The Strategists
Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt, Mussolini, and Hitler--How War Made Them and How They Made War
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The Strategists
Narrated by:
Justin Price
Buy Now for £22.99
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Narrated by:
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Justin Price
About this listen
In The Strategists, Professor Phillips Payson O'Brien shows how the views these five leaders forged in WW1 are crucial to understanding how they fought WW2. For example, Churchill's experiences of facing the German Army in France in 1916 made him unwilling to send masses of British soldiers back there in the 1940s, while Hitler's mistakes on the Eastern Front were influenced by his reluctance to accept that conditions had changed since his own time fighting. The implications of the power of leaders remain with us to this day: to truly understand what is happening in Ukraine, for example, requires us to know what has influenced the leaders involved.
This is a history in which leaders—and their choices—matter. For better or worse.
Critic reviews
Praise for The Strategists
“Phillips Payson O’Brien is one of our finest historical thinkers. The Strategists shows him at the height of his powers: a book full of deep perception, convincingly challenging many entrenched views and examining these five leaders that so shaped the modern world in an entirely fresh, brilliantly insightful and utterly compelling way. Everyone with an interest in not just the Second World War, but the twentieth century and beyond, should read this without delay.” —James Holland, author of Normandy ’44
“The Strategists is an easy read…Thanks to the engaging nature of the subjects—and Mr. O’Brien’s care not to go too far down rabbit holes about weaponry, gulags, local politics and psychology—the narrative moves briskly. By linking decisions to identifiable personality traits, The Strategists provides insight into the minds of titans who vied for Europe’s destiny.” —Wall Street Journal
“An important look at the personal side of how World War II strategy was made.” —New York Journal of Books
"An exploration of grand strategy. Compelling." —Kirkus
“[A] captivating study. . . . O’Brien’s fluid prose makes for enchanting reading; there’s never a dull moment . . . . For military history buffs, this is a must-read." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“The Strategists is a rewarding and robust historical and psychological approach to the grand strategists of World War II and the decisions they--and they alone--made for the world.” —Shelf Awareness
“Phillips Payson O’Brien is one of our finest historical thinkers. The Strategists shows him at the height of his powers: a book full of deep perception, convincingly challenging many entrenched views and examining these five leaders that so shaped the modern world in an entirely fresh, brilliantly insightful and utterly compelling way. Everyone with an interest in not just the Second World War, but the twentieth century and beyond, should read this without delay.” —James Holland, author of Normandy ’44
“The Strategists is an easy read…Thanks to the engaging nature of the subjects—and Mr. O’Brien’s care not to go too far down rabbit holes about weaponry, gulags, local politics and psychology—the narrative moves briskly. By linking decisions to identifiable personality traits, The Strategists provides insight into the minds of titans who vied for Europe’s destiny.” —Wall Street Journal
“An important look at the personal side of how World War II strategy was made.” —New York Journal of Books
"An exploration of grand strategy. Compelling." —Kirkus
“[A] captivating study. . . . O’Brien’s fluid prose makes for enchanting reading; there’s never a dull moment . . . . For military history buffs, this is a must-read." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“The Strategists is a rewarding and robust historical and psychological approach to the grand strategists of World War II and the decisions they--and they alone--made for the world.” —Shelf Awareness
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