Summary and Analysis of Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill: Based on the Book by Candice Millard

By Worth Books

So much to read, so little time? This brief overview of Hero of the Empire tells you what you need to know—before or after you read Candice Millard’s book.

Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader.
 
This short summary and analysis of Hero of the Empire includes:

• Historical context
• Chapter-by-chapter overviews
• Profiles of the main characters
• Timeline of key events
• Important quotes
• Fascinating trivia
• Glossary of terms
• Supporting material to enhance your understanding of the original work 

About Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill by Candice Millard:
 
Winston Churchill is a towering figure of the 20th century, but Candice Millard focuses on a much younger Churchill, whose unexpected adventures and heroics helped make him into the charismatic leader he is rememered as.
 
With a trove of period details, a colorful cast of characters, and a deep feeling for 19th-century history, Millard’s biography recounts Churchill’s early military adventures before and during the Boer War. She then puts readers in the middle of that brutal conflict along with a young Churchill, as he rushes toward the daring escape that would bring him the admiration of the British Empire and the beginning of his legendary political career.
 
The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of nonfiction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Mar 28, 2017
• ISBN: 9781504044837

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Book preview

Contents

Context

Overview

Summary

Timeline

Cast of Characters

Direct Quotes and Analysis

Trivia

What’s That Word?

Critical Response

About Candice Millard

For Your Information

Bibliography

Copyright

Context

Though the events in Candice Millard’s Hero of the Empire occurred over a century ago, they have considerable relevance for society today. In many respects, it was a very different world that shaped Winston Churchill, but he, in turn, played an enormous part in the shaping of our modern life. As the publisher’s summary aptly states, the lessons Churchill took from the Boer War profoundly affect 20th-century history.

In 1899, the seminal year in the book, the British Empire covered one-fifth of the world’s land and ruled a quarter of its people. Britain was more or less the de facto leader of the West, if not the world, and saw itself as a beacon of enlightenment and civilization. Churchill became leader of that empire, and saw it through its brave fight against fascism, the beginning of the winding down of empire, and the passing of the mantle to the United States. His actions had great consequences for us, and his early experiences in South Africa helped give him the courage, daring, and confidence in destiny that made him the man he became.

Overview

Hero of the Empire by Candice Millard is about the adventurous days of Winston Churchill’s twenties. The story culminated in a daring escape that would catapult him to the heights of a legendary political career that shaped the 20th century.

Millard starts with background on Churchill’s famous aristocratic family, including his brilliant but troubled father, his mother the prominent beauty, the legacy of the Dukes of Marlborough, and the effect they had on shaping Churchill. She progresses to young Winston’s early military adventures as an observer in Cuba, as an officer in the Sudan, and on the North-West Frontier Province of India. Millard brings forth Churchill’s (sometimes excessive) daring and bravery, and his firm belief in his own extraordinary destiny. With rich period detail, Millard then describes the events, environment, and characters leading to the Second Boer War in South Africa, the conflict that would finally give Churchill the glory and recognition he sought. We follow Churchill as he resigns from the army, becomes a highly paid correspondent, is captured during a heated battle, and becomes a prisoner of the Boers.

Millard takes us with Churchill as he chafes at captivity, executes each step of his escape, and is introduced to all those who helped him. We see a breathless