Historian Arthur Herman sheds new light on two icons of the twentieth century, revealing how their forty-year rivalry sealed the fate of India and the British Empire. Born worlds apart--Churchill to Britain's most glamorous aristocratic family, Gandhi to a pious middle-class provincial household in India--they led their nations through harrowing trials and became locked in a contest of wills that would decide the fate of countries, continents, and ultimately an empire. More alike than different, they became bitter enemies over the future of India--and Churchill would do whatever was necessary to ensure that India remain British, including a fateful redrawing of the entire map of the Middle East. Herman cuts through the legends and myths about these two charismatic figures, revealing their flaws as well as their strengths. The result is an epic of empire and insurrection, war and political intrigue, with a fascinating supporting cast.--From publisher description. A dual portrait of Winston Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi describes their fierce, forty-year struggle against each other for the future of Indian independence, from the outbreak of the Great War to the end of World War II, detailing their dramatic influence on each other, as well as their lasting legacy for the British empire and the future course of modern history.

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The Churchills and the Raj -- Lord Randolph takes charge -- Illusions of power: The Gandhis, India, and British Rule -- Awakening: Gandhi in London and South Africa, 1888-1895 -- Awakening II: churchill in India, 1896-1899 -- Men at war, 1899-1900 -- Converging paths, 1900-1906 -- Brief encounter, 1906-1909 -- Break point, 1909-1910 -- Parting of the ways, 1911-1914 -- A bridgehead too far, 1914-1915 -- Gandhi's war, 1915-1918 -- Bloodshed, 1919-1920 -- Noncooperation, 1920-1922 -- Reversal of fortunes, 1922-1929 -- Eve of battle, 1929 -- Salt, 1930 -- Round tables and naked fakirs, 1930-1931 -- Contra mundum, 1931-1932 -- Last ditch, 1932-1935 -- Against the current, 1936-1938 -- Edge of darkness, 1938-1939 -- Collision course, 1939-1940 -- From Narvik to Bardoli, April 1940-December 1941 -- Debacle, 1941-1942 -- Quit India, 1942 -- Showdown, 1943 -- Triumph and tragedy, 1943-1945 -- Walk alone, 1945-1947 -- Death in the garden, 1947-1948 -- Lion in twilight, 1948-1965 -- Conclusion: Triumph and tragedy.