Six Months in 1945: FDR, Stalin, Churchill, and Truman--from World War to Cold War - Hardcover

Dobbs, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 030727165X ISBN 13: 9780307271655

Publisher: Alfred a Knopf Inc, 2012

Synopsis

From the author of the best-selling One Minute to Midnight, a riveting account of the pivotal six-month period spanning the end of World War II, the dawn of the nuclear age, and the beginning of the Cold War.

When Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill met in Yalta in February 1945, Hitler’s armies were on the run and victory was imminent. The Big Three wanted to draft a blueprint for a lasting peace—but instead set the stage for a forty-four-year division of Europe into Soviet and western spheres of influence. After fighting side by side for nearly four years, their political alliance was rapidly fracturing. By the time the leaders met again in Potsdam in July 1945, Russians and Americans were squabbling over the future of Germany and Churchill was warning about an “iron curtain” being drawn down over the Continent.

These six months witnessed some of the most dramatic moments of the twentieth century: the cataclysmic battle for Berlin, the death of Franklin Roosevelt, the discovery of the Nazi concentration camps, Churchill’s electoral defeat, and the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan. While their armies linked up in the heart of Europe, the political leaders maneuvered for leverage: Stalin using his nation’s wartime sacrifices to claim spoils, Churchill doing his best to halt Britain’s waning influence, FDR trying to charm Stalin, Truman determined to stand up to an increasingly assertive Soviet superpower.

Six Months in 1945 brilliantly captures this momentous historical turning point, chronicling the geopolitical twists behind the descent of the iron curtain, while illuminating the aims and personalities of larger-than-life political giants. It is a vividly rendered story of individual and national interests in fierce competition at a seminal moment in history.

About this title

Review

"[S]uperbly evocative . . . So vivid is the writing that you can practically feel the shuddering vibration and turbulence in what was then the state-of-the-art aircraft carrying Roosevelt on the first visit by an American president to the Soviet Union."
--Martin Rubin, "San Francisco Chronicle"
"Favoring a journalistic style that embeds the issues, such as Poland and German reparations, in atmospheric descriptions of the Yalta and Potsdam conferences' interior decor and meal menus, Dobbs lends the subject an immediacy that will engage history readers, who will be within earshot of leaders and their aides as they meet, adjourn, dine, and wrangle over the affairs of defeated Germany and its former empire ... Dobbs delivers a readily accessible presentation of the onset of the Cold War."
--Gilbert Taylor, "Booklist
""A confident and rewarding survey of a hinge point in 20th-century history."
--"Kirkus Reviews
""This extraordinary and well-documented account of a short period in history illustrates how just a few men in a closed room can influence history in a monumental and sometimes devastating way. "Six Months in 1945" is an important book to read to better understand how such negotiations influence us for decades. It illustrates that events and decisions made on the world stage affect us all, without most of us being aware of the decisions."
--"Free Lance-Star
""An astute narrative of the six months that changed the world."
--"Publishers Weekly
"
"Superb . . . Dobbs tells the story with the precision of a fine historian and the verve of a first-rate journalist."
--Philip Seib, "Dallas News
""Dobbs is a gifted writer. His characterizations of powerful men are well judged and rounded, as are his evaluations of the fateful choices they faced."
--Lawrence D. Freedman, "Foreign Affairs
"
"A gifted storyteller and thorough researcher with an eye for detail . . . tension and suspense aplenty."
--Set

Praise for Michael Dobbs' "Six Months in 1945
"
"Superb . . . Dobbs tells the story with the precision of a fine historian and the verve of a first-rate journalist."
--"The Dallas Morning News"
"Elegant and convincing. . . . Dobbs's description of the fledgling relationship between the two superpowers is unerringly fascinating."
--"The Washington Post"
"[S]uperbly evocative . . . So vivid is the writing that you can practically feel the shuddering vibration and turbulence in what was then the state-of-the-art aircraft carrying Roosevelt on the first visit by an American president to the Soviet Union."
--"San Francisco Chronicle"
"A gifted storyteller and thorough researcher with an eye for detail . . . tension and suspense aplenty."
--"Washington Times"
"This extraordinary and well-documented account of a short period in history illustrates how just a few men in a closed room can influence history in a monumental and sometimes devastating way. "Six Months in 1945" is an important book to read to better understand how such negotiations influence us for decades. It illustrates that events and decisions made on the world stage affect us all, without most of us being aware of the decisions."
--"Free Lance-Star"
"Elegantly written . . . Dobbs delivers engaging portraits of the national leaders . . . . A confident and rewarding survey of a hinge point in 20th century history."
--"Kirkus Reviews"
"Dobbs brings these 'six months in 1945' to life better than anyone before him. In brisk, engrossing chapters, he weaves between the Big Three decision-makers . . . and sketches their stratagems, illusions, strengths and weaknesses."
--"Military Book Club"
"Dobbs is a gifted writer. His characterizations of powerful men are well judged and rounded, as are his evaluations of the fateful choices they faced."
--"Foreign Affairs"
"Dobbs lends the subject an immediacy that will engage history readers. . . . a readily accessible presentation of the onset of the Cold War."
--"Booklist"
"An astute narrative of the six months that changed the world."
--"Publishers Weekly"

Praise for Michael Dobbs' Six Months in 1945

"Superb . . . Dobbs tells the story with the precision of a fine historian and the verve of a first-rate journalist."
--The Dallas Morning News

"Elegant and convincing. . . . Dobbs's description of the fledgling relationship between the two superpowers is unerringly fascinating."
--The Washington Post

"[S]uperbly evocative . . . So vivid is the writing that you can practically feel the shuddering vibration and turbulence in what was then the state-of-the-art aircraft carrying Roosevelt on the first visit by an American president to the Soviet Union."
--San Francisco Chronicle

"A gifted storyteller and thorough researcher with an eye for detail . . . tension and suspense aplenty."
--Washington Times

"This extraordinary and well-documented account of a short period in history illustrates how just a few men in a closed room can influence history in a monumental and sometimes devastating way. Six Months in 1945 is an important book to read to better understand how such negotiations influence us for decades. It illustrates that events and decisions made on the world stage affect us all, without most of us being aware of the decisions."
--Free Lance-Star

"Elegantly written . . . Dobbs delivers engaging portraits of the national leaders . . . . A confident and rewarding survey of a hinge point in 20th century history."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Dobbs brings these 'six months in 1945' to life better than anyone before him. In brisk, engrossing chapters, he weaves between the Big Three decision-makers . . . and sketches their stratagems, illusions, strengths and weaknesses."
--Military Book Club

"Dobbs is a gifted writer. His characterizations of powerful men are well judged and rounded, as are his evaluations of the fateful choices they faced."
--Foreign Affairs

"Dobbs lends the subject an immediacy that will engage history readers. . . . a readily accessible presentation of the onset of the Cold War."
--Booklist

"An astute narrative of the six months that changed the world."
--Publishers Weekly

Book Description

FDR, Stalin, Churchill, Truman and the making of the modern world.

About this edition

• Publisher: Alfred a Knopf Inc
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 030727165X
• ISBN 13: 9780307271655
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 418