A People's History of the Second World War: Resistance Versus Empire - Hardcover

Gluckstein, Donny

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0745328032 ISBN 13: 9780745328034

Publisher: Pluto Press, 2012

Synopsis

A People's History of the Second World War unearths the fascinating history of the war as fought 'from below'. Until now, the vast majority of historical accounts have focussed on the conflict between the Allied and Axis powers for imperialist mastery. Donny Gluckstein shows that in fact between 1939 and 1945 two distinct wars were fought – one ‘from above’ and one ‘from below’.

Using examples from countries under the Nazi heel, in the colonies and within the Axis and Allied camps, Gluckstein brings to life the very different struggle of the people's and resistance movements which proliferated during the war. He shows how they fought not just fascism, but colonialism and empire, and were betrayed by the Allies at the war’s end.

This book will fundamentally challenge our understanding of the Second World War – both about the people who fought it and the reasons for which it was fought.

About this title

Review:

The Second World War is so thoroughly surrounded by myth that it is hard to grasp its real character. Gluckstein offers a new interpretation, portraying 1939-45 as two parallel wars: one waged by the Great Powers among themselves, the other by the peoples against fascism. Refreshingly avoiding a conventional narrative approach, he offers new insights that provide a powerful antidote to historical mythology. (Alex Callinicos)

Rigorously structuring his analysis around the two central themes of popular resistance and inter-imperialist rivalry, Gluckstein makes an indispensable contribution to understanding the reality of the conflict in all its complexity. (Neil Davidson, Senior Research Fellow, University of Strathclyde and author of Discovering the Scottish Revolution)

In this fascinating book, Gluckstein shows that while the rulers of the Allied powers cynically pursued their own imperial interests, the mass of their populations were fighting a very different war. Common soldiers, resistance fighters and civilians fought not only to defeat fascism, but also for a better world free from injustice and colonialism. Gluckstein combines an impressive grasp of the war's shifting complexities with the brilliance of a sweeping and penetrating political analysis. (Andy Durgan, author of The Spanish Civil War (Palgrave 2007))

About the Author:

Donny Gluckstein is a lecturer in history at Stevenson College, Edinburgh. He is the author of several books on Marxist history.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pluto Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0745328032
• ISBN 13: 9780745328034
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288