Voices of History Speeches that Changed the World

VOICES OF HISTORY celebrates the great speeches of world history and cultural life. In this exuberant collection, acclaimed historian Simon Sebag Montefiore takes us on a journey from ancient times to the twenty-first century: some speeches are heroic and inspiring; some diabolical and atrocious; some are exquisite and poignant; others cruel and chilling. The speakers themselves vary from empresses and conquerors to novelists, sportsmen, dreamers and killers, from Churchill and Elizabeth I to Stalin and Genghis Khan, and from Michelle Obama and Cleopatra to Nehru and Muhammad Ali. All human drama is here: from the carnage of battlefields to the theatre of courtrooms, from table-talk to audiences of millions, from desperate last stands to orations of triumph, from noble calls for liberation to genocidal rants, from foolish delusions and strange confessions to defiant resistance and heartbreaking farewells, VOICES OF HISTORY spans centuries, continents and cultures. In the accessible and gripping style of a master storyteller, Montefiore shows why these seventy speeches are essential reading, and how they enlighten our past, enrich our present and inspire - and hold warnings for - our future.

A collection of history's greatest speeches, with commentary from internationally bestselling historian Simon Sebag Montefiore. Updated with new speeches from John Boyega, Queen Elizabeth II and others. A new, updated edition including new speeches from Queen Elizabeth II and John Boyega in the year 2020.This collection of extraordinary speeches ranges from ancient times to the twenty-first century. Some are heroic and inspiring; some diabolical and atrocious; some are exquisite and poignant; others cruel and chilling. Among others we hear from Martin Luther King, Michelle Obama, Donald Trump, Lincoln, Emmeline Pankhurst, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Alexander the Great, Greta Thunberg, Elizabeth I, Cromwell, Churchill, JFK, Boudicca, Muhammad Ali and Malala. Voices of History shows how these unique speeches enlighten our past, enrich our present and inspire - and hold warnings for - our future.