Description:
- The comprehensive approach to the German alliance system in WW2;
- The treatment of the competing goals pursued by the allies of Nazi Germany in the war, which attributed to its specific features;
- The autonomous relevance of ethno nationalism and territorial revisionism as main driving forces for participation in the war with the aim of reshaping the East-Central European space.
Brief description:
Marina Cattaruzza is Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the University of Bern.
Review Quotes:
"Overall this book represents a welcome addition to the existing scholarship on nationalism in Central and Eastern Europe, and there is much that scholars of the region can learn from the essays included in this anthology. It is well researched, and many of the authors make provocative, substantiated claims about the nature of territorial acquisition in the mid- twentieth century. This is a text that will be most useful to specialists on World War II or anyone with an already extensive knowledge of the rise of nationalism and its expressions in the region." - Journal of Austrian Studies
"An impressive work of original and documented scholarship, [this book] provides an insightful history of a previously overlooked aspect of German expansionism as a specifically intended outcome of the Nazi government and military forces of World War II. A remarkably informed and informative study, [it] very highly recommended." - Midwest Book Review
"...richly deserve to be read by experts in the field as it provides an excellent survey of the latest work on Eastern, Central, and Southern European history in the modern period." - H-Soz-u-Kult
"Timely on so many fronts, this book offers scholars, students, and informed readers an instructive regional exposition of how territorial revisionist projects overcame petty nationalist regimes and impoverished the culture of a continent." - European History Quarterly
"Enhanced with the inclusion of a List of Abbreviations, Maps, Notes on Contributors, a Select Bibliography, and a comprehensive Index, [this volume] is an original body of impressive scholarship and a highly recommended addition to academic library World War II era German History reference collections and Central European History supplemental reading lists." - World History Shelf
"This is an excellent topic, clearly defined and illuminated by some first rate articles. This volume will contribute to the scholarly literature on the Second World War (which often neglects the smaller participants), but will also enrich discussions among historians and social scientists on that key tension between states and nations." - James Sheehan, Stanford University
"The authors are to be commended for their original research and analysis. In addressing the opportunistic goals, motives, and prejudices of revisionist elites seeking territorial gain in fragile interwar nation-states, the book makes a key contribution to the comparative and transnational history of modern East Central Europe." - Steven Seegel, University of Northern Colorado