The Peoples' War?: The Second World War in Sociopolitical Perspective

The Second World War was a global event that resulted in the creation of new states, the acceleration of imperial decline, and a shift in the distribution of global power. The Peoples War? offers fresh approaches to writing a new history of the war, focusing on less familiar narratives, subjects, and places. It highlights the wartime experiences of individuals who do not fit easily into conventional national war narratives, and encourages reflection on whether the conflict was truly a "Peoples War."

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 408 pages
Publication date: 15 November 2022
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press

The Second World War was a devastating global conflict that claimed the lives of approximately 60 million people, leaving millions more displaced in Europe, Africa, and Asia. This war had far-reaching consequences, including the creation of new states, the acceleration of imperial decline, and a shift in the distribution of global power. Despite its immense impact, a comprehensive account of the complex international experiences of this war remains elusive.

To address this challenge, The Peoples War? offers fresh approaches to writing a new history of the Second World War. The volume focuses on aspects of the war that have been marginalized in military and political studies, highlighting less familiar narratives, subjects, and places. Chapters recover the wartime experiences of individuals who do not fit easily into conventional national war narratives, such as women, children, members of minority ethnic groups, and colonial subjects. The contributors demonstrate how terms used to delineate the conflict, such as home front and battle front, occupier and occupied, captor and prisoner, and friend and foe, became increasingly blurred as the war progressed.

Above all, The Peoples War? encourages reflection on whether this conflict truly was a "Peoples War." Challenging the homogenizing narratives of the war as a nationally unifying experience, the volume seeks to enrich our understanding of the Second World War as a global event. By exploring the experiences of individuals from diverse backgrounds and regions, The Peoples War? provides a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of this pivotal period in history.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780228014713