First published 2008
Patrick Buchanan challenges the accepted narrative of twentieth century warfare. He argues that World Wars I and II stemmed from catastrophic British policy failures rather than inevitable historical forces. Buchanan targets Winston Churchill and other British leaders for decisions that he claims made global conflict unavoidable. The author examines key moments: a secret 1906 Cabinet decision to support France against Germany, the harsh Versailles Treaty that embittered Germany, Britain's abandonment of its Japanese alliance, sanctions that pushed Italy toward Hitler, and the fatal Polish guarantee of 1939. Buchanan contends these missteps destroyed the British Empire, enabled Communist tyranny across Europe, and cost millions of lives. He suggests alternative diplomatic paths could have prevented the Holocaust and preserved European dominance. The book presents a revisionist view that places responsibility for the century's greatest tragedies on Churchill and his contemporaries rather than on inevitable historical currents.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, academic, american-history
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Setting: Europe
Period: 20th Century
544 pages · Hardcover · Crown