Forthcoming
The history of Europe, Poland, Wroclaw... Norman Davies’s books have focused on various places and periods, but they have always been a starting point for many fascinating discussions. One will have to wait and see what he has next in the pipeline - details can be found here!
Europe at War 1939-1945
Europe at War 1939-1945
No simple victory
As the Introduction makes clear, no census about the Second World War has been achieved, despite the passage of 70 years. Western historians all too often feed the popular illusion that the democratic Allies "freed Europe from Fascism.” In Russia, in contrast, the victory of the Red Army continues to feature as the country’s finest hour; Russians believe that they liberated Europe. My third book published by Macmillan's was designed to bring sense to the subject; it was a brave effort that partially succeeded.
As the Introduction makes clear, no census about the Second World War has been achieved, despite the passage of 70 years. Western historians all too often feed the popular illusion that the democratic Allies "freed Europe from Fascism.” In Russia, in contrast, the victory of the Red Army continues to feature as the country’s finest hour; Russians believe that they liberated Europe. My third book published by Macmillan's was designed to bring sense to the subject; it was a brave effort that partially succeeded.
That basic proposition is very simple. Europe's two main combatant powers, the Third Reich and the Soviet Union were both mass-murdering tyrannies that were, by their nature, incapable of bringing freedom to anyone . In the first part of the war, 1939-41, they were partners; in the second part, 1941-45, they were mortal enemies, engaged in a colossal struggle on the Eastern Front that greatly exceeded any other campaigns of the war. The Western Powers, in contrast, were all but knocked out in 1940; and the entry of the Americans made an impact that came too late to be decisive. Berlin was stormed by the Red Army alone.
These truths are obvious to anyone who saw the war in the great expanses between Germany and Russia which Tim Snyder has recently called the "Bloodlands”. But they are not popular among the public in Britain and America which still believe that "We won the war.”
A gentleman at the Edinburgh Book Festival gave me encouragement. "I lived in Leith,” he said, "and every day we saw the convoys preparing to sail for Murmansk. Everyone in this country thought that the vital battles would take place in the West. But we knew better.”
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Reviews - Europe at War 1939-1945
read all reviewsAll trite on the Western Front
Wednesday 03 December 2003 The Observer, Jan MorrisThe madness of myths
Tuesday 09 November 2004 The EconomistWHATEVER you think about the second world war is wrong, and this book will prove it.
