The World Crisis 1911-18 cover art

The World Crisis 1911-18

Part 1 - 1911 to 1914

 Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto renews for £5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The World Crisis 1911-18

By: Sir Winston Churchill
Narrated by: Christian Rodska
Try Standard free

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £16.17

Buy Now for £16.17

About this listen

 Winston Churchill's superlative account of the prelude to and events of the First World War is a defining work of 20th-century history. With dramatic narrative power Churchill reconstructs the action on the Western and Eastern Fronts, the wars at sea and in the air and the advent of tanks and U-boats.

Rich with personal insights, the first part of Churchill's magisterial book covers the years 1911 - 1914 and includes Ireland and the European balance, the mobilization of the Navy, the invasion of France and Turkey and the Balkans.

©1959 Winston S. Churchill (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Military Weapons & Warfare World Winston Churchill War Imperialism Thought-Provoking United Kingdom Inspiring U-Boat Royalty Middle Ages Submarine British Empire Interwar Period
All stars
Most relevant
I recently listened to Roy Jenkins' excellent biography of Churchill. This re-awakened my interest in the man (WSC) to the extent that I wanted to hear an account of his life and times in his own words. Like most people I have known him as the great statesman and warlord of popular legend and also that he had been a prolific writer. However, never having previously read any of his works I had not gathered what a brilliant writer he was into the bargain. This account of WW1 and its origins, given from WSC's personal perspective, is infomative, authoritative and utterly compelling. It practically fizzes with energy and life, thanks in no small part to a masterly reading of the text by Christian Rodska. I gained an entirely new perspective on that grim, Great War - hands up those who knew of the German Navy's bombardment Hartlepool, Whitby and Scarborough in December 1914 - and I was utterly intrigued by the inside account of the exercise of power in the great days of Cabinet Government and Parliamentary Democracy. By comparison with today's tawdry governance in the UK we have a vivid illustration of what we have lost in the past 100 years.

Living History

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Our modern day Shakespeare. Listen to everything Churchill has written. Then you will 7nderstand.

You must listen to this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Played it at 1/2 speed on device. Much more Churchillian like and easier to grasp the multitude of facts.

Outstanding and essential history account

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
could not have picked a better narrator. I felt as if it could have been Churchill himself reading to me. A marvellous performance throughout

wonderful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If Williams Shakespeare had the insight of a major philosopher, and stood on the sidelines of an amazing world event, this would be the prose written

What was one of the most memorable moments of The World Crisis 1911-18?

The mastery of language by Churchill is probably the high point, but that of course runs all the way through

What does Christian Rodska bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

I'm freed up to do hours and hours of other things by it being audio and not print, but the narrator's manner helps deliver the cadences of Churchill that might be lost on reading, much in the same way a professional actor helps Shakespeare digest more easily. I don't really like his voice, but it is right for the book

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

something over-flowery about the path into World War I, because that is what sells a film

Any additional comments?

this is really a great book for anyone who wants a view on a massive part of world history from a master historian's perspective, written in wonderful English, but it commands concentration to get the most from it. Not for my bedtime or normal chores - for long walks

MASTERPIECE MASTERPIECE MASTERPIECE

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews