On May 13, 1940, Winston Churchill stood before the House of Commons to deliver his first speech as Prime Minister. Europe was in crisis: Three days earlier, Germany had invaded France and the Low Countries. Facing only feeble resistance, Hitler's armies were rapidly sweeping westward. Churchill made no promises to his country in his speech, because he knew he had none to make. And yet he rallied England onward in the face of a vicious enemy. For Churchill--and Churchill alone--understood what was at stake: the fate not only of nations, but of civilization itself.

John Lukacs is the author of over twenty books on topics in European history, including Five Days in London: May 1940, The Hitler of History, and The Last European War. Currently Professor of History Emeritus at Chestnut Hill College, he has also taught at Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, and the University of Budapest. He lives in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.