Brief Description
Based on up-to-date scholarship, this single-volume history explores the war's causes, its conduct, and its enduring consequences.
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World War II was a colossal military struggle that helped shape the world in which we live today. The division of Germany and Korea, the long subjugation of Eastern Europe, and the decline of European imperialism are all consequences of the war. The United States and the Soviet Union fought in the conflict as allies yet emerged from it as hostile rivals, superpowers locked in a dangerous nuclear arms race with the potential to end civilization as we know it. Truly our era can be said to owe much of its nature to the course and the outcome of World War II. This single-volume history of World War II explores the wars causes, its conduct, and its enduring consequences. Total war involves more than the clash of armed forces: Great changes are wrought on the societies of victor and vanquished alike. This book therefore treats the home fronts as well as the battle fronts, with particular emphasis on the United States. Mobilization, propaganda, the role of women and blacks in the labor force and armed services, and the internment of Japanese-Americans are just a few of the topics explored. Unlike conventional military histories, The United States and World War II goes beyond the field of combat to present the era in its broader context. Based on the most up-to-date scholarship, this volume is written for the general reader and for use in courses on World War II and on recent American history.
