September 7, 2015
In this salient, grim narrative history, journalist and historian Sebestyen (Revolution 1989) portrays 1946 as the year that “laid the foundations of the modern world.” The early postwar period witnessed vast and unprecedented destruction, famine, and displacement throughout much of Europe and Asia, which Sebestyen describes in harrowing detail, reminding readers that human suffering didn’t end with the conclusion of the war. With mesmerizing detail and riveting vignettes scattered throughout, Sebestyen explores virtually every major postwar theme and event: German de-Nazification and guilt (or lack thereof), lingering anti-Semitism throughout Europe, the early stages of the creation of Israel, civil war in Greece, the disarmament and remaking of Japan, British imperial exhaustion and decline, the lead-up to independence and partition of India and Pakistan, the increasing likelihood of a communist victory in China’s civil war, the division of Europe, and the early stages of the Cold War. Though admittedly focused largely on Europe, this informed, engaging, and accessible history of the year that U.S. president Harry Truman called the year of decisions will prove to have wide and diverse appeal.
December 1, 2015
Even though World War II had ended by 1946, the conflict and suffering continued throughout the world. The grand alliance between Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin--vital to Allied victory--fell apart as tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union escalated, marking the start of the Cold War. The special relationship between the United States and Britain also suffered over postwar loans and Britain's desire to hold on to its empire. Global violence persisted: civil wars raged in China and Greece, tensions escalated between Muslims and Hindus in India, and the King David Hotel in Jerusalem was bombed by a militant Zionist group. Civilian suffering was especially acute in 1946 as many faced starvation, poverty, and disease. Numerous German civilians died during forced expulsion from Germany's former eastern provinces and many German women were raped by Soviet troops. Jews who had survived the Holocaust were killed in anti-Semitic brutality in Kielce, Poland and elsewhere in eastern Europe. Sebestyen (Revolution 1989: The Fall of the Soviet Empire) chronicles these and other crucial events of 1946 in this outstanding work. The author does not shy away from the explicit and heartbreaking details in creating a powerful and readable account of this challenging year. VERDICT Highly recommended for anyone interested in world history or for those seeking to understand why the world is as it is today.--Dave Pugl, Ela Area P.L., Lake Zurich, IL
Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
June 1, 2015
The year after World War II ended, momentous events shaped the world to come. An associate editor at Newsweek with considerable experience on major British newspapers, Budapest-born Sebestyen spent 20 years reporting from central Europe, the former Soviet Union, the former Yugoslavia, and the Middle East and since the 1970s has been interviewing people who endured these postwar events. As the Spectator said of this book, it's not just "exceptionally involving" but "horrifying" in its detail.
Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.