Dec-41

Twelve Days That Began a World War

De: Evan Mawdsley

Narrado por: Jonathan Cowley

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.

©2011 Evan Mawdsley (P)2021 Tantor

An interesting story poorly read.

Bouncing around among all capitals and multiple fronts might not sound like fun but this is a very interesting explication of events that were in fact related. Although familiar with the history of each arena individually, I found the interactions and details quite helpful. Perhaps it’s the interaction of an English author and an English narrator but the upswing at the end of nearly every sentence and clause became downright annoying