Randolph: A study of Churchill's son - Hardcover

Brian Roberts

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0241111099 ISBN 13: 9780241111093

Publisher: H. Hamilton, 1984

Synopsis

‘Born to succeed; doomed to failure’. For all its cruel accuracy, this quip about Randolph Churchill is not quite fair.

He was certainly born to succeed. A member of a great patrician family, good-looking, intelligent, energetic, with great oratorical gifts and quickness of mind, the young Randolph Churchill was the Golden Boy of popular imagination and seen as a young man of destiny.

Grandson of the colourful late-Victorian politician Lord Randolph Churchill and son of the even more celebrated and controversial Winston Churchill, Randolph seemed set fair to continue the family tradition. His father even referred to him as 'the younger Pitt'.

What went wrong? This book provides a convincing and fascinating answer. Both circumstances and his own defects of character worked against Randolph Churchill. He was spoiled by his father, his relationship with his strong-willed mother was not happy. Too much privilege sapped his initiative, he could never live up to his father's expectations and had an inability to establish close and loving relationships. His two marriages fell apart, the great love affair of his life was unrequited and, most important of all, he was handicapped by his self-willed, argumentative, bombastic and cantankerous nature.

Passionately interested in politics, he fought and lost six elections; the only time he got into parliament was when he was returned unopposed. Although his wartime experiences – in the Western Desert and with the SAS in Yugoslavia – showed his courage and were probably the high water mark of his achievements, he never covered himself in the glory he so ardently sought. A talented and occasionally brilliant journalist, he did not have much success in his final career as a biographer, dying after publishing only two volumes of what was designed to be a great five-volume life of his famous father.

In this shrewd analysis of Randolph's character, the author shows there was far more to him than just the self-indulgent braggart of popular legend. He was an ambitious, talented, unexpectedly sensitive man; touchingly devoted to his father, surprisingly loved by his friends and, although often offensive, never dull.

About this title

About the Author:

Brian Roberts, a distinguished historian and biographer, is an acknowledged expert on African history. His previous books include The Zulu Kings, The Diamond Magnates, Churchills in Africa, and Cecil Rhodes and the Princess.

From Publishers Weekly:

Early in this candid portrayal, it is apparent that the boy Randolph's arrogance and confidence about a brilliant political career were abetted by Winston's prediction that his son was "going to be a great man." However, Roberts (The Mad Bad Line and Churchills in Africa explains persuasively why despite the family's strong political position and Randolph's many assetsintelligence, good looks, courage and oratorical skillshe failed as a politician and in his personal life. While he flourished on the rough and tumble of political debate, his belligerence and acid pen made more enemies than friends, and he lost elections. Although a prolific writer, he didn't match his father's mastery of language. Both his marriages ended in disaster, and his love affairs were unhappy. Perhaps the shadow of his father, Roberts suggests, accounts for Randolph's basic insecurity, which, in turn, was the root of his often outrageous behavior. It is certainly evident that the strong but stormy relations between father and son were a determining force in Randolph's destiny. Photos.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: H. Hamilton
• Publication date: 1984
• ISBN 10: 0241111099
• ISBN 13: 9780241111093
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320