Bøger af John Lukacs

A ';gripping [and] splendidly readable' portrait of the battle within the British War Cabinetand Churchill's eventual victoryas Hitler's shadow loomed (The Boston Globe). From May 24 to May 28, 1940, members of Britain's War Cabinet debated whether to negotiate with Hitler or to continue what became known as the Second World War. In this magisterial work, John Lukacs takes us hour by hour into the critical events at 10 Downing Street, where Winston Churchill and his cabinet painfully considered their responsibilities. With the unfolding of the disaster at Dunkirk, and Churchill being in office for just two weeks and treated with derision by many, he did not have an easy time making his casebut the people of Britain were increasingly on his side, and he would prevail. This compelling narrative, a Washington Post bestseller, is the first to convey the drama and world-changing importance of those days. ';[A] fascinating work of historical reconstruction.'The Wall Street Journal ';Eminent historian Lukacs delivers the crown jewel to his long and distinguished career.'Publishers Weekly (starred review) ';A must for every World War II buff.'Cleveland Plain Dealer ';Superbcan be compared to such classics as Hugh Trevor-Roper's The Last Days of Hitler and Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August.'Harper's Magazine

An accomplished historian delves into his own history: ';An often witty and always fascinatingeven entertainingwriter.'TheWashingtonPost In Confessions of an Original Sinner, an adroit blend of autobiography and personal philosophy, historian John Lukacs paused to set down the history of his own thoughts and beliefs. Now, inLast Rites, he continues and expands his reflections, this time integrating his conception of history and human knowledge with private memories of his wives and loves, and enhancing the book with footnotes from his idiosyncratic diaries. The resulting volume is fascinating and delightfulan auto-history by a passionate, authentic, brilliant, and witty man. Lukacs begins with a concise rendering of a historical understanding of our world (essential reading for any historian), then follows with trenchant observations on his life in the United States, commentary on his native Hungary and the new meanings it took for him after 1989, and deeply personal portraits of his three wives, about whom he has not written before. He also includes a chapter on his formative memories of May and June 1940 and of Winston Churchill, a subject in some of Lukacs's later studies.Last Ritesis a richly layered summation combined with a set of extraordinary observationsan original book only John Lukacs could have written

This brilliant new work by the author of the best-selling Five Days in London, May 1940 is an unparalleled drama of two great leaders confronting each other in June 1941. It describes Hitler and Stalins strange, calculating, and miscalculating relationship before the German invasion of Soviet Russia, with its gigantic (and unintended) consequences. John Lukacs questions many long-held beliefs; he suggests, for example, that among other things Hitlers first purpose involved England: if Stalins Communist Russia were to be defeated, Hitlers Third Reich would be well-nigh invincible, and the British and American peoples would be forced to rethink the war against Hitler.The book offers penetrating insights and a new portrait of Hitler and Stalin, moved by their long-lasting inclinations. Yet among other things, Lukacs presents evidence that Hitler (rather than his generals) had moments of dark foreboding before the invasion. Stalin could not, because he wished not, believe that Hitler would choose the risk of a two-front war by attacking him; he was stunned and shocked and came close to a breakdown. But he recovered, grew into a statesman, and eventually became a prime victor of the Second World War. Such are the ironies of history; John Lukacs paints them with a shining narrative skill.

The great themes woven through John Lukacs's spirited, concise history of the twentieth century are inseparable from the author's own intellectual preoccupations: the fading of liberalism, the rise of populism and nationalism, the achievements and dangers of technology, the continuing democratization of the globe, and the limitations of knowledge.

A series of fictionalized vignettes of daily life as experienced by ordinary individuals in the USA. Each takes place in a year from 1901 to 1969, and each is followed by a short dialogue in which the author argues with an interlocutor over why he has chosen to develop a scenario in that year.

An unorthodox historian known and respected for his work on the grand conflicts of nations and civilizations, John Lukacs has peopled a smaller canvas in this volume, with seven colourful figures who flourished in Philadelphia before 1950

One of the most important developments of Western civilization has been the growth of historical consciousness.

In this extraordinary analysis of the meaning of the remembered past, Lukacs discusses the evolution of historical consciousness since its first emergence about three centuries ago. Among the diverse subjects he examines are the endurance of national characteristics; the development of language, history, and democracy; public opinion; the problem of religious history; memory and time; history and physics; motives and causes; and the end of the Modern Age. In a new introduction, Lukacs comments on the continual decline of historical knowledge and the teaching of history.

One of America's most respected historians offers a major statement on the nature of America's political system and a critical look at the underpinnings of American society. American democracy has been transformed from an exercise in individual freedom and opportunity to a bureaucratic system created by and for dominance of special groups.

An unorthodox historian known and respected for his work on the grand conflicts of nations and civilizations, John Lukacs has peopled a smaller canvas in this volume, with seven colourful figures who flourished in Philadelphia before 1950. Their stories are framed by chapters that describe the city in 1900 and in 1950.

To study history is to learn about oneself. And to fail to grasp the importance of the past-to remain ignorant of the deeds and writing of previous generations-is to bind oneself by the passions and prejudices of the age into which one is born. This explains what the study of history entails, how it has been approached over the centuries, and why it should be undertaken by today's students.

An examination of Churchill's relationships with Stalin, Roosevelt and Eisenhower, as well as his farsighted political vision concerning the coming of World War II and the Cold War, this title gives a view of Winston Churchill, the workings of his historical imagination, and his successes and failures as a statesman.

Raises perplexing questions about World War II. This work argues for World War II's central place in the history of the twentieth century, addressing the war's most persistent enigmas.

A man of impressive mental powers, of extraordinary intellectual range, and integrity, George Frost Kennan (1904-2005) was an adviser to presidents and secretaries of state. This book describes the development and the essence of Kennan's thinking, and also the importance of his work as a historian during the second half of his long life.