Origins&legacies WW 11

by A.J.P. Taylor, J. P. Taylor, J.P. Taylor

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0449300552
• ISBN13: 9780449300558
• Release Date: February 1987
• Publisher: Fawcett Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.

Customer Reviews

ORIGINS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR by AJP Taylor

This is an excellent book, learned and well-written but above all insightful... warning the reader that wars can be difficult to foresee and avoid. There is a blow by blow account of inter-war events such as the seizure of the Rhineland and the Anschluss (absorbtion of Austria), but it is the masterful linkage of events to their causes in the Versailles treaty and the interwar period that carries conviction. None of the parties to events in the inter-war period escapes censure, eg the USA excessively isolationist and the French defeatist, but it is the portrayal of Hitler and German foreign policy (insofar as there was one), ie a rational and deliberate foreign policy seeking to redress the grievances of Versailles, that teaches the reader the inappropriateness of demonising Hitler. Taylor demonstrates that politicians are often swept along by events rather than masters of them, that wars often arise from muddle and confusion rather than from evil intent or war-mongering. I was suprised to see Taylor's opinion that it was British public opinion, which shifted progressively against Hitler, that forced the issuance to Germany of an ultimatum over Poland, rather than the UK Government feeling bound by formal treaty pledges to Poland.

Highly informative

Taylor's contribution to the literature on the Second World Waris a must read. He exhaustively researched the diplomatic dealingsthat preceded the outbreak of war and provided a wealth ofinformation. He shows that neither was Hitler simply a raving,irrational madman, nor were the British, French and other leadersparagons of virtue and sterling defenders of democratic ideals. As inmost cases in history in which "high politics" are involved, thediplomatic dealings occuring on the eve of World War II show that itis difficult to clearly distinguish between the "good" and the"bad" - even when detestable ghouls like Hitler areinvolved. Another important aspect of Taylor's work here is to showhow much history is more than just a series of broad processes, butalso a matter of minute human interactions. Thus, one can only go sofar in explaining the Second World War in terms of socio-economicfactors (which were, to be sure, crucial) - one also has to look athow events are the result of actions taken by powerful leaders andtheir back-room dealings with each other. All in all, an excellent andvery illuminating book. END

The Leading Book For Understanding the Causes of WW 2.

A.J. P. Taylor generated a lot of controversy with what he recorded here about the causes leading up to the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939, and it's not because of some weakness in his personal conclusions. If you read it for yourself, you'll learn so much that you actually won't be dependent on anyone else's conclusions. The book is now a familiar topic to all World War Two historians, but it amazed them all the more because Taylor is considered by many to rank among the finest historians the Western World ever produced.He points out that what most people have learned about the outbreak of WW2 isn't actually in serious error, but it skips over all the embarrassing controversies and gray areas. Those deficiencies leave politicians with very few insights about how they could avert future tragedies. It's also a dangerously simplistic view planted in the minds of millions by the power of modern media, but there's actually no one person, government, regime, or creed, that can be blamed for the ignorance, as much as we would like to believe that only the good guys (or bad guys) who rule dished the perspective out to us... Misconceptions about WW2 era need to be grappled with honestly, and this particular book is a good start...Modern sociologists and religious people are moving away from a blanket condemnation of any individual or nation, especially those which are no longer in existence, and the insights offered by Taylor apply intelligence and sensitivity to the history of our last century. It is among the finest literary contributions offered for a more peaceful world.

Taylor provides daunting perspective

Taylor's account of the origins of the war is a fascinating dive into the twisted saga that was the Third Reich. Propounding the theory that Hitler was a master of patience who let the Appeasment-happy politicians of the West hand Czechoslovakia, Austria, and eventually Poland over to him, Taylor's arguments are compelling and definitive. While not detracting from the horrors of the Reich, it becomes clear that the political aspect of Hitler's empire was focused on getting the most he could while avoiding war, not planning for or encouraging it. The second edition contains Taylor's reply (in a forward) to the many critics and historians who debased the work as monstrous upon its initial publication, but like all the best of Taylor's work, it seeks only to dig for the truth, not an absolution of morality.

A great work of scholarship by a master historian.

Dubbed as a "revisionist history" when the book was first written, A.J.P. Taylor's scholarship has withstood the test of time and a fresh reading is testimony to his prophetic skills. Mr. Taylor's work demonstrates that there are no blacks and whites but only grays in the world of realpolitik. His work is both for the casual reader as well as for students of history. (Naushad Shafkat)