The Second World War: A Short History

by R.A.C. Parker

The Second World War is a compact but comprehensive and absorbing history of the war. It examines the causes of the war, how it was won and lost, and its far-reaching consequences for humanity. In tracing the key events of both the European and the Far Eastern wars, R. A. C. Parker outlines clearly the strategies of the participants, the economies and societies that underlay them, and the strengths and weaknesses of their fighting forces. He describes the decisive battles and analyses the reasons for their outcome, paying close attention to special features of the war: mobile warfare, forced migration, the Holocaust, strategic and nuclear bombing. Unlike many other histories of the war this book places British and European involvement squarely in an international perspective, and the author never shies away from raising fundamental questions.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Military Fiction, Historical, War

352 pages, Paperback

First published February 22, 1990

About the author

Robert Alexander Clarke Parker was a British historian, specialising in British appeasement of Nazi Germany and the Second World War. Parker was a lecturer in history at the University of Manchester from 1952 to 1957, when he became a Fellow in Modern History at The Queen's College, Oxford until his retirement in 1997.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

The worst IIWW book I've ever read. The style of writing is very mundane and chaotic at the same time. Literally one sentence could be about Japan, next about Hungarian Jews, one after about Britain and Poland with no apparent motif.

[Clayton Whisnant · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the few short surveys of the Second World War, Parker's book basically does a good job at quickly surveying the course of the war. It was written in 1989, so a few things feel slightly dated. Occasionally, a strangely sympathetic reading of Stalin's intentions and behavior creeps in, which I take as a product of the lingering influence of revisionist histories of the Soviet Union. At least with regards to Stalin, much of this has been discredited by post-Soviet research. A much bigger flaw is the lack of a chapter or even a decent section on how the Nazis governed Europe, especially with regards to the looting and forced labor that was routine. There is a brief mention of this, but I think if the book was written today the author would have dealt with this topic in a lot more detail. Still, some interesting chapters on "Economies at war" and "Strategic Bombing." Given that most books on the Second World War run to 500+ pages, this was a good choice for classwork. I wish the author was still alive to give an updated version.

[Kathy West · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- Excellent - Highly Recommended
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - A good, solid read
3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - An okay read
2 ⭐️⭐️ - Meh
1 ⭐️ - Not my cup of tea

[Vincent Hannam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blends concise details with fluid writing, allowing for an immersive dive into the vast pool that is World War II history.

[Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid, bare-bones account of the Second World War. Parker writes from a British standpoint, but still covers his bases in a relatively short amount of space. Good for those looking for a quick survey.

[Jason Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent methodical overview of World War 2. Some of the information is outdated by scholarship done in the 30 years since, and Parker's writing style and sentence structure can be confusing at times. Interesting to read in the perspective of the 'historiography" of academic literature on WW2.

[Leonardo]

Recomendado como crónica general en Europa en Guerra.

[James King · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a light read for a casual World War II enthusiast. If you want a deep dive into many aspects of World War II than this is a good book for you.

[Joe Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Text-book like” reading, but very informative on WW2 causes, battles and after effects.

[Oonagh Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

outdated and general enough, but an interesting, comprehensive read

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really deserves all the stars, because I can honestly say: if you are looking to buy a one volume history of WWII, this is definitely the one to buy. It is written by a Brit, so there is a little tiny bit of bias towards the British point of view, but for the most part it is very evenhanded. It really is remarkable how much information Parker is able to pack into these chapters, and the reader can pick around some of the more detailed sections. If you're into the nitty-gritty of the economics of war, then that chapter has all kinds of interesting facts for you about war production. If you don't really care about that stuff, you can skim that part. Great general history to keep around. If you sit down and read it cover to cover, you basically know everything you'll ever need to know about the war.

[Alexachcar11]

Was a very good general cover of World War Two.

[Dan Cohen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good short history of the second world war - does exactly what the title suggests. Also includes some plates and a fair selection of maps (I could always use more but this was a good effort). Recommended.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remarkably compact yet complete account of World War II.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice and concise

[Beanbrenner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The definitive short history of the Second World War - brief, but with impressive depth and winning frankness.

[Dawn Henri]

very engaging, easy to read. I picked & chose what chapters I wanted. So much was clarified.

[Aarthika · Rating 3 out of 5]

For school.

The reasoning behind the catalysts of the second world war were very interesting to read about.

#Nomoreworldwarspls

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bit pompous in certain areas.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best single, short volume on World War II.