In a refreshingly fearless, colloquial voice, acclaimed historian Alan Axelrod recounts the key events of World War II with unflagging humanity, drama, and straightforward explanations of their significance, weaving a story as engrossing and multifaceted as a great novel. As with the series’ first entry, The Real History of World War II remains authoritative, non-academic, and appealingly designed with illustrations, maps, and more. It’s a unique approach that makes this enormous saga understandable to every reader, and favors gripping storytelling over a strictly dry and plodding chronological account. Axelrod brings you right into every theater of the war, one by one, capturing all its most compelling events before moving on to the next. If, today, we see World War II as a titanic clash of good and evil, Axelrod effortlessly looks beyond this schism, putting facts above political interpretation in order to uncover the conflict’s roots and ramifications. He concisely explores the war’s ideological, nationalistic, and economic causes; probes the motivation of those involved, including Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Churchill, FDR, and Truman; and looks at its enduring political, global, social, and technological legacy. You’ll be able to understand the tragic legacy of Versailles, the full repercussions of the blitzkrieg, exactly what happened in the Holocaust, and why, in Japan, the war was less associated with one individual than with an ongoing militaristic and imperialist movement. In addition, this enlightening volume provides a concise narrative of the entire course of the struggle, which unfolded simultaneously in many places, thoroughly engulfing the world. The fresh insights and forthright analyses, the sidebars on such subjects as trivia and alternative histories, the eyewitness testimony and quotes, and the revealing, edgy attitude make this a pleasure to read like having an enjoyable conversation with a favorite teacher. History truly comes alive.
