The Second World War A Short History

by Parker, R. A. C.

• ISBN13: 9780192892850
• ISBN10: 0192892851
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-10-23
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

From the rise of the Nazi party through the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the ultimate defeat of the Axis nations and the first chills of the Cold War, this book offers a completely comprehensive overview of the Second World War in one readable, compact volume. Historian Alastair Parker deftly explores the causes of the war, how it was won, and its consequences for humanity. Photos and maps.

Author Biography

About the Author:
Alastair Parker is Fellow, Tutor, and Praelector in Modern History at Queen's College, Oxford. He is the author of Europe 1919-1945 and Chamberlain and Appeasement: British Policy and the Coming of the Second World War.

Table of Contents

List of plates	ix	(2)
List of maps	xi
1. Hitler, Germany, and the origins of the European war	1	(20)
2. German conquest of Poland, Norway, the Low Countries, and France	21	(23)
3. Britain alone	44	(16)
4. Operation BARBAROSSA: the German attack on the Soviet Union	60	(12)
5. The United States enters the war: the origins of the Japanese attack	72	(14)
6. Japanese victories and disappointments: December 1941 to August 1942	86	(9)
7. The end of German expansion: the Atlantic, North Africa, and Russia, 1942-1943	95	(20)
8. Anglo-American strategies for victory	115	(16)
9. Economies at war	131	(20)
10. Strategic bombing	151	(22)
11. Morale	173	(4)
12. Driving back the Germans: North Africa, Italy, and Russia	177	(18)
13. D-Day and victory in Europe	195	(29)
14. The defeat of Japan and the atom bomb	224	(19)
15. From war to peace: Anglo-American relations	243	(7)
16. From alliance to Cold War: the Soviet Union and the West	250	(14)
17. The impact of war: the murder of the European Jews	264	(17)
18. The impact of war: casualties, crisis, and change	281	(24)
Note on quotations	305	(1)
Book list	306	(9)
Index	315