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1946 by Victor Sebestyen
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1946

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1946 by Victor Sebestyen
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Nov 29, 2016 | ISBN 9781101910283

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    Nov 29, 2016 | ISBN 9781101910283

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Praise

“Mr. Sebestyen deserves praise for illuminating a low point in modern history.” —The Economist
 
“[A] richly textured, eminently readable reminder of the vast problems faced by the leaders of the post-war world and the often fumbling, incompetent, cynical—or occasionally visionary—solutions they struggled to provide.” —Jewish Chronicle

“Sebestyen is a witty storyteller with a wide-ranging intellect, and his fast-paced yet expansive style will appeal even to readers with little taste for history. . . [1946] is liberally peppered with fascinating asides and anecdotes that humanize its subjects. . . . An appealing introduction, aimed at a wide audience, to events that continue to shape global affairs.” —Kirkus
 
“[An] informed, engaging, and accessible history of the year that U.S. president Harry Truman called the year of decisions. . . . With mesmerizing detail and riveting vignettes scattered throughout, Sebestyen explores virtually every major postwar theme and event.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“Sebestyen chronicles crucial events of 1946 in this outstanding work. The author does not shy away from the explicit and heartbreaking details in creating a powerful and readable account of this challenging year. Highly recommended for anyone interested in world history or for those seeking to understand why the world is as it is today.” Library Journal

“A much-needed addition to the existing literature on the post-Second World War period. . . . Victor Sebestyen has powerfully argued that the year 1946 has shaped our modern world.” —The Washington Book Review


Praise from the UK for Victor Sebestyen’s 1946 

“An exceptionally involving and horrifying book . . . grindingly awful detail.” —Sam Leith, The Spectator
 
“[Sebestyen] reminds us that the world’s miseries persisted in plenty after the defeat of the Axis.” —Max Hastings, The Sunday Times
 
“An impressively wide-ranging and detailed survey of the war’s aftermath. . . . An uncommonly clear bird’s-eye view of a post-war world of rivalry, hardship, and chaos.” —Peter Lewis, The Daily Mail
 
1946 is a gripping and authoritative work spanning the world:  an excellent, elegant and exciting panoramic portrait of the dark world emerging from WWII.” —Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar

Table Of Contents

Illustrations ix

Maps xi

Introduction xvii

1. ‘I’m Tired of Babying the Soviets’ 1
2. The American Century 12
3. The Russians: ‘A Tsarist People’ 23
4. Stunde Null – Zero Hour 35
5. Austria Forgets Its Past 59
6. The Spy Comes In from the Cold 62
7. Austerity Britain 67
8. A Performance at the Bolshoi 83
9. The Declaration of Cold War 88
10. The Abdication Crisis 95
11. Rape and Pillage 114
12. ‘Woe, Woe to the Germans’ 129
13. ‘Anywhere but Home’ 141
14. ‘This Chinese Cesspit’ 152
15. Iron Curtain 163
16. The Fog of War 190
17. Sunset on the Raj 200
18. Refugees 216
19. Trials and Errors 227
20. A Greek Tragedy 251
21. She’erit ha-pleta: The Surviving Remnant 260
22. ‘A Jewish–Bolshevik Plot’ – Blood Libels 283
23. The War Against Terror 294
24. ‘Listen World. This Is Crossroads.’ 302
25. The Glory of France: ‘Resistance in the Heart’ 312
26. Stalin’s Turkish Bluff 323
27. The Bloodbath in Calcutta 328
28. ‘Half-Nun, Half-Whore’ 337
29. The Return of the King 341
30. ‘Sand Down a Rat-Hole’ 346
31. The General Orders – Democracy 354
32. The Big Freeze 367
Epilogue 371

Acknowledgements 377

Bibliography 381

Notes 397

Index 425

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