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Review
‘This is Burleigh at his best…a consummate encapsulator, with a masterly grip on an enormous literature…it demystifies, and presses on us the moral imperative of self-examination’ Independent
‘A magnificent moral survey of the Second World War…a long, brilliant, original, opinionated and scholarly meditation on morality as it appeared, or failed to appear, during the last global conflict…Seldom has a study of the past combined such erudition with such exuberance’ Guardian
‘A powerful and timely book…this is one of the most important books on the Second World War to be published in recent years’ Evening Standard
‘As always the colour and power of Burleigh’s prose is outstanding’ Observer
‘Burleigh’s outstanding book reminds us some things should never be forgotten’ Sunday Times
‘Michael Burleigh has long been one of our foremost writers on the importance of ethics in history, and in this deeply researched , closely argued and well-written analysis of the moral issues thrown up by the Second World War he has reached the zenith of his career’ Sunday Telegraph
Product Description
A clear, chronological narrative exploring many of the ethical dilemmas posed for real people during and after the Second World War.
Literature on the Second World War is voluminous. In ‘Moral Combat’, however, Michael Burleigh achieves what few historians can claim to have done; by exploring the moral sentiment of entire societies and their leaders, and how this changed under the impact of total war, he presents readers with an entirely fresh perspective of this conflict.
Opening with the 'predators' - Mussolini, Hitler, Prince Hirohito of Japan - and moving onto appeasement (a popular policy or a 'wrong' policy?), the rape of Poland, Barbarossa, the role of Churchill, and the Holocaust, Burleigh analyses the moral dimension of the Second World War's most important moments. More than merely a history of 'great men', however, Burleigh also examines the moral reasoning of individuals who had to make choices under circumstances difficult to imagine. Stressing the maxim that the past is used to make sense of the present world we live in, he takes us right up to today's war on terror - a war of competing ideas. What, in the end, will constitute its victory? Burleigh's fascinating and deeply engaging exploration refuses to draw lessons from the past for the future, remaining instead firmly focused on the on-the-spot decisions that came to define the conflict.
Original, perceptive and remarkable in scope, this is an unforgettable and hugely important Second World War history.
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Customer Reviews
Burleigh manages to merge the readability of Niall Ferguson with the cool, calm analysis of Robert Kershaw or John Keegan in his prime. Although the subject matter has been covered before, Mr Burleigh adds the crucial moral debate to all aspects of the war - from the RAF bombing campaign, through to the Holocaust (not that the two should be linked morally together). What I found fascinating, in reading this military/political history, was that Burleigh's arguments come from a right of centre perspective; for instance, he rightly asks the question why the Soviets have not been blamed for bombing the railway lines to Auschwitz - given that they were far more easily reached via the Ilyushin Sturmoviks than the hordes of RAF Lancasters. A question completely ignored by the media in this country (and in Russia).
Frequently the author goes off on tangents, giving the book a fresh feel and adding the human dimension amid all the suffering so eloquently described. In short this is a book that anyone with an interest in history will enjoy. Mr Burleigh, I take my hat off to you for your work of genius.
This book could not be more different (I'm frankly staggered they were written by the same author) This is no trudge through the strategy and battlefields, but rather the war viewed through the lens of the moral dilemmas and decisions of it's participants.
He manages to say more about Churchill in a few pages than many have in long winded biographies, and when he decides the subject is worth a detailed analysis the result is fascinating and truly illuminating (for example the Lodz ghetto)
He achieves a genuine new perspective by examining the issues and decisions from axis and allies alike, but very consciously avoids the trap of even hinting at any kind of moral equivalence between the two.
The best WW2 book since Armageddon.
The overall feeling I had when finishing this is that the war is often not as futile as we would like to think, many so called atrocities are committed by scared young men (predominantly) fighting for their lives but that some atrocities are indeed unforgiveable in any context and such lessons from WWII have still to be learned.
It may seem a strange thing to say given the subject matter but this was a genuinely enjoyable read and I feel relieved that I haven't yet and hope never to have to meet some of the moral challenges faced by the protagonists in this book. If you are fed up with Gung Ho accounts of "The War" then this book will redress that balance in a big way
What little I read while I had a peek was up to the usual standard of the... Read more
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