On 8 May 1995, the British prime minister, John Major, referred to the end of World War II as the end of a thirty years’ war; in this, he was correct: both sides saw this war as an attempt to complete a task left undone at the close of the First World War – the show-down which ended European global domination. The Second World War was, however, the ultimate catastrophe of modern history, laying waste the heart and soul of Europe. Here you will find contributions about this conflict, its prelude, conduct, and personalities – excluding non-military Nazi personalities, which are covered under the entry “Third Reich Era.” Also covered are contributions dealing with war crimes (and lies about alleged war crimes) committed in the course of the conflict. This does not include the “Holocaust,” which has a separate entry (and is not a war crime in the strict sense).
By James Joseph Martin ∙ January 1, 1981
James J. Martin graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1942 and received his M.A. (1945) and Ph.D. (1949) degrees in history from the University of Michigan. His teaching career has spanned 25 years and involved residence at educational institutions from coast to coast. Dr. Martin's books have included the 1964 two-volume classic, American…
By John Mueller ∙ December 6, 1991
John Mueller is a professor of political science at the University of Rochester, and the author of Retreat From Doomsday (Basic Books, 1989). This essay, reprinted from the Los Angeles Times, Dec. 6, 1991, is adapted from an article in International Security journal. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor half a century ago is usually…
By Joachim Hoffmann ∙ November 1, 1997
Joachim Hoffmann, Dr. phil., served as a historian with the Military History Research Center of the German armed forces, 1960-1995, and is author of the recently published study, Stalins Vernichtungskrieg. This item appeared as a reader's letter in the September 1997 issue of the Swiss magazine Schweizer Soldat. For some time now it has become…
By Joseph Sobran ∙ August 1, 1995
Pal Joey Joseph Sobran is a nationally-syndicated columnist, lecturer, author (most recently of Alias Shakespeare), and editor of the monthly newsletter Sobran's (PO Box 1383, Vienna, VA 22183). “Pal Joey” is reprinted from the August 1995 issue of Sobran's, and “The Hiss Case” from the January 1997 issue. Thanks to cable TV, I recently caught…
By Arthur R. Butz ∙ July 1, 1997
Arthur R. Butz was born and raised in New York City. In 1965 he received his. doctorate in Control Sciences from the University of Minnesota. In 1966 he joined the faculty of Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois), where he is now Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. In addition to numerous technical papers, Dr. Butz…
By Mark Weber ∙ May 1, 1997
On January 20, 1997, Bill Clinton began his second term as President with a swearing-in ceremony at the White House followed by an inaugural address. During the first few minutes of this speech, Clinton briefly surveyed the history of the past ten decades: What a century it has been. America became the world’s mightiest industrial…
By Mark Weber ∙ May 1, 1997
A long-suppressed report written in June 1945 by the US Army’s Chemical Warfare Service shows that American military leaders made plans for a massive preemptive poison gas attack to accompany an invasion of Japan. The 30-page document designated “gas attack zones” on detailed maps of Tokyo and other major Japanese cities. Army planners selected 50…
By Gregory P. Pavlik ∙ September 1, 1995
Gregory P. Pavlik wrote this essay as an editor for The Freeman, published monthly by the Foundation for Economic Education (30 S. Broadway, Irvington-on-Hudson, NY 10533). It is reprinted from the September 1995 issue. Pavlik is also editor of the 1995 work, Forgotten Lessons: Selected Essays of John T. Flynn. The first use of an…
By Mark Weber ∙ May 1, 1997
On August 6, 1945, the world dramatically entered the atomic age: without either warning or precedent, an American plane dropped a single nuclear bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion utterly destroyed more than four square miles of the city center. About about 90,000 people were killed immediately; another 40,000 were injured, many…
By Joseph Bishop ∙ March 1, 1996
A Time For War: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Path to Pearl Harbor, by Robert Smith Thompson. New York: Pren- tice Hall, 1991. xiii+449 pages. Hardcover. Photos. Source notes. Bibliography. Index. Joseph Bishop studied history at a South African university. He now resides in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and three children. In the…
End of content
End of content
