 | June 1941 Subjects: World War 1939–1945 -- Campaigns -- Russia; World War 1939–1945 -- Russia; World War 1939–1945 -- Germany; Hitler Adolf 1889–1945; Stalin Joseph 1879–1953; This brilliant new work by the author of the best-selling Five Days in London, May 1940 is an unparalleled drama of two great leaders confronting each other in June 1941. It describes Hitler and Stalin's strange, calculating, and miscalculating relationship before the German invasion of Soviet Russia, with its gigantic (and unintended) consequences. John Lukacs questions many long-held beliefs; he suggests, for example, that among other things Hitler's first purpose involved England: if Stalin's Communist Russia were to be defeated, Hitler's Third Reich would be well-nigh invincible, and the British and American peoples would be forced to rethink the war against Hitler. The book offers penetrating insights and a new portrait of Hitler and Stalin, moved by their long-lasting inclinations. Yet among other things, Lukacs presents evidence that Hitler (rather than his generals) had moments of dark foreboding before the invasion. Stalin could not, because he wished not, believe that Hitler would choose the risk of a two-front war by attacking him; he was stunned and shocked and came close to a breakdown. But he recovered, grew into a statesman, and eventually became a prime victor of the Second World War. Such are the ironies of history; John Lukacs paints them with a shining narrative skill. John Lukacs was born Janos Adalbert Lukacs in Budapest, Hungry on January 31, 1924. His father was Catholic and his mother was Jewish. He received an advanced degree in history from the University of Budapest. Although he was a practicing Catholic, he was considered Jewish enough to be conscripted into an army labor battalion when the Nazis occupied Hungary. He deserted in late 1944. When things did not improve under Soviet occupation and a Communist government, he fled illegally to the United States in July 1946. He was hired as a part-time lecturer in history at Columbia University to accommodate an influx of returning veterans. In 1947, he was hired by Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia to teach full time. He taught there for 47 years, retiring in 1994. He wrote numerous books including The Last European War; Confessions of an Original Sinner; The Duel: The Eighty-Day Struggle Between Churchill and Hitler; The Hitler of History; A Student's Guide to the Study of History; Churchill: Visionary. Statesman. Historian.; At the End of an Age; George Kennan: A Study of Character; and A Short History of the Twentieth Century. He died from heart failure on May 6, 2019 at the age of 95. (Bowker Author Biography) |
