World War II

Michael J. Lyons is Emeritus Professor of History at North Dakota State University, U.S.A. He is author of the previous editions of World War II: A Short History and of World War I: A Short History.David J. Ulbrich directs the online M.A. in Military History Program at Norwich University, U.S.A. He is co-author of Race and Gender in Modern Western Warfare and of the second edition of Ways of War: American Military History from the Colonial Era to the Twenty-First Century.

"Longstanding as a widely used standard as a main course text for the study of the Second World War, this revised edition brings a classic up to date with authority. Important discussions on such central themes as the diplomacy of war, intelligence, strategic bombing, and the Pacific War help this latest edition do just what a survey is supposed to do: provide students with a sure-footed critical introduction to the breadth, depth and context of the pivotal conflict of the twentieth century."Brian P. Farrell, National University of Singapore, Singapore"This sixth edition updated by David Ulbrich promises to bring to undergraduates a more comprehensive account of the Second World War, its origins, and its impact in a more concise length and format. Moreover, Ulbrich has balanced individual agency with the larger forces of history and integrated aspects of the New Military History and Cultural Studies such as life on home fronts. Upper division undergraduates and their professors will also benefit from the extensive supplemental readings lists, as well as the visual aids throughout the work."Hal M. Friedman, Henry Ford College, USA"In World War II: A Global History, David Ulbrich expertly and concisely tells the story of World War II in a way that brings the latest historical research and analysis into our understanding of the twentieth century's deadliest conflict. This revised edition is a rare example of a textbook that not only captures the global context of the conflict, but also presents a comprehensive timeline of the events that led the world into the cauldron of war."Colin M. Colbourn, Project Recover"[L]a synthèse réalisée est dense et complete et l’ouvrage constituera un excellent outil de travail por les étudiants."Défense et Sécurité Internationale"David Ulbrich and Michael Lyons provide a necessary and valuable globalized treatment of that conflict that is ideally suited to textbook duty in the undergraduate classroom."Robert F. Williams, International Journal of Military History and Historiography, 42 (2022) 242–244"The updated version of Michael J.Lyons and David Ulbrich’s World War II: A Global History is truly global in scope. The authors achieve a fine balance between short and long term drivers of history. The volume covers the causes, course, and consequences of the Second World War. Besides ‘hard’ or traditional military history, the readers will savour the flavour of the dimensions opened up by new military history. This informative and insightful volume is a superb textbook. In fact, it is perhaps something more than a textbook."Kaushik Roy, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India

• 1. The Great War and the Treaty of Versailles, 1914-1920 2. Restoring Normalcies and Rising Threats, 1920-1929 3. The Great Depression, the Asian War, and Nazi Germany, 1929-1939 4. Innovation and Stagnation of Technologies, 1919-1941 5. The Start of War the European War, 1939-1940 6. Fighting on the Periphery in Europe, 1939-1941 7. Brutal New Orders: Germany in Europe and Japan in Asia 8. America’s Path to War and Japan’s Tide of Victories, 1939-1942 9. Turning the Tide in Asia and the Pacific, 1942-1944 10. Turning the Tide in Europe, 1942-1944 11. Contesting Logistics in the Air and at Sea 12. Total Wars on the Home Fronts 13. Winning on Four Fronts in Europe, 1944-1945 14. Winning on Four Fronts in Asia and the Pacific, 1944-1945 15. From Hot War to Cold War