From World War to Cold War: Churchill, Roosevelt, and the International History of the 1940s

The 1940s was probably the most dramatic and decisive decade of the 20th century. This volume explores the Second World War and the origins of the Cold War from the vantage point of two of the great powers of that era, Britain and the USA, and of their wartime leaders, Churchill and Roosevelt. It also looks at their chequered relations with Stalin and at how the Grand Alliance crumbled into an undesired Cold War. But this is not simply a story of top-level diplomacy. David Reynolds explores the social and cultural implications of the wartime Anglo-American alliance, particularly the impact of nearly three million GIs on British life, and reflects more generally on the importance of cultural issues in the study of international history. This book persistently challenges popular stereotypes - for instance on Churchill in 1940 or his Iron Curtain speech. It probes cliches such as 'the special relationship' and even 'the Second World War'. And it offers new views of the familiar, such as the Fall of France in 1940 or Franklin Roosevelt as 'the wheelchair president'. Incisive and readable, written by a leading international historian, these essays encourage us to rethink our understanding of this momentous period in world history.

Table of Contents:
Introduction I: World War 1: The Origins of 'The Second World War': Historical Discourse and International Politics 2: 1940: Fulcrum of the Twentieth Century? 3: Churchill, Roosevelt, and the Wartime Anglo-American Alliance II: Churchill 4: Churchill and the British 'Decision' to Fight on in 1940: Right Policy, Wrong Reasons 5: Churchill the Appeaser? Between Hitler, Roosevelt, and Stalin 1940-1944 6: Churchill and Allied Grand Strategy in Europe 1944-1945 III: Roosevelt 7: The President and the King: The Diplomacy of the British Royal Visit of 1939 8: The President and the British Left: The Appointment of John Winant as US Ambassador in 1941 9: The Wheelchair President and his Special Relationships IV: 'Mixed up Together' 10: Whitehall, Washington, and the Promotion of American Studies in Britain 1941-1943 11: Churchill's Government and the Black GIs 1942-1943 12: GIs and Tommies: The Army 'Inter-Attachment Programme of 1943-1944 V: Cold War 13: Churchill, Roosevelt, and the Stalin Enigma 14: Churchill, Stalin, and the 'Iron Curtain' 15: The 'Big Three' and the Division of Europe 1945-1948 VI: Perspectives 16: Power and Superpower: The Impact of the Second World War on America's International Role 17: A Special Relationship? America, Britain, and the International Order since World War Two 18: Culture, Discourse, and Policy: Reflections on the New International History Index

About the Author :
David Reynolds is Professor of International History at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Christ's College. He has held visiting appointments at Harvard University and Nihon University, Tokyo. His most recent book is the prize-winning In Command of History: Churchill Fighting and Writing the Second World War.

Review :
...a rich synthesis...It brings together some of the lesser known but vitally important works by a master historian of international relations in general and of Anglo-American wartime relations in particular. It is recommended most highly for anyone with either general or very specific interests in these fields. Mark A. Stoler, Cold War History ...serves as a strong reminder that the Cold War world was shaped by alliances as much as antagonisms Reviews in History a superb and accessible overview of the strategic context Bulletin of the Military Historical Society