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World War II: A Military and Social History
- Narrated by: Thomas Childers
- Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins
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World War II: A Military and Social History
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Publisher's Summary
Between 1937 and 1945, approximately 55 million people perished in the series of interrelated conflicts known as the Second World War. No continent was left untouched, no ocean unaffected. The war led to the eclipse of Europe and the emergence of the United States and the Soviet Union as global superpowers; ushered in the atomic age; produced, in the Holocaust, the most horrific crime ever committed in the history of Western civilization, and led to the end of Europe's colonial empires around the world. But though World War II defined an entire epoch in human history, pressing questions remain - about whether Hitler could have been stopped earlier, about Pearl Harbor, about saving more people from the Holocaust, about using the atomic bomb, and even about how close the Allies came to actually losing.
This engaging series of 30 lectures is rich in detail and near-cinematic portraits of leaders and events. It explores not only the origins of the war, including the impact of the Treaty of Versailles, but also how it unfolded on both battlefront and the American home front, with focused looks at key subjects like Nazism and the Holocaust and the philosophy of strategic bombing and its impact on the future nature of warfare.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
What listeners say about World War II: A Military and Social History
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 06-04-2024
Stupendous in all aspects
Wonderful exposition from all angles. Cannot be bettered. Exceeded all expectations. Very profound and full of details
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Graham Futter
- 05-07-2018
A memorable series of lectures
Professor Childers lectures are interesting and factual. Like with a good book, one is hungry for the next instalment.For anyone wanting a better understanding of war and its horror or the story of the twentieth century these lectures are highly recommended
Graham Futter
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alison
- 05-02-2018
thoroughly absorbing
absolutely loved this series. first class presentation. gripping. I found it difficult to stop listening. thoroughly recommended to all particularly those who enjoy history.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Reb
- 02-01-2021
Good Introduction but Lacking
This was my introduction into WWII history. I thought it was an alright introduction but I expected something more... magnificent from the Great Courses.
The perspective is mainly US and includes France and Britain for the Allies and then Germany. I felt disappointed with this. I wanted a more comprehensive view that included all the key players and their roles and significant events etc.
Japan was touched on briefly. The use of suicide in Japanese military and civilians was touched on briefly but hardly enough to understand / comprehend why what happened had happened.
The information provided was great. The depth of the lectures was good too but for this to feel more complete I feel this course should at least double in length to provide a comprehensive overview of WWII.
The "Social History" part was a little misleading. Professor Childers briefly mentions The Great Depression / 1929 Stock Market Crash but just not quite enough to fully understand the global effects / meanings and how the economy and the war and other factors all tie together.
Overall - I liked this course but I am giving it a 3/5 mainly due to length and depth of the content and not tying all the pieces together. I feel WWII deserves better.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David Challenor
- 01-09-2022
A very thorough series of lectures
The lectures were very interesting and gave me a full understanding of ww2 and the events leading up to them.
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Overallout of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 30-01-2019
A disappointment
Unpleasantly nationalistic and pro-American after lecture 11. Lacks the scholarly objectivity such a topic deserves.
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1 person found this helpful
