroiled in. How were they alike, and in what ways did they differ? Was their war leadership unique, or did these leaders have something in common, traits and techniques that transcend time and place and can be applied to the fundamental nature of conflict?

Meticulously researched and compellingly written, Leadership in War presents readers with fresh, complex portraits of leaders who approached war with different tactics and different weapons, but with the common goal of success in the face of battle. Both inspiring and cautionary, these portraits offer important lessons on leadership in times of struggle. With his trademark verve and incisive observation, Roberts reveals the qualities that doom even the most promising leaders to failure, and the qualities that lead to victory.

Taking us from the French Revolution to the Cold War and the Falklands, Andrew Roberts presents us with a bracingly honest and insightful look at nine major figures in modern history: Napoleon Bonaparte, Horatio Nelson, Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, George C. Marshall, Charles de Gaulle, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Margaret Thatcher.

Each of these leaders fundamentally shaped the outcome of the war their nation was embroiled in. How were they alike, and in what ways did they differ? Was their war leadership unique, or did these leaders have something in common, traits and techniques that transcend time and place and can be applied to the fundamental nature of conflict?

Meticulously researched and compellingly written, Leadership in War presents readers with fresh, complex portraits of leaders who approached war with different tactics and different weapons, but with the common goal of success in the face of battle. Both inspiring and cautionary, these portraits offer important lessons on leadership in times of struggle. With his trademark verve and incisive observation, Roberts reveals the qualities that doom even the most promising leaders to failure, and the qualities that lead to victory.

 Military Political Science Politics & Government War Imperialism Winston Churchill French Revolution Napoleon Bonaparte Leadership Stalin Soviet Union Dwight Eisenhower Russia Interwar Period

Critic reviews

Roberts is superbly well-qualified to write about these extraordinary leaders. Roberts teaches not just through analysis, as indeed he does, but by example. Each of his chapters is a finely crafted gem of communication. Roberts's description offers vivid detail, spare prose, immortal rhetoric, and a touch of humor. His chapters offer masterly, magnificent portraits of what it takes to steer an army or a nation through a crisis. Any leader would envy the chance to have Roberts as his or her speechwriter or Director of Communications. Every reader can be grateful for such a thrilling and succinct account of leadership. (Barry Strauss)
A condensation of a wonderful series of lectures Mr Roberts delivered to the New-York Historical Society ... Among military historians, Mr Roberts is Britain's crown gem, and his pithy insights compiled in 'Leadership in War' reflect decades of diligent, patient study. (Jonathan W. Jordan)
Meticulously researched and full of revelations, this is a fascinating read.
Leadership in War is an understated treasure of 2019...a tour de force of historical portraiture. (Barnaby Crowcroft)
Leadership in War has the enjoyable feel of a lively dinner table conversation. (Thomas E. Ricks)
illuminating experiences are presented in easily digestible form in Andrew Roberts's new book, Leadership in War, a collection of nine portraits of wartime leaders, from Napoleon Bonaparte to Margaret Thatcher. These portrayals were originally delivered as lectures by Roberts, a prolific historian of World War II and biographer of Napoleon and Churchill. The profiles of Napoleon and Dwight D. Eisenhower are the most salient for business readers, but it is not difficult to find insight in nearly all of them (Daniel Akst)
Few authors compare to Andrew Roberts. He dips his pen in the most eloquent ink to bring to life figures who have heaps of lessons to teach us (Marc Nadeau)
Roberts has a gift for finding the anecdote or quotation which reveals an essential truth about his subject. (Nigel Jones)
Few authors compare to Andrew Roberts. He dips his pen in the most eloquent ink to bring to life figures who have heaps of lessons to teach us (Marc Nadeau)
His analyses of the criteria needed for success are succinct and... convincing. ... The mysteries of leadership in times of conflict probably evade ultimate explanation, but Roberts, the biographer of Napoleon and Churchill, does much to throw new light on them, (Nick Rennison)
All stars
Most relevant
Andrew Roberts is consistently excellent, at once erudite and entertaining. If you haven't already delved more deeply into some of his books and subjects (notably Napoleon, Churchill and WW2), you will want to after this. Even for those of us who have, it was pleasing and enlightening to hear him connect and compare these leaders and many others to whom he refers to or draws upon. The narration is also excellent, marred only by the annoying BBC-imitating punctuation of words like command, ask, last etc to rhyme with the (UK English) pronunciation of pasta.

Excellent book, well read bar one irritant

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This book is a good overview of each of the nine leaders covered. Interesting to have the likes of Stalin and Hitker discussed along side Thatcher and Churchill.

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