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Fateful Choices

Ten Decisions that Changed the World, 1940-1941

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About this listen

Ian Kershaw's Fateful Choices: Ten Decisions That Changed the World, 1940-41 offers a penetrating insight into a series of momentous political decisions that shaped the course of the Second World War.

The hurricane of events that marked the opening of the Second World War meant that anything could happen. For the aggressors there was no limit to their ambitions; for their victims a new Dark Age beckoned. Over the next few months their fates would be determined.

In Fateful Choices Ian Kershaw re-creates the 10 critical decisions taken between May 1940, when Britain chose not to surrender, and December 1941, when Hitler decided to destroy Europe's Jews, showing how these choices would recast the entire course of history.

Ian Kershaw (b. 1943) was Professor of Modern History at the University of Sheffield from 1989 to 2008 and is one of the world's leading authorities on Hitler. His books include The "Hitler Myth"; his two-volume biography Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris and Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis; and Fateful Choices: Ten Decisions That Changed the World, 1940-1941. He was knighted in 2002.

©2008 Ian Kershaw (P)2015 Audible, Ltd 20th Century Military Modern World War Interwar Period Imperialism Winston Churchill Soviet Union Socialism Holocaust

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Critic reviews

"Powerfully argued...important...this book actually alters our perspective of the Second World War." (Andrew Roberts)
"A splendidly lucid and impeccably argued exposition of the greatest political decisions of the Second World War." (Max Hastings)
"A compelling re-examination of the conflict...Kershaw displays here those same qualities of scholarly rigour, careful argument and sound judgement that he brought to bear so successfully in his life of Hitler." (Richard Overy)
A fascinating account of world history that we in the 21st century must learn from. Thankfully expansionism seems to be a thing of the past but I am not a professional student of history and therefore not qualified to make authoritive comment. However commonsense dictates, in my opinion, that when a nation deliberately sets out to cause the destruction of people because they want what that people have is as disgusting to me as I can imagine. I am well aware that my nation has been guilty of this in the past and can only apologise retrospectively for our behaviour to the people of those nations we exploited.

Choices

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An excellent analysis of what happened in WW2 by examining critically what might have been and what other options were available to the key players.

Superb History

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Loved it. Opens your eyes to the complexities of the war situation and the importance of the leaders, their personalities and beliefs. Makes it clear there were other choices but highlights the ways in which these decisions were at times almost inevitable.

Challenge your beliefs

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I have read a lot of books about the WW2 era in my time, and it is a rare pleasure when one really enhances my understanding of what happened and why.

The great value of a book like this is to remind us that the issues leaders have to contend with are always much clearer in hindsight than they were at the time, and we should be very careful before passing simplistic judgements of "so-and-so should have done x not y". With the exception of the Holocaust, which remains utterly inexplicable outside of Nazi ideology, all the decisions have at least *some* logic to them within the context of the geo-politics of the time, however absurd those decisions may seem subsequently.

Kershaw also warns against putting too much emphasis on the personality of the men in key positions. He accepts that individuals do matter and are not simply pawns of fate: but he also reminds us that the major factors influencing their decisions would have applied whoever was in the hot seat at the time. It is also striking how unified the power-elites often were in their choices, no matter what they may have written after the war to try and excuse themselves. There was for example, surprisingly little opposition in the Japanese ruling class to the assumption that imperial expansion must continue, even at the cost of war with a vastly more powerful enemy. No one seriously proposed reigning in their expansion even temporarily, to avoid a wider conflict.

The author also has the good manners to add a final chapter that summarizes and discusses the main ground he has covered. Which is something I always appreciate at the end of a long, fact-heavy book.

I have a suspicion that Ian Kershaw quite likes counter-factual speculation, but also worries he might not be taken seriously if he does any. At various points in this fascinating tome, he flirts with alternative possible scenarios, only to quickly tell himself off for doing so and remind the reader that it's not what proper historians should be doing. For some reason I found that rather endearing.

The narrator is good too. Clear, and well paced.

An illuminating analysis of WW2s turning points.

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This is a stunning examination of WW11 and the choices that were made and the reasoning behind them. Puts the great conflict in a real context that will help the reader to more fully understand the war and it's futility

Brilliant

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My Father told me that the day I arrived in this world, my mother seemed more exercised about the fact that Germans were marching through Paris. I have always wondered what that must have really felt like. Ian Kershaw's book supplied some of the answers with a masterly reading by Barnaby Edwards (as always). The combination of "what ifs" and giant personalities of the time has always been a happy hunting ground for unbridled speculation. However, I found this volume to be fascinating, interesting and most engaging. Some of the detail I could have done without, but perhaps I'm being picky!.
After reading Fateful Choices, I feel that a lot of colour has been added to my understanding about these times and the colossal impact of decisions taken in the face of international peril.

An absorbing read.

Filled in the blanks

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Kershaw is a master of the detail ... and it is an interesting way to retell the history of the Second World War through the key decisions and what if. There is some repetition but considering the overlapping events, may not be surprising. Certainly one of the books you listen to more than once. Never ceases to amaze me how the Brits escaped not being a German colony!!

Great perception on history

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Professor Sir Ian Kershaw is an outstanding scholar, but this is a slight deviation from his usual style.It is nonetheless well researched and brilliantly written
The narration assisted in providing clarity for the listener

Ian Kershaw:Excellent As Usual

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Edwards is a great narrator.
I felt Kershaw repeated himself a fair amount without reason several times, but overall his writing is the historiography-shaping quality belied by his reputation. Also, the frequent belittling of counterfactual history was also unnecessary.

Kershaw shows his usual quality

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A fulfilling read structured so each perspective sits independently. inevitably this approach ends up repetitive in areas and which I found useful. I had my doubts over the narration at the beginning but settled into the voice and style quicker than expected. Having read a fair bit on the war, its political villains and heroes Its a book that helped to understand a fair few gaps.

A necessary read amongst WW2 books

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