The World Crisis is considered by many to be Winston S. Churchill’s literary masterpiece. Published across five volumes between 1923 and 1931, Churchill here tells the story of The Great War, from its origins to the long shadow it cast on the following decades. At once a history and a first-hand account of Churchill’s own involvement in the war, The World Crisis remains a compelling account of the conflict and its importance.

The second volume of Churchill’s history covers 1915 – the first full year of a conflict that most of the antagonists had expected to be over in a matter of months. Churchill here covers the intractable deadlock on the western front, the use of tanks and gas on the battlefields and the unsuccessful attempts by both sides to break through. In addition, Churchill also considers his own involvement in the Dardanelles campaign (Gallipoli).