America, Hitler and the UN: How the Allies Won World War II and Forged a Peace

Description

On January 1, 1942, Churchill and Roosevelt issued a "Declaration" by United Nations with 24 other states. This marked the beginning of the UN in a real and tangible form. Yet today many people have forgotten that the UN was forged in the midst of the confusion and complexity of wartime. How did the armies of the United Nations co-operate in the final years of World War II to contain - and ultimately reverse -- Nazi expansionism? And when and for what purpose did the UN undertake to tackle the international economic and social challenges, not only of warfare but of a post-war world transformed beyond recognition? Drawing on previously unknown material from the UN archives, Dan Plesch analyzes responses at all levels of society, from high level political elites to grass roots level. Arguing that the Allied defeat of Nazism should properly be called a United Nations victory, Dan Plesch has pieced together the full story of how the UN intervened in surprising ways at a pivotal time in European history. America, Hitler and the UN is an important addition to the literature of World War II and essential reading for anyone with an interest in military or diplomatic history or contemporary international relations. Cover Contents List of Photographs and Illustrations List of Tables List of Maps Foreword Preface Introduction 1. America before Pearl Harbor: ostrich or owl? 2. America goes to war: the creation of the United Nations 3. Weapons for the Allies: Motown goes to Stalingrad 4. Keeping the Allies together: Casablanca and Tehran 5. Justice for war crimes: Auschwitz and Nuremurg 6. Post-war relief and reconstruction: UNRRA 7. Money and trade: Bretton Woods and Havana - prosperity for all? 8. Security: Dumbarton Oaks, Yalta and San Francisco Conclusion Chronology Glossary of the United Nations in World War II Appendix: Selected Gallup Polls, 1938-45 Notes Bibliography Index