1939

'Taylor has done us a great service in making the personal stories of what it was actually like to live through the most crucial year of the twentieth century vivid, compelling and salutary.' - /b>b>Roland Philipps, author of A Spy Named Orphan: The Enigma of Donald Maclean/b>In the autumn of 1938, Europe believed in the promise of peace. Still reeling from the ravages of the Great War, its people were desperate to rebuild their lives in a newly safe and stable era. But only a year later, the fateful decisions of just a few men had again led Europe to war, a war that would have a profound and lasting impact on millions.Bestselling historian Frederick Taylor focuses on the day-to-day experiences of British and German people trapped in this disastrous chain of events and not, as is so often the case, the elite. Drawn from original sources, their voices, concerns and experiences reveal a marked disconnect between government and people; few ordinary citizens in either country wanted war.1939: A People's History is not only a vivid account of that turbulent year but also an interrogation of our capacity to go to war again. In many ways it serves as a warning; an opportunity for us to learn from our history and a reminder that we must never take peace for granted.

This scholarly, objective, sane and well-written book . . . a tremendously powerful work, profoundly moving in the accounts of the ordinary German families who met their deaths that dreadful night.

Vorwort
A vivid people's history, based on original source material, of the twelve months leading up to the outbreak of the war nobody wanted in 1939, perfect for fans of Antony Beevor, Max Hastings, Christopher Clark and Margaret Macmillan.

Autorentext

Frederick Taylor was educated at Aylesbury Grammar School, and read History and Modern Languages at Oxford, before postgraduate work at Sussex University. He edited and translated The Goebbels Diaries 1939-41 and is the author of several acclaimed works of history, including Dresden, The Berlin Wall, Coventry and 1939: A People's History. He lives in Cornwall.

Klappentext

In the autumn of 1938, Europe believed in the promise of peace. Still reeling from the ravages of the Great War, its people were desperate to rebuild their lives in a newly safe and stable era. But only a year later, the fateful decisions of just a few men had again led Europe to war, a war that would have a profound and lasting impact on millions.
Bestselling historian Frederick Taylor focuses on the day-to-day experiences of British and German people trapped in this disastrous chain of events and not, as is so often the case, the elite. Drawn from original sources, their voices, concerns and experiences reveal a marked disconnect between government and people; few ordinary citizens in either country wanted war.
1939: A People's History is not only a vivid account of that turbulent year but also an interrogation of our capacity to go to war again. And it serves as a warning; an opportunity for us to learn from our history, a reminder that we must never take peace for granted.
'Taylor has done us a great service in making the personal stories of what it was actually like to live through the most crucial year of the twentieth century vivid, compelling and salutary.' Roland Philipps, author of A Spy Named Orphan
'Sinister and thrilling.' Who Do You Think You Are Magazine

Inhalt

Section - i: List of Illustrations Section - ii: Maps Introduction - iii: Introduction Chapter - 1: September 1938: 'So, No War!' Chapter - 2: October 1938: 'More Popular than Hitler' Chapter - 3: November 1938: 'We Are Being Hunted Like Hares' Chapter - 4: Winter 1938/1939: 'Does Conscription Mean That the Men Will Have to Go Away?' Chapter - 5: Spring 1939: 'It's Hitler Again: But Don't Worry!' Chapter - 6: April/May 1939: 'We All Love Him Very, Very Much' Chapter - 7: June/July 1939: 'Fine, Fine, Fine. Blue and Sunshine Everywhere' Chapter - 8: 1-22 August 1939: 'To Die for Danzig?' Chapter - 9: 23-31 August 1939: 'Grandmother is Dead' Chapter - 10: 1-3 September 1939: 'So the Madness Unfolds' Acknowledgements - iv: Acknowledgements Section - v: Notes Section - vi: Sources Index - vii: Index