The War Lords

The Second World War, unlike the First, produced five great leaders.

Men of iron character who dominated their countries' political and military affairs.

And whereas most modern wars have been run by committees and rival authorities, the Second World War was uniquely different. Once the British and French governments had declared war on Germany, virtually every decision of the epic conflict was made by one of these five men, except when Japan's chaotic anarchy intervened.

But who were these men? And how much did they change the course of history?

Each was unmistakably a War Lord, determining the fate of mankind - five astonishing assertions of the will of the individual in what is often described as the age of the masses.

Through a series of biographical essays, the acclaimed historian AJP Taylor assess the character and methods of each man. And in the final chapter, he looks at the puzzle of why there was no such figure in Japan.

It is the essential analysis of the role of leadership in WWII from one of the master historians of the twentieth century.

'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

A.J.P. Taylor (1906-90) was one of the most controversial historians of the twentieth century. He served as a lecturer at the Universities of Manchester, Oxford, and London. Taylor was significant both for the controversy his work on Germany and the Second World War engendered and for his role in the development of history on television. His books include 'War By Timetable', also published in e-book by Endeavour Press.

Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.