December 1941, Evan Mawdsley
December 1941, Evan Mawdsley
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December 1941
Twelve Days that Began a World War

Author: Evan Mawdsley

Narrator: Jonathan Cowley

Unabridged: 14 hr 23 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 12/28/2021


Synopsis

An account of the dramatic turning point in World War II that marked "the dawn of American might and the struggle for supremacy in Southeast Asia" (Times Higher Education).

In far-flung locations around the globe, an unparalleled sequence of international events took place between December 1 and December 12, 1941. In this riveting book, historian Evan Mawdsley explores how the story unfolded . . .

On Monday, December 1, 1941, the Japanese government made its final decision to attack Britain and America. In the following days, the Red Army launched a counterthrust in Moscow while the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and invaded Malaya. By December 12, Hitler had declared war on the United States, the collapse of British forces in Malaya had begun, and Hitler had secretly laid out his policy of genocide. Churchill was leaving London to meet Roosevelt as Anthony Eden arrived in Russia to discuss the postwar world with Stalin. Combined, these occurrences brought about a "new war," as Churchill put it, with Japan and America deeply involved and Russia resurgent. This book, a truly international history, examines the momentous happenings of December 1941 from a variety of perspectives. It shows that their significance is clearly understood only when they are viewed together.

About Evan Mawdsley

Evan Mawdsley is a historian and was formerly professor of international history at Glasgow University. He is the author of World War II: A New History and a Sunday Telegraph Book of the Year, December 1941.


Reviews

December 1941 was the month that World War II became truly a 'world' war. The Germans (and Italians) had signed the Tripartite Pact in September 1940 with the hopes to defeat Britain and to deter the US from entering the war. The Japanese were hoping to drag Germany into the war against the US and B......more

Goodreads review by Michael

I read this book because I fondly remember Evan Mawdsley's history of the Russian Civil War. "December 1941" is superb. It is easily one of the best books on WWII I have read. He juggles a number of important topics here: the failure of the Germans to capture Moscow, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbo......more

Goodreads review by Nick

I enjoyed this book, although I would recommend Ian Kershaw's "Fateful Choices" a slightly better text, as it covers a longer period which allows for greater context. My biggest take to come out of reading this book was the degree of group think among British and American leaders that Japan would ha......more

Goodreads review by Mark

Great book about a pivotal point in WW2 and world history.......more

Goodreads review by Bob

Twelve Days That Changed The World I spent my career as a newspaper reporter/editor during which time I learned a couple of critical truths. First, events don’t occur in a vacuum. To understand, one needs context. Second, often seemingly isolated events/facts are actually inter-related. Hundreds of bo......more