World War Two: Behind Closed Doors: Stalin, the Nazis and the West

This book puts Stalin specifically in the context of his dealing with Churchill and Roosevelt. If you are kind of new to this topic, as I am, this book could just blow you away because it is so focused on a just a couple of important themes, such as:

-the significance of Stalin’s earlier partnership with Hitler over dividing Poland
-the ballet the Allies did with Stalin over the opening of the Second Front
-Stalin’s shrewd and brutal lack of interest in words as opposed to material realities – like the fact that the Soviet army was all over Eastern Europe
-the amazing tragedy that Britain went to war to save Poland from one imperialist police state, only to surrender Poland to another

The one thing that I think is missing from the book, or at least is downplayed to the point where I don’t remember it, and it is important, is this: what was Poland before WWII? To read the book, one might think Poland was a democracy on the order of Britain or France. I don’t mean to belittle the profound feelings of the Poles on the outcome of the war, but the absence of treatment of this question is itself a kind of myth-making.

For example, between the wars Poland broke a treaty and annexed a chunk of Lithuania. Poland also made an agreement with Hitler to take a small chunk of Czechoslovakia. There was also, needless to say, a lot of serious anti-Semitism in Poland, even up to and I think throughout the German invasion. My understanding is that things could also be difficult if you were ethnically Ukrainian.

Nevertheless, it seems to be a very revealing book and just what I needed. I recommend it but suggest reading more about the various eastern European countries at that time.

A good start might be a particular collection of essays. It’s called In the Shadow of Hitler: Personalities of the Right in Central and Eastern Europe, edited by Rebecca Haynes. Very interesting reading, a quick way to learn about the political landscape of the region.

The reason I gave this book five stars is because it accomplished what its title suggested it was going to do; reveal the behind closed doors decisions made by the West, Stalin, and the Nazis that were largely unknown by the world until more recent times. Some of the decisions the West made during WW II were painfully difficult and many by the Russians and Germans were vile, ugly, and cruel. It is an enlightening read, well written, and contains many revelations. You will not find this material in high school courses or in introductory college history either.

I came away with many questions answered, but several things came out clear. These are perennial “age old” lessons still relevant for today’s world:
1. Never trust a treaty; it is too often used (or later transmogrified) by an adversary to hide something or to deceive..
2, Never let your military decay or weaken even in times of apparent relative peace.
3. Even in the West, never trust political leaders to always make decisions that benefit the country; re-election is paramount in their minds, WW II shows that political leaders in democratic countries made decisions suspiciously aimed at winning elections, sometimes at the expense of the country. Telling half-truths, cover-ups, or withholding information is part of their toolbox.
4. The complete truths about historical events do not often surface until accountable people have died, especially if they were powerful.

This is a good read for history buffs, political scientist, and anyone interested in this subject.

Rich

World War 2 Behind Closed Doors: Stalin, the Nazis, and the West is an inside look and many of the deals that took place between the 3 super powers without the publics knowledge. It clearly shows that there were many deals made strictly for political ends and not really for the people. It also clearly shows that Stalin was just as much a butcher as Hitler, and in many cases, worse. It also gives you a lot of insight into the minds of Churchill and Roosevelt and that they really were NOT the good buddies that most of us believed they were. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in knowing some of the inside dealings of our so-called leaders during WW2.

This book contains well-documented material not to be found in other publication, and especially not in officially sanctions historical accounts. The literature about the leaders in WWII is massive, and especially Stalin is treated with a wide range of opinions. Rees was able to augment and correct, the description of that monster, all based on archival facts. Rees brings out the condemnable gullible or outright deceptive attitude of the Western Media and elite towards the Soviets and Stalin. The book contains a range of tragic personal experiences of ordinary people, their accounts, including the horrible deed of the Soviets at Katyn.

The book is a must read for anyone, especially for those who have read other works, but want to know or confirm the truth – thus broaden their understanding.

Great Book! I uasally wouldn’t buy a book with 400 plus pages, I,am glad I did. Best book to know the background of the beginning of World War II, with Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchhill. I’m only 160 pages into it and I see how England and the United States saved Russia’s ass. Full of little known facts and written intriguingly well

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