The Origins of World War II

Eubank asks why Britain, France and other Western powers were slow to see the danger from Hitler, given the horrors of the First World War. He also asks why Germany was allowed to rearm and occupy independent nations without a fight, and what the policy of appeasement was meant to achieve.

This third edition adds an analysis of the motives and actions of central players Neville Chamberlain and Joseph Stalin, and re-assesses Soviet policy in light of recent research that presents Soviet leaders as much less idealistic than some have supposed. It also addresses several enduring myths about the era.

The new material includes a longer conclusion, a photo section added for this edition and a refreshed bibliographic essay, and the period covered runs from 1918 to 1939. Edition note: published by Wiley-Blackwell in 2004, 196 pages, third edition, ISBN-13 9780882952284.