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This work provides a comprehensive and balanced analysis of the Second World War in all its aspects - military, diplomatic, political, economic, social, and ecological. It explores the complex origins of the conflict in Europe and in the Far East as well as its lasting impact on the postwar world. It pays special attention to the fighting in Russia and China. It also examines the ideological struggle at the heart of this war between autarkic fascism and militarism on one side and liberal, democratic capitalism on the other.

The author recounts the ideas and actions of political leaders and generals as well as the experiences of soldiers, sailors, POWs, defense plant workers, sex slaves, and other ordinary people caught up in the horror of war. He examines World War II as a total war that required the total mobilization of societies and economies to achieve battlefield success. The reader is also introduced to debates among historians concerning key aspects of the war including appeasement, the fall of France, and the impact of strategic bombing, the Holocaust, the role of Emperor Hirohito and more. Each chapter includes a number of thought provoking questions to enhance the reader's understanding and stimulate discussion.