Documents: p. 365-405. Includes bibliographical references (p. 345-358) and index.

This book consists of extracts from key documents, along with commentary and further reading, on the ‘Great Patriotic War’ of the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany, 1941-45. Despite the historical significance of the war, few Soviet documents have been published in English. This work provides translations of a range of extracts from Soviet documents relating to the titanic struggle on the Eastern Front during World War II, with commentary. This is the only single-volume work in English to use documentary evidence to look at the Soviet war effort from military, political, economic and diplomatic perspectives. The book should not only facilitate a deeper study of the Soviet war effort, but also allow more balanced study of what is widely known in the West as the ‘Eastern Front’. This book will be of much interest to students and scholars of military history, Soviet history, and World War II history.

‘This is comparative history on a grand scale, skilfully analysing complex national debates and drawing major conclusions without ever losing the necessary nuances of interpretation.’ Stefan Berger, University of Manchester, UK Remembering the Road to World War Two is a broad and comparative international survey of the historiography of the origins of the Second World War. It explores how, in the case of each of the major combatant countries, historical writing on the origins of the Second World War has been inextricably entwined with debates over national identity and collective memory. Spanning seven case studies – the Soviet Union, Germany, Italy, France, Great Britain, the United States and Japan – Patrick Finney proposes a fresh approach to the politics of historiography. This provocative volume discusses the political, cultural, disciplinary and archival factors which have contributed to the evolving construction of historical interpretations. It analyses the complex and multi-faceted relationships between texts about the origins of the war, the negotiation of conceptions of national identity and unfolding processes of war remembrance. Offering an innovative perspective on international history and enriching the literature on collective memory, this book will prove fascinating reading for all students of the Second World War.

Providing a general overview of the accurate history of World War II-which was essentially a continuation of World War I with the same saber-rattling participants-The Ruling Elite describes the circumstances leading up to World War II. Author Deanna Spingola discusses how the diaspora-distributed international bankers living and prospering in Britain, France, and America influenced greedy, compromised, and complicit politicians in those nations. The Ruling Elite explains that through deceptive propaganda, those politicians persuaded naïve citizens to wage war against Germany, a peace-loving nation whose leaders were uncooperative with the bankers, which led to World War I. Following that war, German officials rejected the bankers and their money-lending scheme to save their nation and its citizens from the burden of debt. The aftermath of World War II-a deadly war that killed millions and imposed communism in numerous countries-impacted every banker-occupied country in various ways: culturally, morally, politically, and economically. Researched through historical documents and scholarly works, The Ruling Elite describes how warmongers regularly project their criminal activities onto others, frequently blaming the victim, whether an individual or a nation. Spingola offers an unbiased look at World War II beginning with Hitler and the rebirth of Germany through the aftermath of the war.

On June 22, 1941, just less than two years after signing the Nazi-Soviet Agreements, Adolf Hitler's German army invaded the Soviet Union. The attack hardly came as a surprise to Josef Stalin; in fact, history has long held that Stalin spent the two intervening years building up his defenses against a Nazi attack. With the gradual declassifying of former Soviet documents, though, historians are learning more and more about Stalin's grand plan during the years 1939-1941. Longtime Soviet expert Albert L. Weeks has studied the newly-released information and come to a different conclusion about the Soviet Union's pre-war buildup_it was not precaution against German invasion at all. In fact, Weeks argues, the evidence now suggests Soviet mobilization was aimed at an eventual invasion of Nazi Germany. The Soviets were quietly biding their time between 1939 and 1941, allowing the capitalist powers to destroy one another, all the while preparing for their own Westward march. Stalin, Weeks shows, wasn't waiting for a Nazi attack_Hitler simply beat him to the punch.

A comprehensive overview of the most important international events, movements, and controversies of the 20th century. Written by distinguished scholars, each an authority in their field Explores influential, underlying themes such as imperialism, nationalism, internationalism, technological developments, and changes in diplomatic methods Addresses a broad range of topics, including diplomacy of wartime and peacemaking, the cold war era and the "new world order", the end of European empires, the rise of nationalism in the Third World, globalization, and terrorism Chronological organization makes the volume easily accessible Includes useful guides for further reading and research