- Author: Winston S. Churchill
- Publisher: Ediciones Encuentro e Instituto Universitario de Estudios Europeos, con la colaboración del Real Instituto Elcano
- Introductory study: Belén Becerril Atienza
- Epilogue: Charles Powell
- Date: Madrid, 2016
- Open Tribune of Belen Becerril in the ABC newspaper: Winston Churchill and the British referendum
Was Churchill really the great champion of post-war European unity? Was his idea of Europe more than just cooperation between governments? What was his view of British involvement? It would be as simple as useless to resort to an isolated quote from the popular British politician to answer these questions.
Instead, it is more interesting and revealing to listen to what he said in public on this subject because, as Charles Powell points out in the epilogue to this book, "throughout his long political life our protagonist had the courage and intelligence to ask himself, with surprising intellectual honesty, some of the questions that continue to be asked today not only about the role of the United Kingdom in Europe, but also about the very nature of the European project".
This book is a collection of eighteen speeches made by Churchill between 1945 and 1957 concerning Europe. All of them written in neat and brilliant prose, since, as indicated in the introductory study, if there was one thing that this Nobel Laureate in Literature took great care of, it was the texts of his speeches. Also included is a revealing final letter written by Churchill at the time of the United Kingdom's application for membership of the European Communities.
Available in bookstores or through the Ediciones Encuentro website.