The spectre of war : international communism and the origins of World War II / Jonathan Haslam.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Haslam, Jonathan, author.

Series:

Princeton studies in international history and politics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Communism--Europe--History--20th century.

Communism.

International relations.

Propaganda, Communist.

History.

Social stratification.

Europe.

Social stratification--Europe--History--20th century.

Propaganda, Communist--Europe--History--20th century.

Europe--Politics and government--20th century.

Politics and government.

Europe--Foreign relations--20th century.

Europe--History--20th century.

Diplomatic relations.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xvi, 481 pages ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2021]

Summary:

"This book is a global history of the Interwar period, which posits a new history for the origins of the Second World War. Jonathan Haslam argues that it was not only the failures of the treaties that ended the First World War that led to the Second, as has traditionally been supposed. Rather, fear of international communism hampered the Great Powers and prevented the necessary diplomatic steps to contain the aggression of Germany and Japan to a much greater extent and much earlier in history than previous scholarship has recognized. Haslam looks at newly discovered and neglected archival materials around the world to show how communism as a social and political force shaped the politics in countries as diverse as Britain, Spain, France, as well as the U.S., China, and European colonies in the 1920s and 1930s. Both Communism and fear of communism were essential components of the period's political and class divides within Europe, the Weimar crisis, the Great Depression, and colonial conflicts around the world. These social factors formed the essential background to the grand political dramas in each country, explaining for example why France seemed timid, Britain appeased, and the U.S. self-isolated. Haslam expertly brings together domestic and international politics as well as the European and Asian theaters to shed new light on this pivotal period of history in new ways. Ultimately, he shows that international communism was much a more significant factor in the diplomatic failures that permitted Japan's increased aggression and Hitler's rise to power than was previously thought"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1. Crossroads to World Revolution, 1917-1920

2. Europe at the Brink

3. Subverting Great Britain and Its Empire

4. The Manchurian Fiasco, 1931

5. Stalin's Gamble on German Nationalism

6. The Impact of Hitler

7. Italy Breaks Out

8. The Paradox of the Popular Front

9. Spain and the Schism of Europe

10. A United Front against Japan

11. The Appeasement of Germany, 1937-1939

12. War, 1939-1940

13. The Invasion of the Soviet Union.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780691182650

0691182655

OCLC:

1183399620