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World War II: Behind Closed Doors - Stalin, the Nazis and the West | 
| Author: Laurence Rees
Publisher: BBC Books
Category: Book
List Price: £20.00
Buy New: £9.99
You Save: £10.01 (50%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 189
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.6
ISBN: 0563493356
EAN: 9780563493358
ASIN: 0563493356
Publication Date: October 16, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
Details about the 2nd WW that have never been told in full before November 14, 2008
28 out of 31 found this review helpful
A very readable book, which includes photographs, previously unseen. The really interesting parts are of course the relationship between the 3 elderly men who decided on the incredibly unfair divisions following the war at the summit at Yalta + another easily forgotten or not discussed alliance between Stalin and Hitler prior to the war.
I was surprised when reading some of the early chapters that the scandalous invasion of Poland from the Soviet side was more or less allowed to happen and despite the heartfelt pleas from the Polish ambassador the mass killing and deportation of civilians was more or less permitted to go on freely. 'We have no quarrel with the Soviets' the British Government said. Behind the scenes though,a tit for tat conspiracy was being carried out between Hitler and Stalin which left the unfortunate Poles compromised completely. This became a complex political situation that continued right through until the end of the war when it seems that Stalin had to be compensated for losing 27 million troops (27 million compared with only 400 000 each for UK and US. Additionally Russia was by the end of the war occupying much of Eastern Europe, too bad for those millions and millions of tragic people who had to suffer another 50 years of dictatorial communist rule! Churchill and Roosavelt do not come out of this that well though their positions were completely untenable, they more or less had no option but to agree with the psycopathic Stalin who had helped them out.
I was however quite impressed by De Gaulle who refused to recognise the puppet government of Poland at the end of the war and the ever devious Stalin was also much impressed by De Gaulles
suspicions. Stalin respected the French leader for his insight, but told that the interpreter at the meeting that he would be sent to Siberia for knowing too much!
There is lots to interest in this new book with some fantastic details, first hand witness reports and new information that makes this book a really good historical read.
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