"This new study provides a fresh assessment of the entire course of the Second World War covering both the European and the Asian Pacific conflicts, and argues that the combination of a hard-won victory and the onset of the Cold War provided a frozen perspective of 'winners' history, which has endured until the collapse of the Soviet Union and the reunification of Germany. Bill Purdue reassesses the war, fully engaging with the latest scholarly research, and critically analyses the key debates including whether the war was, along with the First World War, a 'Thirty Years War', the responsibility of Adolf Hitler, the significance of ideology, and the extent of opposition to Hitler's 'New Order'."--BOOK JACKET. "Students and general readers will find this book an invaluable introduction to the history of the Second World War and to the many debates among historians as to its origins, its expansion, its conduct, and consequences."--BOOK JACKET.