Origins of the Second World War

From influential British historian A.J.P. Taylor, a reprint of his influential text The Origins of the Second World War. Controversial for his thesis that Hitler was an opportunist with no thorough plan, The Origins of the Second World War is an extensive exploration of the international politics and foreign policy that lead up to the one of the bloodiest conflicts of the 20th century.
Published in 1961, The Origins of the Second World War is a classic of modern history. A.J.P. Taylor's years of research helped change the long-accepted view that Adolf Hitler had wanted and planned in detail for a war. With clear and relatable prose, Taylor depicts the diplomatic mistakes from both the Allied and Axis powers that lead to the outbreak of World War II. A groundbreaking work, The Origins of the Second World War "is an almost faultless masterpiece, perfectly proportioned, perfectly controlled" (The Observer).

A.J.P. Taylor, born Allan John Percivale Taylor in Lancashire, England in 1906, was a celebrated historian and journalist. He graduated from Oxford with first class honors in history in 1927. He served in the Home Guard during World War II and later became a history lecturer at several universities. He wrote several seminal texts on 19th and 20th century history, his most famous and controversial being The Origins of the Second World War, published in 1961. Along with writing books, Taylor also worked extensively in print and broadcast journalism. Married three times, he had six children. He died in 1990.