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| Churchill, Hitler, and "The Unnecessary War": How Britain Lost Its Empire and the West Lost the World | 
 enlarge | Author: Patrick J. Buchanan
Publisher: Crown
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $17.16
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Avg. Customer Rating:  114 reviews
Sales Rank: 968
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 544
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.8
ISBN: 030740515X
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.5311
EAN: 9780307405159
ASIN: 030740515X
Publication Date: May 27, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Poor old Hitler...they just made him do it! June 10, 2008
57 out of 105 found this review helpful
I believe Mr. Buchanan's book is a tragically dangerous book for those who are unfamiliar with the history of WWII and Holocaust. While I do believe Pat Buchanan is a brilliant political analyst, when it comes to history, specifically foreign policy and Jewish History, he seems to have other considerations.
Mr. Buchanan is an isolationist. His belief as evidenced in this book, and his prior books is America should literally and figuratively place walls around the nation, remove ourselves from any intervention of the world, and protect our own borders. This doctrine of isolationism, which existed well before Buchanan, looked extremely farcical after WWII. The American firsters, who advocated staying out of the war were clearly on the wrong side of history after the realization of Hitler's actions. Conventional wisdom and history indicates that if we had not intervened in the war, Europe would have been lost to the Nazi's and all Jews would have been exterminated. And that's the rub for Buchanan. Buchanan knows this and it his dilemma. To defend isolationism, he has to remove the fact that isolationism by America would have left the world devastated and destroyed during WWII. Further, if he can't remove this fact, his argument crumbles; if there are "necessary" wars like WWII, they can occur again. So, Buchanan concocts this theory, the idea that if the Allies hadn't meddled in Eastern Europe, it would have been a different outcome.
Mr. Buchanan's biggest mistake is placing Adolph Hitler and the Nazi Regime as rational actors in the world stage. His argument that Hitler would have been satisfied by attacking Russia because of his hatred of Communism and would never attack England because of his respect is predicated on the idea that Hitler's desires were geo-political and nothing more. He ignores the fact that Hitler and Nazi regime was founded on the idea of genetic and racial superiority of the German people. This belief and the idea of German destiny that Hitler often spoke about would never allowed him to satisfy himself with just Russia. The new territory that Germany needed to obtain would nurture the "historic destiny" of the German people. The suggestion that the regime that created genocide with cold blooded efficiency in not only their own country but in any country they conquered, creating new methods of mass murder, wasted resource after resource in the pursuit of this goal is a mere state actor with no other goals is ludicrous. The idea that Hitler's hands were tied after the invasion of Poland and was forced to invade France, Belgian and other countries, that he was forced to Blitzkrieg Western Europe with ferocious relentlessness is ridiculous. He invaded France first, not the Soviet Union. If he had been bent on just destroying Bolsheviks, why was his thrust to France? In regards to Poland, Hitler believed the allies would not intervene in an invasion despite the War Guarantee to Poland. He surmised this after the appeasement of the Munich agreement. Further, why bother with Ribbentrop Molotov agreement (the agreement between Russia and Germany not to attack one another) if he had no intention of invading Poland or Europe. In fact, there was also a secret protocol to the agreement, according to which Hitler and Stalin divided the states of Northern and Eastern Europe into German and Soviet spheres of influence. Clearly, even before the war guarantee was in place he was making plans for invasion.
Curiously, I do note a strange parallel between this argument and the old Passion argument of Pontius Pilate that anti-Semites often use saying it was the Jewish Crowd where Jesus was being presented (i.e. England)that forced the hand of Pontius Pilate (Hitler) to kill Jesus.
Mr. Buchanan ignores Hitler's own writings. Mein Kampf clearly spells out his plan of invasion. His plan was a series of fast, lightning wars in conjunction with Italy and Britain against France and whichever of her allies in Eastern Europe such as Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania and Yugoslavia chose to stand by her. Then there would be a war to obliterate what Hitler considered to be the"Judeo-Bolshevik" regime in the Soviet Union. Buchanan ignores the unpublished sequel to Mein Kampf that even suggests that the U.S. would be invaded eventually.
His suggestion that the Jews would not have been slaughtered and that only after losing to England and facing losses in Russia did Hitler decide on the genocide program is ludicrous. Kristallnacht occurred in the 30's, the extensive Nuremberg laws that defined race and Jews were created in 1935, the program run by Christian Wirth (Action T4)
exterminating elderly, disabled persons and children occurred 1939-41.It was only after the German people could not tolerate this open killing in their backyard did the Nazi's realize they would have to exterminate outside of Germany.
In Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote about killing 15,000 Jews if it would save 1 German. Ghettoizing of the Jews, early attempts of Eisengruppen (machine gunning Jews, small portable gas chambers in vans) all were before Wannasee. That conference was scheduled a 1 year earlier.
Genocide is not immediate-it occurs in stages by remove the rights of the persons, the distancing of the persons from the population, the transformation of the persons to an object-these all occur before the outright murders. This takes time.
Hitler is quoted as saying, "who remembers the Armenians?" (1939)(referring to the Armenian Genocide) Clearly, Hitler is contemplating whether people will be tolerant of Genocide.
What is most awful is even if you agree with Mr. Buchanan, it would allow millions of people die in Russia while Western Nations sat back with cold indifference. To argue Hitler would not exterminate Jews in Russia while the Allies sat by and did nothing is wrong. Hitler wasted resources on his extermination policy-can you imagine what he could have done if there was no western front, where he did have to expend materiel and money? To the end while Germany was crumbling, Hitler wanted the camps operational.
 interesting take on a fascinating subject May 28, 2008
54 out of 86 found this review helpful
The review by N. Ravitch is so silly and immature. It is so annoying when people who've never read the book give one star ratings to skew the overall rating. I don't agree with Mr. Buchanan on all that much, but he is a smart man that has a voice that deserves to be heard.
not worth the paper it's printed on May 27, 2008
45 out of 338 found this review helpful
Why would anyone want to buy and read a book about the origins of WWII written by an anti-British pro-Fascist anti-Semitic American isolationist?
The Great Civil War of the West - An Unnecessary War. May 31, 2008
45 out of 64 found this review helpful
This war is really the greatest lunacy ever committed by the white races. - Admiral Tirpitz, 1915.
In the book _Churchill, Hitler, and "The Unnecessary War": How Britain Lost Its Empire and the West Lost the World_, published in 2008, traditionalist conservative and former presidential candidate Patrick Buchanan makes his first real foray into history and offers a fascinating account of what could have been and what need not have been when Britain entered World Wars I and II. When Buchanan originally wrote the book _A Republic, Not An Empire_, he was smeared in the press as an isolationist. However, he did receive some positive acclaim and he makes note of the fact that George Kennan who read the book agreed that he made an interesting case for Britain not offering the war guaranty to Poland. Many are certain to take issue with Buchanan's portrayal of events; however, as he effectively shows in this book there really was little reason for Britain and the United States to enter this monstrous series of wars. Buchanan refers to World Wars I and II as the "Great Civil Wars of the West" showing how in effect they brought about the downfall of the British empire and the decline of the West. While America emerged triumphant from these wars, so did the Soviet state and empire resulting in a disastrous Cold War between the twin super-powers. Further, in more recent times with the end of the Cold War, America itself has been plunged into a needless war in Iraq which Buchanan sees as being similar to these world wars which could subsequently result in the end of the American empire itself.
Buchanan begins his book with some reflections on "What Happened to Us?", noting the apparent decline and passing away of the West, the decline of Christianity, and the events that led up to this. Buchanan blames much of this decline on the thirty year period that brought us both world wars. Indeed, as Buchanan shows the casualty rate of the "Great War" was ten times that of America's Civil War (hitherto the bloodiest event in Western civilization). Buchanan also shows how these wars led to the rise of Lenin, Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot, brutal butcherers all. Following this, Buchanan turns in his Introduction to explaining the "Great Civil War of the West". Buchanan explains the greatness that was the British empire and its enormous influence (including its influence on a fledgling America), but argues that with the two world wars the British empire passed away. Buchanan maintains that World War II is perhaps best thought of as the "Great Civil War of the West, where the once-Christian nations of Europe fell upon one another with such savage abandon they brought down all their empires, brought an end to centuries of Western rule, and advanced the death of their civilization". Buchanan shows how the root of much of this lies in the First World War (as suggested by George Kennan) and the excessively punitive Treaty of Versailles which served as a rallying point for the Germans under Hitler. Buchanan also attempts to shatter the myth and cult surrounding Winston Churchill, arguing that he was not nearly the great man he is often portrayed as. Thus begins the book proper. Following this, Buchanan turns to "The End of "Splendid Isolation"". Here, Buchanan shows how Great Britain came to abandon its isolationist position and eventually became ensnared in a war with Germany and its Kaiser who was indeed the very eldest grandson of Queen Victoria and of British blood. Buchanan turns to a chapter called "Last Days of Summer", in which he shows why Britain fought against Germany in the First World War (including reasons of preservation of France as a great power, British honor, retention of power, Germanophobia, and imperial ambition and opportunism). Buchanan argues that Germany was hardly the bellicose nation the British portrayed it as and provides data to prove this, showing in effect that actually it was Britain which was the most bellicose nation in Europe at the time. Buchanan also traces the career of Winston Churchill, showing his switch from the conservative Tories to the Liberal camp over the issue of free trade and some other issues. Further, Buchanan shows the conflict between the so-called "Little Englanders" and the Imperialists. In a subsequent chapter entitled ""A Poisonous Spirit of Revenge"", Buchanan explains the real costs of victory, including the countless dead, the horrific starvation blockade, and the excessively punitive Versailles Treaty (which even Lord John Maynard Keynes was to condemn in his book _The Economic Consequences of the Peace_). Buchanan also quotes from works by Charles Callan Tansill and Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn. Following this, Buchanan turns to a chapter entitled ""A Lot of Silly Little Cruisers" in which he discusses the situation with Japan and the Stimson Doctrine, showing in effect how Japan went from an Allied nation in the First World War to an Axis power in the Second. Following this, Buchanan turns to a chapter entitled "1935: Collapse of the Stresa Front". Here, Buchanan traces the rise of Mussolini and Hitler, the vile murder of Dollfuss (one of the true martyrs to the Nazi regime), and explains some of the efforts at appeasement. Following this, Buchanan turns to a chapter entitled "1936: The Rhineland" showing Hitler's policies and attempts to break the Versailles treaty. Following this, Buchanan turns to a chapter entitled "1938: Anschluss". Here, Buchanan explains Hitler's summits with Halifax and Schuschnigg and his return to Austria. Following this, Buchanan turns to a chapter entitled "Munich" where he shows the failure of appeasement but argues that those who hoped for appeasement are wrongfully discredited by many historians. Following this, Buchanan turns to a chapter entitled "Fatal Blunder" where he shows how the British came to offer Poland a war guaranty and how this proved the disaster that led Britain into the Second World War. Buchanan next offers chapters entitled "April Fools", ""An Unnecessary War"", and "Gruesome Harvest" in which he argues that this war guaranty led to an unnecessary war when Hitler attacked Poland and brought on much unnecessary bloodshed. In fact, Buchanan maintains that had this not occurred, Hitler's pogrom could very well have been avoided and the rise of the Soviet power as well. Following this, Buchanan turns to a chapter entitled "Hitler's Ambitions". Here, Buchanan argues that Hitler was in fact a great admirer of the British empire (at a time when very few individuals were) and that he did not want war with Britain and in fact his ambitions lay mostly in the East (after Poland, Russia). Buchanan maintains that contrary to the claims of some historians, Hitler had no ambitions to the world either and that it is preposterous to think that a nation as small as Germany would be bent on ruling the world. Further, Buchanan easily refutes some of the absurd arguments made that Hitler wanted to attack America. In fact, Buchanan maintains that Hitler's real goals were absolute power in Germany, to overturn the Versailles Treaty, to restore lands severed by Versailles, a drive east to carve out a new German empire, and to cleanse Germany of Jews, smash Bolshevism, and make himself a man of history like Frederick the Great and Bismarck. Buchanan further shows how Nazism and Fascism are hardly ideologies of universal appeal and that in fact they are strictly restricted to the "Aryan race" and aren't even necessarily white supremacist. As such they would not have posed much of a threat to most of the world where they would have had no appeal. On the other hand, Communism was a far more dangerous ideology with a near universal appeal that still continues to live on and posed a far greater threat. Following this discussion, Buchanan turns to a chapter entitled "Man of the Century" where he discusses Churchill and attempts to refute the Churchill myth. Buchanan maintains that Churchill was often hotheaded and reckless and adhered to white supremacist, eugenicist, and certain anti-Semitic notions as well. Buchanan also shows how Churchill's actions show him to be a great failure as a statesmen in that he could not avoid a needless war. Buchanan also discusses such things as Allied war crimes including the bombing of Dresden, the rape of East German women by Soviets, and the loss of Eastern Europe to the Soviets. Buchanan ends with a discussion of how "America Inherits the Empire". Buchanan first discusses the rise of Communism and the beginnings of the Cold War explaining how the Soviets largely won the world war. Buchanan then explains how America opted for a wise policy of appeasement (as proposed by such individuals as George Kennan) with the Soviets thus avoiding another needless war. But, with the end of the Cold War, Buchanan shows how America has come to operate under an entirely different policy, the "New World Order" of President Bush. Buchanan shows how in a post-9/11 world, Bush II became converted to neoconservatism and thus began another senseless war with Iraq with the possibility of further needless interventions elsewhere. This threatens to bring down the American empire.
This book offers a breathe of fresh air on a subject that has been entirely distorted by history. Buchanan's version of events is certainly not that generally accepted or expected among many historians nor does it accept the great myth that is World War II. Nevertheless, I believe he makes a strong case that both world wars were needless and unnecessary. As such, he offers a strong alternative version that effectively shows where the real blunders lie. In addition, he refutes the cult surrounding Winston Churchill and shows how this cult has led to much harm for the Western world. Finally, Buchanan makes an effective case to show how Western civilization has been undermined from within and what must be done to restore it. As a first foray into writing history, Buchanan has offered an excellent book.
Why is the previous review permitted? May 28, 2008
41 out of 72 found this review helpful
The previous review, by "N. Ravitch," which is the only review, is clearly written by someone who both never read the book and moreover considers anyone who does read it as stupid.
This "review" is clearly not an educated appraisal but rather a strident, neutered rant, and should not be permitted to stand as a review. This kind of whining belongs in a daycare, not as a helpful factor in deciding whether or not to buy a book.
The book is excellent, long but exhaustively researched. It is an increasingly rarer pleasure in a book these days. A future classic, and inarguable in its conclusions.
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