Rating: 
Summary: One Big World War Book
Review: One Big History of the World WarI have been reading books about the World War for nearly 50 years. This book is one of a kind. But it's not written for everyone. First I will point out some limitations of this book. Then I will list some of the strengths that make this book unique. Limitations. Weinberg is a clear writer, but not flashy. The material is carefully organized but it moves at a deliberate pace. Put simply, this is not exciting reading, especially at 900 pages!
If you loved Ambrose, McCullough, or D'Este, you may dislike Weinberg. Weinberg believes in a form of historical writing that downplays the role of individuals. Roosevelt, Hitler, Stalin, Rommel, Churchill, Mussolini, Chang Kai Shek, Hirohito are all in attendance, but their personalities, their quirks, and their
habits , hardly enter into the story. Instead, these men represent movements, states, ideologies, etc. Weinberg never uses direct, pithy quotes. That takes something out, compared to other popular history. Weinberg doesn't say anything he can't back up. Many chapters contain 200 footnotes or more. Those footnotes
could drive you crazy. Weinberg does not present the War as simply a clash of Good versus Evil. He sees a much more complex picture of motives and actions at play. Few parties to the conflict emerge with their honor wholly intact. Weinberg does not write much about leaders, battles, etc.
Don't get me wrong. The leaders and battles are there, but
W is only interested in the big picture aspects of battles, not
in leaders, heroes, clever tactics, etc. I don't see these limitations as very important. A reader can
get all that exciting stuff from popular books. Instead, Weinberg has produced a book that mainly appeals to World War addicts and scholars. I'm not sure I would recommend this book to readers who don't already have a good general grasp of the War. Now the strengths: Weinberg organized his material in such a way as to show the War in an integrated whole. He covers the whole World, Asia,
Europe, Mediterranean, even Africa and South America. In doing so he shows many interconnections that I had never previously considered. For instance, the book shows the close relationship between Japan and Germany. His writing is very tight. He discusses his topics systematically, thoroughly, and logically. He likes to set out lists of considerations, or reasons that I find illuminating.
For example, why did Hitler consistently reject offers of additional collaboration from Vichy France? Weinberg is realistic in his judgments. Although his overall viewpoint about the morality of the War is rather conventional, he's unafraid of making harsh judgments. For instance, W shows how the neutrals; Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, etc acted in greedy and self-interested ways, looking for war profits, wanting territorial gains, desparate to keep their independence. W is not given to moralizing. As I stated, his own views are clear, not hidden. But he does NOT find many instances where moral or ethical considerations carried much weight with the combatants or occupied nations. He's a believer in "RealPolitik" like Kissinger. W is not a military man, but he's writing about military operations. His grasp of those operations is satisfactory, although he must avoid details. He's excellent at showing how military operations relate to the larger war situation. For example, he shows how Germany sent 200,000 troops to Tunisia just when Germany needed them more at Stalingrad. Weinberg reaches some controversial conclusions about perennial "hot" issues: · Most Germans supported Hitler straight through. It's not
realistic to talk about a German resistance.
· Many adult Germans knew enough about the treatment of Jews, captives, and slave labor to understand the horrific nature of their government. They acquiesced.
· Hitler's overall plans for the future of Europe were much
more radical than most people understand -- even today.
· With a few exceptions, populations in the occupied countries did not mount serious resistance efforts. They willingly collaborated. (ex. Yugoslavia, Poland, USSR).
· The Wehrmacht knew fully about the Jews, the slave
labor, the crimes against occupied countries. It's no good
to argue that "we didn't know."
· The Western Allies knew about the Genocide by 1942. They did not act because there was little they could do, and, in the US especially, the government did not want to get into a political situation where the opposition could label it "A War to Save Jews." Anti-Semitism was still strong in US. etc etc etc. To sum up, this book represents a terrific achievement. It represents a huge body of research. He must have taken 10 years to write it, with the help of 10 assistants. None of the other books to take on the Whole Enchilada come close. It will probably stand as the "standard" treatment for 50 years, until many more closed archives are finally opened.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Macro-Analysis of WWII to date
Review: One can only say "its about time." Weinberg doesn't beat to death all the same tired details on the operational level that all buffs of WWII have read again and again as nauseum. He pulls back his analytical camera with his powerful primary source knowledge and gives us a grand strategic, political and economic view of the war on a global scale just as the sub-title says. As such, much of the reading is not as flashy and "sexy" as some would like--who cares! There are a million sloppy books written about WWII that would satisfy such readers. This is NOT a book for a newcomer to the subject--I would recommend John Keegan's survey as a good introductory analysis for the reader new to the subject. Weinberg's study is for the serious student. His focus on the people behind the scenes guiding the "big picture" course of the war is outstanding and long overdue. Revelations brought from his primary sources amazed and surprised me in many instances. His only weak point is his lack of primary sources from Japan, Italy and the USSR. The latter, especially, has just been available in large amounts in the last decade or so. It would be terrific if he would publish a revised version in the future with such primary sources integrated into the work. Even so, this global, macro-study is indispensible for any serious student of WWII and is a landmark in WWII historiography.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Macro-Analysis of WWII to date
Review: One can only say "its about time." Weinberg doesn't beat to death all the same tired details on the operational level that all buffs of WWII have read again and again as nauseum. He pulls back his analytical camera with his powerful primary source knowledge and gives us a grand strategic, political and economic view of the war on a global scale just as the sub-title says. As such, much of the reading is not as flashy and "sexy" as some would like--who cares! There are a million sloppy books written about WWII that would satisfy such readers. This is NOT a book for a newcomer to the subject--I would recommend John Keegan's survey as a good introductory analysis for the reader new to the subject. Weinberg's study is for the serious student. His focus on the people behind the scenes guiding the "big picture" course of the war is outstanding and long overdue. Revelations brought from his primary sources amazed and surprised me in many instances. His only weak point is his lack of primary sources from Japan, Italy and the USSR. The latter, especially, has just been available in large amounts in the last decade or so. It would be terrific if he would publish a revised version in the future with such primary sources integrated into the work. Even so, this global, macro-study is indispensible for any serious student of WWII and is a landmark in WWII historiography.
Rating:
Summary: A significant contribution to the study of World War II
Review: There are two major problems with most of the one volume histories of World War II. First, they tend to show the author's area of particular interest by focusing too heavily on one particular theater, at the expense of the rest. The second, is that it is impossible to consider all of the aspects of the conflict with equal thoroughness. Inevitably either the politcal, tactical, human, or economic aspect of the war will receive short shrift. Weinberg overcomes this frequent fault by setting for himself a very particular area of study, and sticking to it. In "A War to be One", Weinberg looks at the war as a truly global conflict. He is not so much concerned with the fighting, per se, as he is witht he personalities and policies that drove it. He explores the nature of the various alliances, and pays a great deal of attention to the role of neutrals in the conflict. He spends very little time on specific battles, rather devoting his attention to the campaigns as a whole, and their economic and politcal impacts. "A World at War" is truly one of the top two or three books I have encountered on WWII. Weinberg's thoroughness and tremendous research are worthy of the highest praise. Furthermore, by giving equal attention to all areas of conflict, particularly some of the lesser known ones, the reader truly develops an appreciation for the "world" in World War II. One note of caution, however, this is not a work for someone new to the field. Very little of the build-up to the conflict is discussed, and names and places are usual treated as known quantities. Also, I would recommend the excellent "A War to be Won" by Murray and Millet as the perfect companion piece to this work, as they focus exclusively on the operational aspects of the war.
Rating:
Summary: The definitive one-volume history
Review: This engrossing work should be the starting point for general-interest readers curious about World War II. Gerhard Weinberg has written an excellent history of the war that covers every imaginable facet of the conflict, from detailed operational history to explanations of the technological innovations in the fighting. His comprehensive research and powerful writing provide a deeper and richer understanding of the war than any other single volume.
Rating:
Summary: Buy two
Review: This is certainly one of the best one volume history of WWII. If you already know a lot about WWII or you just want to know what happened, this book is for you. I recommend you spend a little more and buy the hardcover edition - it is one hell of a reference book and you'll be coming back to it very often. And don't be intimidated by its size. I also recommend John Keegan's "The Second World War".
Rating: 
Summary: A little heavy going but splendid
Review: This is only for those who are seriously interested in World War II and it should be read only by people fairly familiar with the basic history of the war. A beginner will get lost in Mr. Weinberg's details and thoroughness. The maps are poor and there are no pictures but the author's mastery of the subject makes up for that. Mr. Weinberger has his preferences : for instance, he is no friend of Montgomery, generally treats the British military with contempt and positively seems to hate Wehrmacht generals for covering up atrocities they did not disapprove of - an opinion I happen to share - but also for writing "self serving memoirs" as though memoirs could be anything else than self serving ! But these are minor details in an otherwise splendid book, an absolute must for anyone wishing to gain a clearer understanding of this planet's history between 1939 and 1945. The book is long, the writing sometime a little heavy, but every 920 page is worth the reader's full attention.
Rating:
Summary: Great History
Review: This is the best History of WWII I have ever read. It covers all theatres. It ties efficiently and clearly diplomacy, strategy, combat, logistics, politics, organization, coordination between the powers (or lack thereof, as was almost always the case with the Axis), management of the enterprise within and between all the major players: military, diplomatic, governmental, industrial, commercial, economic. It is a long book......but everytime one ends a section, one has the feeling that a very interesting and complex matrix has been revealed, and that all the implications of whatever happened were established and left ready to be picked up later on in the narrative. One is left with an understanding not only of WHAT happened .... but WHY, and what effects such matter will have beyond its confines....... The book makes one realize what a complex and interrelated the conduct of a war is, particularly in such large scale. That it could have been managed at all, let alone effectively, is one of humanity's greatests accomplishments and probable regret. Thus the the narrative thrusts forward, narrative, never pedantic, written clearly and and with grace. Some reviews have decried the fact that the work does not cover the experience of the fighting men themselves.....what was the war like to them (grunt perspective). That is not the intention of this book. Never decry an author for not writing the book you think ought to have been written. This book tells the tale it is supposed to tell, and it does it brilliantly, exceeding all expectations. Two quibbles: I would have liked more maps. I think it was a mistake to put all the maps at the end of the book.... as one has to go back and forth.......and it is NOT a thin book. Not being a thin book, I strongly recommend you get the hardbound edition......I'm afraid heft will shorten its life. This is a book one wants to keep.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Overall Book On WWII Yet Written
Review: This is truly the most comprehensive monograph written as an overview of the war as an ongoing event in world history. Time and again Weinberg amazes us with his grasp and understanding of the connections and influences within and among the many theaters of war. This, then, is a massively documented and carefully researched one volume comprehensive history of World War Two as a world war quite unlike the one that preceded it. He traces its origins in the events and consequences flowing from the first world war, and then demonstrates quite handily that the political fate and will of one man, Adolph Hitler, literally forced the war into being. He analyzes the events professionally and dispassionately, and ties together the events in all their horror to the nature of the world conflict. While one can certainly argue that most of what he says is not new, it is also the case that he links the observations of others with his own insights in a way that is much more learned, better organized, and comprehensive in its results. Some of the statistics tying the various theaters of conflict together are dizzying, such as the fact that the numbers of divisions (over two hundred) deployed by Hitler on the eastern front, for example, both dwarf and doom the troops (just fifty divisions)available for the defense of the western wall of Europe. He estimates the total number of deaths due directly to the war at over sixty million, and cites the various sources for such a catastrophic figure. Likewise, you see how the Japanese situation of being overextended in Asia fighting defensive struggles against the Chinese, British, Australians, etc from India to Burma has consequences for its sumultaneous defense against assembled naval activities and the island-by-island hopping and isolation strategy of the Allied forces. This book is immensely readable, but is so literally packed with details and connections, so is often difficult to read both because of its subject matter and the details he includes. His overview, for example, of Hitler's criuel and inhumane eugenics activities against his own people, especially the mentally ill, defective, and the infirm even before the war is both nauseating and revealing. Likewise, his argument that the "Final Solution" of total extermination of all European Jews was more the result of desperation, logistics, and the rush of historical circumstance than a long-standing and well-thought out policy decision is quite interesting to read. It was only after the massive displacements of Polish Jews into a single sector that feeding and maintaining this large population clearly became the chief argument for the mass extermination of all Jews. On the other hand, the war against the Russians was always intended to be a war of extermination, one in which the armies and occupants of the areas conquered were to be savagely and brutally used for slave labor and then eliminated. This is truly a masterwork in the sense of being the single best attempt to date to write the complete overview of the Second World War as an event in world history. Buy it, read it slowly, and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Great Overview
Review: Though light on operational detail this book provides the best Strategic Overview of the war that I have yet seen. I highly recomend it for readability and it's fundamental grasp of the forces that gripped the world during this time of conflict.
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