The People's Peril - and the Way Out, a speech in the House of Commons on March 12th, 1947

London: Conservative and Unionist Central Office, 1947. 1st Edition. Paperback. First edition, only printing. This is Churchill's 12 March 1947 speech in the House of Commons criticizing Socialist economic policies. The 16-page, wire stitched paper pamphlet measures 8.5 inches by 5.5 inches and is printed in dark blue. "It is right to arouse our people to the peril in which they stand. Only when they realize fully the decline and descent... into which they have fallen, and in part, been thrust, since our glorious victory, will those forces arise in the land in which redemption and recovery can be found." Less than two years earlier, Churchill's Conservatives had been soundly defeated in the General Election at the end of the war. Churchill would head opposition to the Labour Government until the General Election of 1951, which returned the Conservatives to majority and Churchill to the office of Prime Minister.

This is a fragile pamphlet, printed on cheap paper. Here is a crisp copy with only a few minor flaws. There are no folds or creases and the binding staples are firm. The covers show just a bit of toning at the edges and an unobtrusive .75 inch by .5 inch triangle loss at the top edge of the rear cover that does not affect any text. The contents are clean and bright with no spotting and no inscriptions. There are two vertical ink marks next to the text on pages 3 and 4 marking passages of interest to a former reader. This speech was later reprinted in Winston S. Churchill: His Complete Speeches, Volume VII, p.7448 under the title "Economic Situation". Protected in a removable, archival mylar sleeve.

Reference: Cohen A232, Woods A118