Contents. Synopsis In the introduction, Beevor tells the tale of, a soldier forcibly conscripted by the, then in turn taken prisoner by the and the, eventually being captured. He also discusses the background of the war, including the rise of in post-World War I Germany, and the formation of alliances with Italy and Japan. Throughout the bulk of the book, Beevor jumps back and forth throughout the different theaters of war. He begins by detailing Germany's invasion of Poland, Germany's alliance with the, and the invasion of France. Interspersed are chapters focusing on the along with others building up a description of global events. The perspective then expands to include the, the, the, and the.
Following which, there is a major shift in focus onto the, detailing, the, and the epic, a conflict which Beevor had. Simultaneously, he also depicts the events of, the ensuing events in Asia, the Pacific, as well the. As the began to turn the war decisively in their favour. Alternating between the major events, Beevor details, American victories in the Pacific, and the Soviet counterattacks on the, the invasion of Sicily and Italy. In what Beevor terms the 'Spring of Expectations', the Allies launch major offensives against Axis forces on all fronts: The Soviets push westwards successfully, while the launch, and numerous defeats are inflicted upon the Japanese.
As the war enters its final days, Beevor recounts the frantic race to Berlin between the Western Allies and the Soviets along with the downfall of the Nazi regime. After the fall of Berlin, another topic Beevor has previously written about, Beevor turns to the dropping of the and the surrender of Japan. He concludes with a recount of the devastation caused by the war. Multiple important figures in the war are covered in detail, not only including the important national leaders (, ), but also individual generals (, and others) and lesser-known political figures.
Beevor devotes entire chapters to particularly important battles or operations, including, the, the, the, and the. Reviews As one of Beevor's culminating works, The Second World War received mostly positive reviews. The Guardian praised his account of the, but criticised his depiction of the and its rapid pace. Other reviews lauded the global scale of the book and its gripping narrative, and the attention it gives to lesser-known areas of the war. Opinions Left-right conflict Beevor's central theme in The Second World War is the ongoing conflict between the and the. Nazi Germany and its allies represent the far right, while the Soviet Union and Communist China represent the far left. Beevor does not take a side in this conflict; he views both sides as having committed serious war crimes against their opponents.
In some ways, the war transcended political and ideological boundaries, such as the Soviets' early alliance with Nazi Germany; though in other ways, ideological differences became a major motivation for the war. Communist China Beevor takes a highly critical view of and.
He believes that, under, undertook most of the effort in fighting the Japanese despite being seriously undersupplied, while the Communists participated little in the fighting. Instead, their real goal was to save up their strength for the against the Nationalists. In fact, Beevor goes so far as to say that the Communists actually signed secret agreements with the Japanese to ignore each other. Views of individual generals Beevor also disagrees with some long-held views about certain generals in the war; in particular, he writes that the reputations of and are far overblown. References. ^ Beevor pp. 52-69.
Beevor pp. 770-783. Beevor pp. 1-10.
Beevor pp. 22-51. Beevor pp. 79-98. Beevor pp. 140-153. Beevor pp.
154-173. Beevor pp. 186-206. Beevor pp. 230-246.
Beevor pp. 327-343. Beevor pp. 356-373.
Beevor pp. 247-267. Beevor pp. 268-276. Beevor pp.
312-326. Beevor pp. 374-486. Beevor pp. 487-567. Beevor pp.
567-585. Beevor pp.
567-708. Beevor, pp.
735-756. Beevor, pp.
770-784. Beevor, inside cover. Beevor, table of contents. ^ Shephard, Ben (17 June 2012). The Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2013. Gray, John (6 June 2012).
End Of Second World War
New Statesman. Retrieved 9 September 2013. ^ (September 7, 2012).
Sunday Book Review. New York Times. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
External links.
Alternative Titles: Second World War, WWII World War II, also called Second World War, conflict that involved virtually every part of the world during the years 1939–45. The principal were the Axis powers—, and —and the Allies—, the, the, and, to a lesser extent,.
The war was in many respects a continuation, after an uneasy 20-year, of the disputes left unsettled. The 40,000,000–50,000,000 deaths incurred in World War II make it the bloodiest conflict, as well as the largest war, in history. Atomic bombing of Hiroshima A gigantic mushroom cloud rising above Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, after a U.S. Aircraft dropped an atomic bomb on the city, immediately killing more than 70,000 people.
Air Force photograph Axis initiative and Allied reaction The outbreak of war By the early part of 1939 the dictator had become determined to invade and occupy. Poland, for its part, had guarantees of French and British military support should it be attacked by Germany. Hitler intended to invade Poland anyway, but first he had to neutralize the possibility that the Soviet Union would resist the invasion of its western neighbour. Secret negotiations led on 23–24 to the signing of the in. In a secret of this pact, the Germans and the Soviets agreed that Poland should be divided between them, with the western third of the country going to Germany and the eastern two-thirds being taken over by the U.S.S.R.
The rows were explosive, the challenges enormous, but he led Britain through the war with unique assurance. By Dr Geoffrey Best. Audio of three of Winston Churchill's speeches to the British nation during World War Two. Was an invasion likely? By Dan Cruickshank. Explore the Battle of Britain with clips from BBC programmes.
Defend Britain from air attack by the Luftwaffe. An interactive animation looking at the air war. Britain's fight for survival, by Dr Gary Sheffield. Defeat the U-boats and guide your convoy to safety.
by Allan Williams. by Bruce Robinson. by Helen Cleary. by Bruce Robinson.
by Bruce Robinson. Why did Hitler believe that the East should provide lebensraum (living space) for the German people? By Jeremy Noakes. Bruce Robinson explores the factors that led to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. The rationale, by Laurence Rees. A disastrous blunder, by Julian Thompson. The 'forgotten war', by Michael Hickey.
A step-by-step guide to the campaign. by Marika Sherwood.
by Dr Eric Grove. by Allan Williams. by Dr Niall Barr. by Bruce Robinson. by Helen Cleary. by Helen Cleary.
by Helen Cleary. Has an obsession with the Allied landings in Normandy given a distorted view of the achievements of the Italian campaign? By Professor Richard Holmes. A step-by-step guide to the campaign.
Was it worth it? By Professor Richard Holmes. From defeat to victory, by Michael Hickey. A step-by-step guide to the campaign. A blow to German pride, by Norman Fenton. Strawberry cough vs green crack.
The moral dilemmas of the air war, by Detlef Siebert. The price they paid, by Mark Fielder. Hitler's search for a miracle, by Louise Wilmot. The policy's terrible cost, by David Powers. by Phil Edwards. by Phil Edwards. by Phil Edwards.
by Bruce Robinson. by Helen Cleary.
How meticulous planning, good luck and sheer guts ensured the success of history's largest amphibious invasion. By Duncan Anderson.
Listen to the voices of eight people who experienced D-Day first-hand. How Operation Market Garden could have shortened the war by six months - and why it failed at the last moment. By Mark Fielder. A step-by-step guide to the operation. Hitler's last offensive, by Robin Cross. The Allies' horrific discoveries, by Dr Stephen A Hart.
The drip-drip of events that led to genocide. The carnage of the Soviet campaign, by Tilman Remme. How the news was greeted, by Dr Gary Sheffield. by Professor Duncan Anderson.
by Professor Richard Overy. by Phil Edwards. by Phil Edwards. by Helen Cleary. by Helen Cleary.
by Helen Cleary. Germany thought its Enigma encryption was impenetrable, but the codebreakers of Britain's Bletchley Park had other ideas. By Andrew Lycett. Explore the world of the code breaker through BBC clips, and understand the importance of Bletchley Park during World War Two. What was the foundation of the underground army that helped turn the balance of power during World War Two?. The role of double agents, by Nigel West.
An interactive animation looking at the secret war. by Bernie Ross.
by Professor Duncan Anderson. by Bernie Ross. by Mark Seaman. by Raye Dancocks.