Imprint: Penguin
Published: 29/03/2012
ISBN: 9780141026107
Length: 480 Pages
Dimensions: 198mm x 20mm x 129mm
Weight: 330g
RRP: £12.99
GUARDIAN BOOKS OF THE YEAR
The familiar image of the British in the Second World War is that of the plucky underdog taking on German might. David Edgerton's bold, compelling new history shows the conflict in a new light, with Britain as a very wealthy country, formidable in arms, ruthless in pursuit of its interests and sitting at the heart of a global production system.
The British, indeed Churchillian, vision of war and modernity was challenged by repeated defeat by less well equipped enemies. Yet the end result was a vindication of this vision. Like the United States, a powerful Britain won a cheap victory, while others paid a great price. Britain's War Machine, by putting resources, machines and experts at the heart of a global rather than merely imperial story, demolishes some of the most cherished myths about wartime Britain and gives us a very different and often unsettling picture of a great power in action
Imprint: Penguin
Published: 29/03/2012
ISBN: 9780141026107
Length: 480 Pages
Dimensions: 198mm x 20mm x 129mm
Weight: 330g
RRP: £12.99
Brilliant and thought-provoking ... There are moments of edgy humour, too ... This remarkable book shows that whatever the reasons for the length of time it took to bring Hitler to heel, the quantity and quality of British war material was not among them
Edgerton's book is a remarkable achievement. He re-envisions Britain's role in World War II and with it Britain's place in modernity. In place of a plucky island standing alone, he gives us a global empire of machines, not a welfare state, but a technocratic warfare state. The period will never look the same again
Consistently lively, stimulating and authoritative
Absolutely fascinating. This book will make you think differently about Britain's role in the Second World War
This book has certainly changed my views ... It is a necessary and timely corrective to a great deal of loosely thought-through conventional wisdom, and makes a real contribution to our understanding of the war
For too long we have had a distorted view of Britain's position and role in the Second World War. David Edgerton has produced a stunning book that rectifies this misconception, and which is told with authority, clarity and compelling energy
An important corrective to the black-and-white portrait of the period that still prevails
A stimulating exercise in muscular revisionism ... Offers a fresh and provocative view of our much-loved and much-misunderstood "finest hour"
Accessibly written and deserves a wide audience. Above all, Edgerton demonstrates that the war is a subject we haven't yet heard nearly enough about. Britain's War Machine is a considerable achievement
Edgerton has excelled himself with this highly revisionist account of Britain's national performance during the Second World War ... an unusually provocative book