Explaining Auschwitz and Hiroshima

In "Explaining Auschwitz and Hiroshima," Richard Bosworth explores the ways in which the main combatant societies of the Second World War have historicized their experience. He argues that in Britain, France, Italy, the USSR and Japan, as well as in Germany, the traumatic history of the "long Second World War" has remained crucial to the culture and politics of their post-war societies. Each has felt a compelling need to interpret these events and thus try to "explain" Auschwitz and Hiroshima. Bosworth examines when, why, and with what effect interpretations of the war have shifted and analyzes major controversies in history writing, such as A. J. P. Taylor's "Origins of the Second World War," Renzo de Felice's biography of Mussolini or the post-Glasnost debates about the historiographies of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Combining a wide-ranging and flexible use of sources from history, to documentary and feature film with a unique overview of the historiographical controversies of six countries, Bosworth provides a stimulating and thought-provoking excursion into comparative history.