The Origins of the Second World War

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Good but narrowly focused - Rated
Fascinating book which broke down a lot of the myths I had learnt about the 2nd World War. However, it looks at the situation purely from a political point of view and covers little background as to: the economy, the public, the USA and the preparations for war.

If you're after a casual more rounded read I'd look elsewhere, but as a focused 'text book' this is pretty definitive.

Required Reading - Rated
This is a book central to the 20th Century. Giving birth to the Revisionist view of the 2nd World War, Taylor confronts all the Western assumptions of German guilt, analyses them and concludes by examining what he beleives to be the true guilty party to the War: Appeasement.

It is not a confrontative book. Indeed he could not afford it to be: It caused a great storm anyway amoung the Traditonalist West when it was published. Instead it clearly states the facts, and does not unnecessarily draw conclusions.

A J P Taylor is a much sourced Historian, and as such, should be read in his entirety.

Controversial, exciting, a fascinating insight... - Rated
A genuine contribution to history, written for the layman in a human style that portrays the characters moods and mood swings very effectively. In reality, written from the British point of view. I agree that it should be called Origins of the Second World War [in Europe] and is far too Euro-centric, especially written from the point of view of the Western Powers. Successfully reverses a number of perceptions which are locked in the British psyche. More importantly, it sets the British politicians minds within the context of public opinion - especially, the large public mandate for the national governments (similiarities with Tony Blair in that popularity is not linked with decisive leadership). At the end of this book, it is quite clear why statemen like Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, Lord Curzon etc did not dominate the twenties and thirties - the public had been sold the "war to end all wars" line and the lie needed a compelling external threat before the government could get off the hook. A truly exciting book.

A provocative, enthralling account of excellence. - Rated
'The Origins of the Second World War' is one of the finest works of modern revisionism in European History. The controversial ideals propounded therein contiue to cause consternation among many academics. It is, to a degree, the continuation of his previous volume in the Oxford History of Europe (The Struggle for Mastery in Europe 1848-1918), perhaps a criticism of 'Origins' is that it centres on Europe. But 'Origins' became his apotheosis vis-a-vis revisionism: questioning the apparently sacrosacnt ideal that Hitler had single handedly planned and caused the War. He blamed the controversy the book caused for his 'removal' from Oxford. Whether or not this is the case, one cannot say. 'Origins', however, will an important historical for years to come.