Lost Peace

Leadership in a Time of Horror and Hope: 1945-1953

By: Robert Dallek

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 15 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's Summary

In a striking reinterpretation of the postwar years, Robert Dallek examines what drove the leaders of the most powerful and populous nations around the globe - Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, Mao, de Gaulle, and Truman - to rely on traditional power politics despite the catastrophic violence their nations had endured. The decisions of these men, for better and often for worse, had profound consequences for decades to come, influencing relations and conflicts with China, Korea, in the Middle East, and around the globe.

The Lost Peace is a penetrating look at the misjudgments that caused enormous strife and suffering during this critical period, from the closing months of World War II through the early years of the Cold War. From Hitler's killing program to Stalin's paranoia to Truman's decision to build hydrogen bombs, the men who led the world at this time executed astonishingly unwise actions that propelled the nuclear arms race and extended the Cold War. Dallek has written a cautionary tale that considers what might have been done differently to avoid the difficulties that strong and weak nations around the globe encountered in the mid-twentieth century.

Provocative, illuminating, and based on a lifetime of research, The Lost Peace also offers extraordinary lessons for today's leaders who may learn from the mistakes that were made between 1945 and 1953 and help them achieve an era of greater international cooperation.

©2010 Robert Dallek (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

A Solid Overview and Summary, Clearly Read

This is a very good summary of diplomatic developments after World War II as it relates to the Victorious Nations. Obviously volumes could be, and have been written about this timeframe. This work is historically accurate and provides some reasonable analysis.

As an audiobook the work is clearly narrated. For a person unfamiliar with this period of World History, the book provides a reasonable summary. For a true student of history, the book provides a foundation for further study. The Kindle, of course, has many footnotes not provided in the audiobook. I was glad that I had both.... Thank You...