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The World at War, 1914–1945
This text provides an innovative global military history that joins three periods—World War I, the interwar years, and World War II. Jeremy Black offers a comprehensive survey of both wars, comparing continuities and differences. He traces the causes of each war and assesses land, sea, and air warfare as separate dimensions. He argues that the unprecedented nature of the two wars owed much to the demographic and industrial strength of the states involved and their ability and determination to mobilize vast resources. Yet the demands of the world wars also posed major difficulties, not simply in sustaining the struggle but also in conceiving of practical strategies and operational methods in the heat and competition of ever-evolving conflict. In this process, resources, skills, leadership, morale, and alliance cohesion all proved significant.
In addition to his military focus, Black considers other key dimensions of the conflicts, especially political and social influences and impacts. He thoroughly integrates the interwar years, tracing the significant continuities between the two world wars. He emphasizes how essential American financial, industrial, agricultural, and energy resources were to the Allies—both before and after the United States entered each war. Bringing the two world wars to life, Black sheds light not only on both as individual conflicts but also on the interwoven relationships between the two.
In addition to his military focus, Black considers other key dimensions of the conflicts, especially political and social influences and impacts. He thoroughly integrates the interwar years, tracing the significant continuities between the two world wars. He emphasizes how essential American financial, industrial, agricultural, and energy resources were to the Allies—both before and after the United States entered each war. Bringing the two world wars to life, Black sheds light not only on both as individual conflicts but also on the interwoven relationships between the two.
- GenresHistory
362 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2019
About the author
Jeremy Black
452 books202 followersJeremy Black is an English historian, who was formerly a professor of history at the University of Exeter. He is a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of America and the West at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US.
Black is the author of over 180 books, principally but not exclusively on 18th-century British politics and international relations, and has been described by one commentator as "the most prolific historical scholar of our age". He has published on military and political history, including Warfare in the Western World, 1882–1975 (2001) and The World in the Twentieth Century (2002).
Black is the author of over 180 books, principally but not exclusively on 18th-century British politics and international relations, and has been described by one commentator as "the most prolific historical scholar of our age". He has published on military and political history, including Warfare in the Western World, 1882–1975 (2001) and The World in the Twentieth Century (2002).
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October 8, 2020
The World at War, 1914-1945 by Jeremy Black, is a study of modern warfare in the twentieth century. Black MBE is an English historian and a Professor of History at the University of Exeter. He is a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of America and the West at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.
The thirty year period covered in the book is probably the most critical period in warfare. It was a period of full-scale industrial warfare. It was a period where the civilian population became victims of war not only by the scarcity of food and materials but also as targets. At first, the attacks that are meant to create fear in the population later as bombing became more precise and on a grander scale, industrial centers were targeted.
Black examines not only the two significant periods of warfare -- World War I and World War II, he also discusses the period between. Interwar years were will with small scale wars around the world as well as significant internal wars in Russia, Spain, and China. This was also a period of advancement in weapons. The tank and the airplane saw substantial improvements from rickety and failure prone machines into practical tools of war.
The World At War examines aspects of the wars in causes, land warfare, naval warfare, air warfare, and geopolitical issues of the conflicts. Twentieth-century Wars were much more complex and connected at many levels than the casual historian would think. Black creates a web that ties everything together in a neat package. A well written and extremely well-documented history of the evolution of warfare and its effects.
The thirty year period covered in the book is probably the most critical period in warfare. It was a period of full-scale industrial warfare. It was a period where the civilian population became victims of war not only by the scarcity of food and materials but also as targets. At first, the attacks that are meant to create fear in the population later as bombing became more precise and on a grander scale, industrial centers were targeted.
Black examines not only the two significant periods of warfare -- World War I and World War II, he also discusses the period between. Interwar years were will with small scale wars around the world as well as significant internal wars in Russia, Spain, and China. This was also a period of advancement in weapons. The tank and the airplane saw substantial improvements from rickety and failure prone machines into practical tools of war.
The World At War examines aspects of the wars in causes, land warfare, naval warfare, air warfare, and geopolitical issues of the conflicts. Twentieth-century Wars were much more complex and connected at many levels than the casual historian would think. Black creates a web that ties everything together in a neat package. A well written and extremely well-documented history of the evolution of warfare and its effects.
Displaying 1 of 1 review