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World War II, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history, is widely considered the pivotal event of the modern age. From the rise of fascist Europe to the atomic bombings of Japan, "Encyclopedia of World War II" presents the complete story of this great conflict. International in scope, this two-volume A-to-Z reference covers the military, historical, political, diplomatic, and biographical aspects of the war. The entries include: airborne assault; battle of France; battle of Iwo Jima; battle of Pearl; harbor; battle of the Atlantic; Battleships; Browning automatic rifle; Winston Churchill; cryptology; Desert Rats; Dresden air raid; Dwight D. Eisenhower; Flying Tigers; Gestapo; Gothic Line; Adolf Hitler; The Holocaust; Liberty ships; Douglas MacArthur; Manhattan Project; The Marshall Islands Campaign; Navajo Code Talkers; Normandy landings; Operation Cobra; Erwin Rommel; Submarines; and Tuskegee Airmen....
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Playing the game of business—and life—involves creating strategic alliances, and developing, managing, and ending those relationships as required. Skilled gamers quickly recognize both present and potential adversaries and allies, and they calculate tactics for converting useful opponents into partners—even, occasionally, to transform cronies into challengers. Why? Because, by definition, an enemy cannot betray you; only a friend can, so it’s important to choose them well. Whether in industry or on the world stage, good leaders know how to pinpoint the people who should be by their side; they’re also willing to make enemies who can be trusted to oppose them. Deciding who’s who is what matters, offering the potential of risk and reward. That’s how the game goes…and here’s how to win it.
RISK is a trademark of Hasbro and is used with permission.
(C) 2008 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. Licensed by Hasbro.
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Selling the Great War is the story of maverick journalist George Creel and the epoch-making government agency he built and led using the emerging industries of mass advertising and public relations to convince isolationist America to join World War I. Authorized by President Woodrow Wilson and created and run by Creel, the Committee on Public Information had one goal: to monopolize every medium and and avenue of communication in order to forge a nation of warriors for democracy. Alan Axelrod offers a fascinating investigation of America on the cusp of becoming a world power and how its first and most extensive propaganda machine attained unprecedented results. ...
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All games, RISK included, are matrices in which one decision affects another. Successful players visualize how each separate choice contributes to the entire strategy and fashion a winning game plan; they make smart tradeoffs and gambits, allocate scarce resources wisely, and even sacrifice outright in order to win. Alan Axelrod—one of the world’s great experts on decision-making—evaluates the decisions made by leaders in the realms of diplomacy, agriculture, economics, politics, war, business, and technology. Some choices produced positive results, others negative, and a few had mixed—even entirely unexpected—outcomes. Both the good and the bad are equally valuable instructional tools for those who want to master decision making in complex, high-stakes environments: the very world in which we all live, move, and decide. ...
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Dubbed by the World War II press as "The G.I. General" because of his close identification with his men, Omar Bradley rose to command the largest exclusively American field command in U.S. history during the European Campaign. Alan Axelrod applies his signature insight and compelling prose to the life, strategy and legacy of the general who remains the model for all commanders today as the man who revolutionized the National Guard, shaped the U.S. army’s focus on the individual soldier, and emphasized cooperation and coordination among the military services. ...
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Patton’s Drive tells the story of how a young man born to war—who believed himself the literal incarnation of all great warriors past—became a modern American general: in terms of enemy killed or captured, territory taken, and people liberated, the greatest field commander of World War II. ...
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In brief, compelling, and inspiring vignettes, bestselling historian Alan Axelrod pinpoints and investigates the make-or-break event in the lives and careers of some of history’s most significant figures. Axelrod reexamines history by revealing the answer to the fascinating question of why the people who made history made their choices—and conveys the resonance of those choices today. The 46 profiles range from ancient times to the present day and include Cleopatra’s decision to rescue Egypt; Washington’s decision to cross the Delaware and win; Gandhi’s decision to prevail against the British Empire without bloodshed; Truman’s decision to drop the A-bomb and end WW II; Rosa Parks decision to sit in for civil rights; Boris Yeltsin’s decision to embrace a new world order; and Flight 93’s decision to take a stand against terror. ...
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George S. Patton embodied contradiction: a cavalryman steeped in romantic military tradition, he nevertheless pulled a reluctant American military into the most advanced realms of highly mobile armored warfare. An autocratic snob, Patton created unparalleled rapport and loyalty with the lowliest private in his command; an outspoken racist, he led the only racially integrated U.S. military unit in World War II; an exuberantly profane man, he prayed daily and believed God had destined him for military greatness; a profoundly insecure individual, he made his Third Army the most self-confident and consistently victorious fighting force in the European theater. From Patton's boyhood battling dyslexia and becoming an avid reader, to his leadership strategies that modernized the U.S. army, Alan Axelrod delivers a fascinating account of Patton's life and legacy. ...
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George S. Patton embodied contradiction: a cavalryman steeped in romantic military tradition, he nevertheless pulled a reluctant American military into the most advanced realms of highly mobile armored warfare. An autocratic snob, Patton created unparalleled rapport and loyalty with the lowliest private in his command; an outspoken racist, he led the only racially integrated U.S. military unit in World War II; an exuberantly profane man, he prayed daily and believed God had destined him for military greatness; a profoundly insecure individual, he made his Third Army the most self-confident and consistently victorious fighting force in the European theater. From Patton's boyhood battling dyslexia and becoming an avid reader, to his leadership strategies that modernized the U.S. army, Alan Axelrod delivers a fascinating account of Patton's life and legacy. ...
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The story of one of the most violent yet least-known episodes of the Civil War — the daring excavation of the longest military tunnel in history. ...
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Ask most Americans why their forefathers started the Revolution, and they’ll likely mention “no taxation without representation” or the belief in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as inalienable rights. But that’s just the start of the story, as historian Alan Axelrod so brilliantly shows in this eye-opening book. Axelrod offers a fascinating examination of what really caused the breach across the Atlantic and how the revolutionary movement began. The American Revolution brought something unique to the world: an entirely new kind of nation, founded on a set of ideas. In engrossing, conversational prose, Axelrod brings the birth of America to life by digging beneath the classically taught history to explore everything from little-known facts to alternate realities, along with the eyewitness testimony, pop culture, and art of the period. From the seeds of dissent through the long fight to glorious victory, the astonishing story of America’s revolution finally comes fully to light. ...
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In a refreshingly fearless, colloquial voice, acclaimed historian Alan Axelrod recounts the key events of World War II with unflagging humanity, drama, and straightforward explanations of their significance, weaving a story as engrossing and multifaceted as a great novel. As with the series’ first entry, The Real History of World War II remains authoritative, non-academic, and appealingly designed with illustrations, maps, and more. It’s a unique approach that makes this enormous saga understandable to every reader, and favors gripping storytelling over a strictly dry and plodding chronological account. Axelrod brings you right into every theater of the war, one by one, capturing all its most compelling events before moving on to the next. If, today, we see World War II as a titanic clash of good and evil, Axelrod effortlessly looks beyond this schism, putting facts above political interpretation in order to uncover the conflict’s roots and ramifications. He concisely explores the war’s ideological, nationalistic, and economic causes; probes the motivation of those involved, including Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Churchill, FDR, and Truman; and looks at its enduring political, global, social, and technological legacy. You’ll be able to understand the tragic legacy of Versailles, the full repercussions of the blitzkrieg, exactly what happened in the Holocaust, and why, in Japan, the war was less associated with one individual than with an ongoing militaristic and imperialist movement. In addition, this enlightening volume provides a concise narrative of the entire course of the struggle, which unfolded simultaneously in many places, thoroughly engulfing the world. The fresh insights and forthright analyses, the sidebars on such subjects as trivia and alternative histories, the eyewitness testimony and quotes, and the revealing, edgy attitude make this a pleasure to read like having an enjoyable conversation with a favorite teacher. History truly comes alive.
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Dubbed by the World War II press as "The GI General" because of his close identification with his men, Omar Bradley rose to command the U. S. 12th Army Group in the European Campaign. By the spring of 1945, this group contained 1,300,000 men--the largest exclusively American field command in U.S. history. Mild mannered, General Bradley was a dedicated mentor, the creator of the Officer Candidate School system, and a methodical tactician who served through World War II. Then, as a five-star general, he lifted the Veterans Administration from corruption and inefficiency to a model government agency, served as U.S. Army chief of staff, first chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and head of NATO. Alan Axelrod applies his signature insight and compelling prose to the life, strategy and legacy of the general who remains the model for all commanders today as the man who revolutionized the National Guard, shaped the US army’s focus on the individual soldier, and emphasized cooperation and coordination among the military services--a cornerstone of modern U.S. military doctrine. ...
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The newest entry in Alan Axelrod’s engaging, successful Real History series—and the only current illustrated book on a misunderstood and mysterious topic. From the fall of Nazi Germany to the fall of the Berlin Wall, a cold war raged between the US and the Soviet Union. Though not a shot was fired, the hostility between the two superpowers threatened the globe with nuclear annihilation. Axelrod reveals the intriguing, suspenseful true story behind this globe-spanning battle of wills, and as always, he’s created a study that’s authoritative, comprehensive, and a pleasure to read. Judiciously, incisively, he probes the pivotal events of the era: the Marshall Plan; the iron curtain; the Berlin airlift; the Cuban missile crisis; the rise and fall of Joesph McCarthy; the Korean War; the Vietnam War; the arms race. Rarely seen illustrations, detail-packed sidebars, maps, stats, quotes, alternate takes, and “reality checks” to popular myths make this a work general readers will turn to and enjoy. ...
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Ask most Americans why their forefathers started the Revolution, and they’ll likely mention “no taxation without representation” or the belief in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as inalienable rights. But that’s just the start of the story, as historian Alan Axelrod so brilliantly shows in this eye-opening book. Axelrod offers a fascinating examination of what really caused the breach across the Atlantic and how the revolutionary movement began. The American Revolution brought something unique to the world: an entirely new kind of nation, founded on a set of ideas. In engrossing, conversational prose, Axelrod brings the birth of America to life by digging beneath the classically taught history to explore everything from little-known facts to alternate realities, along with the eyewitness testimony, pop culture, and art of the period. ...
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