After Germany s defeat in World War II; Europe lay in tatters. Millions of refugees were dispersed across the continent. Food and fuel were scarce. Britain was bankrupt; while Germany had been reduced to rubble. In July of 1945; Harry Truman; Winston Churchill; and Joseph Stalin gathered in a quiet suburb of Berlin to negotiate a lasting peace: a peace that would finally put an end to the conflagration that had started in 1914; a peace under which Europe could be rebuilt. The award-winning historian Michael Neiberg brings the turbulent Potsdam conference to life; vividly capturing the delegates personalities: Truman; trying to escape from the shadow of Franklin Roosevelt; who had died only months before; Churchill; bombastic and seemingly out of touch; Stalin; cunning and meticulous. For the first week; negotiations progressed relatively smoothly. But when the delegates took a recess for the British elections; Churchill was replacedboth as prime minster and as Britain s representative at the conferencein an unforeseen upset by Clement Attlee; a man Churchill disparagingly described as a sheep in sheep s clothing. When the conference reconvened; the power dynamic had shifted dramatically; and the delegates struggled to find a new balance. Stalin took advantage of his strong position to demand control of Eastern Europe as recompense for the suffering experienced by the Soviet people and armies. The final resolutions of the Potsdam Conference; notably the division of Germany and the Soviet annexation of Poland; reflected the uneasy geopolitical equilibrium between East and West that would come to dominate the twentieth century. As Neiberg expertly shows; the delegates arrived at Potsdam determined to learn from the mistakes their predecessors made in the Treaty of Versailles. But; riven by tensions and dramatic debates over how to end the most recent war; they only dimly understood that their discussions of peace were giving birth to a new global conflict."
#850780 in Books Chris Mooney 2006-08-29 2006-08-29Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x .75 x 5.25l; .87 #File Name: 0465046762376 pagesExceptional footnotesExceelent INDEX
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Science Tech Move Forward; Money Stays PutBy Rabid ReaderI love science and have been involved in it (not as a researcher) for years. Lately it has utterly dismayed me how those who lead us seemingly either have little understanding of it. And or little regard. Why? I read this book looking for answers.Focusing a bit on the Bush years (so this has nothing to do with this Administration; or at least not in detail); Mooney explores just how it is that the very thing that fuels our economy; saves our lives and informs our existence can be disregarded by the powerful.Short answer: It's all for the money; honey.The long answer--which is very eye-opening indeed--is well worth this read. Well worth it. Some of the players in the mess are still playing; and using the same toys.I found Mooney's writing to be fairly streamlined--here and there a little dull--but rather full of abbreviations for committees and associations...but that was truly the only annoying thing.It's also heavily annotated; which may reassure some readers that the book is basically full of dry but disturbing facts; instead of dry but disturbing opinion.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Great book with one exceptionBy Douglas VanceGreat book for those looking to understand the evolution of science policy on the federal level in the United States. However; the biggest drawback is that the book has an enormous anti-republican bias that sometimes overshadows and undermines some of the arguments the author is trying to make. That being said the book consistently provides ample evidence and facts to support its arguments and is an absolute must-read for all people interested in public policy and all political science students.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. So sad yet so trueBy Thomas P. KnechtAs a physician scientist; I am always appalled by the scientific ignorance and pride in stupidity of the religious right. It's a swell written and well referenced book about a social tragedy in America that exemplifies the anti-science; anti-education right wing (also anti-worker and anti-women; but that's off topic).
