Examine Churchill’s leadership of Britain during World War II.

Between 1929 and 1939, Churchill was variously described as a “maverick,” a “spent force” and a “fanatic.” His reactionary views about British control in India and King Edward VIII’s abdication alienated him from his political peers. But the war years from 1939 to 1945 became his most famous period. This episode traces Churchill’s leadership of Britain through its finest hour, during the Battle of Britain, to its darkest hour in 1942. His famous speeches rallied the nation, but the pressures of war forced him to make agonizing and brutal decisions. The program also explores the important relationship between Churchill and President Roosevelt.