Speeches That Changed the World

Simon Sebag Montefiore (editor)

Quercus Publishing, UK: 2010

ISBN: 9781848660823

Genres: history, non-fiction

Issues: freedom, equality, politics

Throughout history most leaders, however they're judged now, had one significant skill: oratory – the capacity to speak eloquently in public, to persuade people to a point of view, to convince them to follow a particular course of action. Great oratory is a combination of skilful writing and thoughtful delivery. A speech that is well written can be destroyed by bad delivery; an average piece of writing can be made powerful by personality and conviction.

 Speeches That Changed the World examines both types. The addition of a DVD that shows such speakers as Churchill, Goebbels, Hitler, Gandhi, Kennedy, Nixon, Kevin Rudd and Barack Obama allows viewers to develop some insight into the complex nature of oratory.

The selection starts with the Beatitudes (Jesus of Nazareth), includes a famous segment of the Qu'ran (Prophet Mohammed) and ranges through modern history from 1588 (Queen Elizabeth 1) to Obama's speech after winning the 2008 US Presidential Election. There are representations here from many countries – including Ireland, Poland, Russia and Japan – during significant historical periods – civil wars, world wars, fights for civil rights and freedoms, conciliations and funerals. Most of all, these are speeches that are worthy to be read, discussed, reread and analysed due to their context, their creators and the consequences those words had on the world – then and now.

As Simon Sebag Montefiore says in his introduction, 'A great speech does not just capture the truth of its era; it can also capture the big lie. This wonderful collection... contains uplifting hymns... [and] some of the most despicable speeches that darkened the horizons of the free world.'.