[lbo-talk] Unpatriotic History of the Second World War

James Heartfield james at heartfield.org
Thu Aug 30 11:46:28 PDT 2012


I just got my new book Unpatriotic History of the Second World War back from the publishers, so forgive me if I plug it here.

This is the blurb:

'Sixty million people died in the Second World War, and still they tell us it was the People's War.

The official history of the Second World War is Victor's History. This is the history of the Second World War without the patriotic whitewash.

The Second World War was not fought to stop fascism, or to liberate Europe. It was a war between imperialist powers to decide which among them would rule over the world, a division of the spoils of empire, and an iron cage for working people, enslaved to the war production drive.

The unpatriotic history of the Second World War explains why the Great Powers fought most of their war not in their own countries, but in colonies in North Africa, in the Far East and in Germany's hoped-for Empire in the East. Find out how wildcat strikes, partisans in Europe and Asia, and soldiers mutinies came close to ending the war. And find out how the Allies invaded Europe and the Far East to save capitalism from being overthrown.

James Heartfield challenges the received wisdom of the Second World War.'

There are 550 pages, thirty illustrations and 32 Chapters:

Introduction The myth of the Good War PART ONE: THE MEANING OF THE WAR

1. The War in the Factories 2. Rationing 3. Military Industrial Complex 4. Dig for Victory 5. Trade War 6. Imperialist War 7. Militarisation of Everyday Life 8. Caesarism 9. Race War 10. A Soldier’s Life 11. Love and War

PART TWO: THE COURSE OF THE WAR

12. Power Politics 13. A Time of Reaction 14. Blitzkrieg – The German Invasion of Europe 15. Morale Bombing – a war against the working class 16. Collapse of the Soviet Empire 17. The Arab Revolt 18. Collapse of the European Empires in East Asia 19. Quit India 20. The Revolt Against the War 21. The European Resistance 22. Partisans of the East 23. Collapse of the German Empire in the East 24. The ‘Final Solution’ 25. The Second Invasion of Europe 26. A War of Extermination in the Pacific 27. The Second Invasion of East Asia 28. India uprisen, divided 29. The Defeated Powers under Occupation 30. Destruction and Reconstruction 31. The Intellectuals and the War 32. Revising the History of the Second World War

You can order it here: http://www.amazon.com/Unpatriotic-History-Second-World-War/dp/1780993781/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346351408&sr=8-1&keywords=unpatriotic+history+of+the+second+world+war



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