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Hitler's American Gamble: Pearl Harbor and Germany's March to Global War

Hitler's American Gamble: Pearl Harbor and Germany's March to Global War

by Brendan Simms and Charlie Laderman

Basic Books ·2021 ·510 pages ·History
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52/99
Near the Top

52/99

Critics

Near the Top

52/99

Readers

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Scholars

38/99

Rating

66/99

Volume

64/99

Rating

40/99

Volume

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About This Book

A riveting account of the five most crucial days in twentieth-century diplomatic history: from Pearl Harbor to Hitler's declaration of war on the United States By early December 1941, war had changed much of the world beyond recognition. Nazi Germany occupied most of the European continent, while in Asia, the Second Sino-Japanese War had turned China into a battleground. But these conflicts were not yet inextricably linked—and the United States remained at peace. Hitler's American Gamble recounts the five days that upended everything: December 7 to 11. Tracing developments in real time and backed by deep archival research, historians Brendan Simms and Charlie Laderman show how Hitler's intervention was not the foolhardy decision of a man so bloodthirsty that he forgot all strategy, but a calculated risk that can only be understood in a truly global context. This book reveals how December 11, not Pearl Harbor, was the real watershed that created a world war and transformed international history.


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Reviews

"The greatest strength of Simms and Laderman's book is its success in accomplishing something supremely difficult: It reminds us how contingent even the most significant historical events can be, how many other possibilities lurked beyond the familiar ones that actually happened—and how even the greatest leaders often have only a shaky grasp of what is happening ..."

Benjamin Carter Hett· The New York Times Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"A meticulous historical account ..."

Kirkus Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"Simms and Laderman never lose sight of the ways that these events affected how the Nazis treated European Jews ..."

Robert S. Davis· The New York Journal of Books Read review ↗ Near the Top

"There are, however, some telling anecdotes."

Saul David· The Times (UK) Read review ↗ Near the Top

"an engaging and insightful account of the forces that shaped Hitler's fateful decision."

Arthur Herman· The Wall Street Journal Read review ↗ Near the Top

"Though Simms and Laderman take a fresh angle on the buildup to WWII, they overstuff the story with extraneous details and deep dives into diplomatic maneuverings."

Publishers Weekly Read review ↗ Maybe Someday

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