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1932: FDR, Hoover, and the Dawn of a New America
by Scott MartelleA fascinating behind-the-scenes look at a year in American history that still resonates today, 1932: FDR, Hoover, and the Dawn of a New America tells the story of a battered nation fighting for its own future amid the depths of the Great Depression. At the start of 1932, the nation&’s worst economic crisis has left one-in-four workers without a job, countless families facing eviction, banks shutting down as desperate depositors withdraw their savings, and growing social and political unrest from urban centers to the traditionally conservative rural heart of the country. Amid this turmoil, a political decision looms that will determine the course of the nation. It is a choice between two men with very diferent visions of America: Incumbent Republican Herbert Hoover with his dogmatic embrace of small government and a largely unfettered free market, and New York&’s Democratic Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his belief that the path out of the economic crisis requires government intervention in the economy and a national sense of shared purpose. Now veteran journalist Scott Martelle provides a gripping narrative retelling of that vitally significant year as social and political systems struggled under the weight of the devastating Dust Bowl, economic woes, rising political protests, and growing demand for the repeal of Prohibition. That November, voters overwhelmingly rejected decades of Republican rule and backed Roosevelt and his promise to redefine the role of the federal government while putting the needs of the people ahead of the wishes of the wealthy. Deftly told, this illuminating work spotlights parallel events from that pivotal year and brings to life figures who made headlines in their time but have been largly forgotten today. Ultimately, it is the story of a nation that, with the help of a leader determined to unite and inspire, took giant steps toward a new America.
1932: The Rise of Hitler and FDR--Two Tales of Politics, Betrayal, and Unlikely Destiny
by David PietruszaTwo Depression-battered nations confronted destiny in 1932, going to the polls in their own way to anoint new leaders, to rescue their people from starvation and hopelessness. America would elect a Congress and a president ebullient aristocrat Franklin Roosevelt or tarnished Wonder Boy Herbert Hoover. Decadent, divided Weimar Germany faced two rounds of bloody Reichstag elections and two presidential contests doddering reactionary Paul von Hindenburg against rising radical hate-monger Adolf Hitler. The outcome seemed foreordained unstoppable forces advancing upon crumbled, disoriented societies. A merciless Great Depression brought greater perhaps hopeful, perhaps deadly transformation: FDR s New Deal and Hitler s Third Reich. But neither outcome was inevitable. Readers enter the fray through David Pietrusza s page-turning account: Roosevelt s fellow Democrats may yet halt him at a deadlocked convention. 1928 s Democratic nominee, Al Smith, harbors a grudge against his one-time protege. Press baron William Randolph Hearst lays his own plans to block Roosevelt s ascent to the White House. FDR s politically-inspired juggling of a New York City scandal threatens his juggernaut. In Germany, the Nazis surge at the polls but twice fall short of Reichstag majorities. Hitler, tasting power after a lifetime of failure and obscurity, falls to Hindenburg for the presidency also twice within the year. Cabals and counter-cabals plot. Secrets of love and suicide haunt Hitler. Yet guile and ambition may yet still prevail. 1932 s breathtaking narrative covers two epic stories that possess haunting parallels to today s crisis-filled vortex. It is an all-too-human tale of scapegoats and panaceas, class warfare and racial politics, of a seemingly bottomless depression, of massive unemployment and hardship, of unprecedented public works/infrastructure programs, of business stimulus programs and damaging allegations of political cronyism, of waves of bank failures and of mortgages foreclosed, of Washington bonus marches and Berlin street fights, of once-solid financial empires collapsing seemingly overnight, of rapidly shifting social mores, and of mountains of irresponsible international debt threatening to crash not just mere nations but the entire global economy. It is the tale of spell-binding leaders versus bland businessmen and out-of-touch upper-class elites and of two nations inching to safety but lurching toward disaster. It is 1932 s nightmare with lessons for today. "
1933
by Philip Metcalfe"Using letters, diaries, and memoirs, Metcalfe distills the personalities, viewpoints, and day-to-day reactions of five alert and often directly involved witnesses to Hitler's consolidation of power. They are: U.S. Ambassador to Germany, William Dodd, and his high-spirited daughter, Martha; Bella Fromm, a glamorous German society columnist who was Jewish and made no secret of it; Ernest Hanfstaengl, Hitler's somewhat buffoonish foreign-press chief; and Rudolf Diels, the first head of the Gestapo." --Publishers Weekly
The 1933 Chicago World's Fair: A Century of Progress
by Cheryl R. GanzChicago's 1933 world's fair set a new direction for international expositions. Earlier fairs had exhibited technological advances, but Chicago's fair organizers used the very idea of progress to buoy national optimism during the Depression's darkest years. Orchestrated by business leaders and engineers, almost all former military men, the fair reflected a business-military-engineering model that envisioned a promising future through science and technology's application to everyday life. But not everyone at Chicago's 1933 exposition had abandoned notions of progress that entailed social justice and equality, recognition of ethnicity and gender, and personal freedom and expression. The fair's motto, "Science Finds, Industry Applies, Man Conforms," was challenged by iconoclasts such as Sally Rand, whose provocative fan dance became a persistent symbol of the fair, as well as a handful of others, including African Americans, ethnic populations and foreign nationals, groups of working women, and even well-heeled socialites. Cheryl R. Ganz offers the stories of fair planners and participants who showcased education, industry, and entertainment to sell optimism during the depths of the Great Depression. This engaging history also features eighty-six photographs--nearly half of which are full color--of key locations, exhibits, and people, as well as authentic ticket stubs, postcards, pamphlets, posters, and other items.
The 1935 Republican River Flood (Disaster)
by Joy HaydenOn May 31, 1935, a storm system surged along the Republican River, bursting its banks in a matter of minutes with a roar that could be heard miles away. The greatest flood to hit the tri-state area of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska, it left behind a landscape rearranged beyond recognition and claimed more than one hundred casualties. However, amid all the destruction and sorrow, amazing acts of heroism and unwavering courage were reported throughout the valley. Author Joy Hayden reveals the historic disaster and the steadfast resolve of those who witnessed it.
The 1936-1937 Great Lakes Exposition (Images of America)
by Brad Schwartz William C. BarrowThe Great Lakes Exposition was held in Cleveland during the summers of 1936 and 1937, drawing seven million visitors over its two-year run. The exposition was intended to observe the city's centennial anniversary and to celebrate the Great Lakes Region. It was also hoped that it would help lift the city's economy out of the Great Depression. The exposition boasted a staggering array of ever-changing national-level attractions and feature events. In a single day, exposition visitors could experience the latest technological innovations; see a world-class aquatics show; watch a Shakespearean play; ride in a blimp; and hear the music, taste the food, view the architecture, and experience the culture of 40 of the world's countries.
1936 ... On the Continent
by Eugene FodorThis guide takes you on a prewar journey through 30 European countries, including the British Isle.
The 1937 – 1938 Nanjing Atrocities
by Suping LuThis book presents a comprehensive overview of the Nanjing Massacre, together with an in-depth analysis of various aspects of the event and related issues. Drawing on original source materials collected from various national archives, national libraries, church historical society archives, and university libraries in China, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom and the United States, it represents the first English-language academic attempt to analyze the Nanjing Massacre in such detail and scope.The book examines massacres and other killings, in addition to other war crimes, such as rape, looting, and burning. These atrocities are then explored further via a historical analysis of Chinese survivors’ testimony, Japanese soldiers’ diaries, Westerners’ eyewitness accounts, the news coverage from American and British correspondents, and American, British and German diplomatic dispatches. Further, the book explores issues such as the role and function of the International Committee for Nanking Safety Zone, burial records of massacre victims, post-war military tribunals, controversies over the Nanjing Massacre, and the 100-Man Killing Contest.This book is intended for all researchers, scholars, graduate and undergraduate students, and members of the general public who are interested in Second World War issues, Sino-Japanese conflicts, Sino-Japan relations, war crimes, atrocity and holocaust studies, military tribunals for war crimes, Japanese atrocities in China, and the Nanjing Massacre.
The 1937 Chicago Steel Strike: Blood on the Prairie
by John F. HoganThis in-depth history of the Memorial Day Massacre brings new clarity to the conflicting reports that left too many questions unanswered. A violent period of American labor history reached its bloody apex in 1937 when rattled Chicago police shot, clubbed, and gassed a group of men, women, and children attempting to picket Republic Steel&’s South Chicago plant. Ten died and over one hundred were wounded in what became known as the Memorial Day Massacre. A newsreel camera captured about eight minutes of the confrontation, yet local and congressional investigations amazingly reached opposite conclusions about what happened and why. Now Chicago historian John Hogan sifts through the conflicting reports of all those entangled in that fateful day, including union leaders, news reporters, and an undercover National Guard observer revealed after seventy-six years.
1938: Hitler's Gamble
by Giles MacdonoghIn this masterful narrative, acclaimed historian Giles MacDonogh chronicles Adolf Hitler's consolidation of power over the course of one year. Until 1938, Hitler could be dismissed as a ruthless but efficient dictator, a problem to Germany alone; after 1938 he was clearly a threat to the entire world. It was in 1938 that Third Reich came of age. The Führer brought Germany into line with Nazi ideology and revealed his plans to take back those parts of Europe lost to "Greater Germany" after the First World War. From the purging of the army in January through the Anschluss in March, from the Munich Conference in September to the ravages of Kristallnacht in November, MacDonogh offers a gripping account of the year Adolf Hitler came into his own and set the world inexorably on track to a cataclysmic war.
1938: Hitler's Gamble
by Giles MacDonoghIn this masterly new work, acclaimed historian Giles MacDonogh explores the moment when Hitler gambled everything. Until 1938, Hitler could be dismissed as a ruthless but efficient dictator, a problem to Germany alone; after 1938 he was clearly a threat to the entire world.In that year The Third Reich came of age and the Führer showed his hand - bringing Germany into line with Nazi ideology and revealing long-held plans to take back those parts of Europe lost to 'Greater Germany' after the First World War. The sequence of events began in January with the purging of the army, and escalated with the merger with Austria - the Anschluss, and the first persecutions of Viennese Jewry.In the following months Hitler moulded the nation to his will. Elections brought him a 99 per cent approval rating. MacDonogh gives a full account of the nationalist opposition that failed to topple Hitler in September 1938. By the end of the year the brutal reality of the Nazi regime was revealed by Joseph Goebbels in Kristallnacht, a nationwide assault on Germany's native Jewish population.MacDonogh's access to many new sources gives insights into what life was like under the eye of the regime, revealing the role of the Anglican Church after the Anschluss, saving those Jews who were willing to convert, and also the Kendrick Affair - the still-secret details of the Austrian double agent who brought down the whole MI6 operation in Austria and Germany, just as the Chamberlain government began negotiations with Hitler at Munich. A remarkable and revealing account of Hitler's opening moves to war.
1939
by Richard OveryThe world burst into war in a blast of bombs and tanks when the Nazis marched into Poland. Blitzkriegmoves from the aftermath of World War I into the dramatic events of 1938-41. Rare items of memorabilia-including Hitler’s order to invade Poland and Montgomery’s diary charting the evacuation from Dunkirk-bring the era and events to life as never before. The CD features Chamberlain’s announcement of war; Churchill’s "finest hour” speech; and Hitler’s first speech from the newly German Danzig.
1939: A People's History Of The Coming Of The Second World War
by Frederick TaylorA best-selling historian’s chronicle of the dramatic months from the Munich Agreement to Hitler’s invasion of Poland and the beginning of World War II. In the autumn of 1938, Europe believed in the promise of peace. But only a year later, the fateful decisions of just a few men had again led Europe to a massive world war. Drawing on contemporary diaries, memoirs, and newspapers, as well as recorded interviews, 1939 is a narrative account of what the coming of the Second World War felt like to those who lived through it. Frederick Taylor, author of renowned histories of the Berlin Wall and the bombing of Dresden, highlights the day-to-day experiences of ordinary citizens as well as those who were at the height of power in Germany and Britain. Their voices lend an intimate flavor to this often-surprising account of the period and reveal a marked disconnect between government and people, for few people in either country wanted war. 1939 is a vivid and richly peopled narrative of Europe’s slide into the horrors of war and a powerful warning for our own time.
The 1939-1940 New York World's Fair: The World of Tomorrow (Images of America)
by Bill CotterThe World of Tomorrow
1939-1940 New York World's Fair, The
by Bill CotterAfter enduring 10 harrowing years of the Great Depression, visitors to the 1939-1940 New York World's Fair found welcome relief in the fair's optimistic presentation of the "World of Tomorrow." Pavilions from America's largest corporations and dozens of countries were spread across a 1,216-acre site, showcasing the latest industrial marvels and predictions for the future intermingled with cultural displays from around the world. Well known for its theme structures, the Trylon and Perisphere, the fair was an intriguing mixture of technology, science, architecture, showmanship, and politics. Proclaimed by many as the most memorable world's fair ever held, it predicted wonderful times were ahead for the world even as the clouds of war were gathering. Through vintage photographs, most never published before, The 1939-1940 New York World's Fair recaptures those days when the eyes of the world were on New York and on the future.
1939. La cara oculta de los últimos días de la Guerra Civil
by José María ZavalaJosé María Zavala examina los episodios más sorprendentes y desconocidos de los cien últimos días de la Guerra Civil. Y lo hace alejándose del recorrido histórico tradicional para zambullirse en los pactos secretos entre los dos bandos, en las escenas cotidianas más inexploradas, en los momentos más sorprendentes. A través de capítulos que pueden leerse como historias independientes, el autor desvela la cara oculta de unos meses que cambiaron la historia de España para siempre. El libro combina el enfoque en los personajes clave con el interés por destapar las luces y las sombras de la vida de la gente corriente en aquellas semanas decisivas. De los entresijos del golpe de Estado del coronel Casado a los testimonios sobre el hambre en la retaguardia, de los planes secretos para desatar una guerra bacteriológica al papel que desempeñaron los Kennedy en el conflicto, Zavala estudia lo que nadie sabe sobre figuras tan conocidas como Azaña, Negrín o Carrillo y saca a la luz el papel que tuvieron en la guerra estrellas de cine como Errol Flynn, adivinos pintorescos como el profesor Aris, que predijo el inicio de la revuelta militar, o soldados anónimos como Feliciano Martín Villoria. Estos y otros muchos sucesos arrojan luz sobre las numerosas lagunas que, todavía hoy, siguen existiendo sobre la memoria histórica.«Un libro que trata de los aspectos menos conocidos de la Guerra Civil, escrito con la agilidad y el enfoque certero característicos de Zavala, y que el lector podrá disfrutar con placer y soltura.»STANLEY G. PAYNE
1939: The Last Season
by Anne de CourcyA wonderful portrait of British upper-class life in the Season of 1939 - the last before the Second World War.The Season of 1939 brought all those 'in Society' to London. The young debutante daughters of the upper classes were presented to the King and Queen to mark their acceptance into the new adult world of their parents. They sparkled their way through a succession of balls and parties and sporting events.The Season brought together influential people not only from Society but also from Government at the various events of the social calendar. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain chaperoned his debutante niece to weekend house parties; Lord Halifax, the Foreign Secretary, lunched with the Headmaster of Eton; Cabinet Ministers encountered foreign Ambassadors at balls in the houses of the great hostesses. As the hot summer drew on, the newspapers filled with ever more ominous reports of the relentless progress towards war. There was nothing to do but wait - and dance. The last season of peace was nearly over.
1939: The Last Season
by Anne de CourcyA wonderful portrait of British upper-class life in the Season of 1939 - the last before the Second World War.The Season of 1939 brought all those 'in Society' to London. The young debutante daughters of the upper classes were presented to the King and Queen to mark their acceptance into the new adult world of their parents. They sparkled their way through a succession of balls and parties and sporting events.The Season brought together influential people not only from Society but also from Government at the various events of the social calendar. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain chaperoned his debutante niece to weekend house parties; Lord Halifax, the Foreign Secretary, lunched with the Headmaster of Eton; Cabinet Ministers encountered foreign Ambassadors at balls in the houses of the great hostesses. As the hot summer drew on, the newspapers filled with ever more ominous reports of the relentless progress towards war. There was nothing to do but wait - and dance. The last season of peace was nearly over.
1939: The Last Season
by Anne de CourcyA wonderful portrait of British upper-class life in the Season of 1939 - the last before the Second World War.The Season of 1939 brought all those 'in Society' to London. The young debutante daughters of the upper classes were presented to the King and Queen to mark their acceptance into the new adult world of their parents. They sparkled their way through a succession of balls and parties and sporting events.The Season brought together influential people not only from Society but also from Government at the various events of the social calendar. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain chaperoned his debutante niece to weekend house parties; Lord Halifax, the Foreign Secretary, lunched with the Headmaster of Eton; Cabinet Ministers encountered foreign Ambassadors at balls in the houses of the great hostesses. As the hot summer drew on, the newspapers filled with ever more ominous reports of the relentless progress towards war. There was nothing to do but wait - and dance. The last season of peace was nearly over.
1940: The World in Flames (The Second World War Histories)
by Richard CollierThe most shocking year in history. Week by week, hour by hour.In his brilliant reconstruction, Richard Collier vividly brings one of the most momentous years in world history to life once again.This was a time of blitzkrieg and the Blitz; of the Battle of Britain and Dunkirk. From the fighting in Finland to the destruction of Coventry, from the sinking of the French fleet in Oran to the invasion of Norway, this is history at its most extraordinary and engaging.By recounting major episodes from the viewpoint of those actually involved, Collier provides enlightening glimpses of just what war represented to both the great and to the unknown, and reveals that while 1940 was a year of incredible folly, it was also a time of inestimable bravery.Perfect for readers of Anthony Beevor and Max Hastings, this is an unforgettable book about an unforgettable year, a year that shaped the world we know today.‘Masterly… you could be reading a spine-tingling thriller’ Sunday Express‘I would like to see this book made compulsory reading’ Evening Standard
1940: FDR, Willkie, Lindbergh, Hitler—the Election amid the Storm
by Susan DunnA history of the 1940 U.S. presidential election, when bitterly divided Americans debated the fate of the nation and the world. In 1940, against the explosive backdrop of the Nazi onslaught in Europe, two farsighted candidates for the U.S. presidency—Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt, running for an unprecedented third term, and talented Republican businessman Wendell Willkie—found themselves on the defensive against American isolationists and their charismatic spokesman Charles Lindbergh, who called for surrender to Hitler's demands. In this dramatic account of that turbulent and consequential election, historian Susan Dunn brings to life the debates, the high-powered players, and the dawning awareness of the Nazi threat as the presidential candidates engaged in their own battle for supremacy. 1940 not only explores the contest between FDR and Willkie but also examines the key preparations for war that went forward, even in the midst of that divisive election season. The book tells an inspiring story of the triumph of American democracy in a world reeling from fascist barbarism, and it offers a compelling alternative scenario to today&’s hyperpartisan political arena, where common ground seems unattainable. &“Anyone today who believes that U.S. involvement and the ultimate Allied triumph in World War II was inevitable must read this important history."—Michael Beschloss, New York Times bestselling author of Presidential Courage &“Susan Dunn, a prolific and outstanding historian, has crafted a fast-paced, serious, and extraordinarily well-researched book about the events surrounding the pivotal 1940 election. Her main characters…come brilliantly to life. I could hardly put the book down.&”—James T. Patterson, author of Bancroft Prize-winning Grand Expectations: The United States, 1945-1974
1940: The Battles to Stop Hitler
by Mitch PeekeThe story of one momentous year in World War II. The epic story of 1940 is not confined to the great air battle over England that summer, the Battle of Britain. While that battle was indeed a major turning point in the course of the Second World War, it was only fought because of the ultimate outcome of the battle that preceded it. When Hitler&’s forces swiftly overran the Low Countries and then France, the remnants of the French and British armies were trapped in a pocketed position around the channel port of Dunquerque. Militarily, that should have been the end of it. Trapped with their backs to the sea, the tired soldiers surely faced annihilation or capture. Hitler&’s generals certainly thought so. But then Hitler made his first and biggest mistake. He listened to his old friend and commander of the German Air Force, Herman Goering. Instead of allowing his armies to finish the job, he ordered them to halt. Goering had persuaded his Fuhrer to allow his Air Force to finish it instead. Goering failed, giving the British time to evacuate the stranded armies from Dunqerque. The Battle of France was over, but there would have to be a Battle of Britain, as Britain would now have to be eliminated as well, either by diplomacy, which wasn&’t likely, or by invasion. This was the prospect facing those in England at that time—and this is the story of that momentous year.
The 1940 Vrancea Earthquake. Issues, Insights and Lessons Learnt
by Radu Vacareanu Constantin IonescuThese proceedings include most of the available information on this major seismic event and its consequences. With an estimated moment magnitude of 7. 7 and a heavy toll in terms of human and economic losses, it ranks as the largest intermediate-depth earthquake in Europe in the twentieth century. Nevertheless, because of the difficult conditions in the 1940s, the lessons learnt after the Vrancea earthquake were not extensively shared with the international scientific community and thus, this book fills a gap in the literature discussing the knowledge acquired after major disasters. Past experience together with current understanding of the 1940 Vrancea earthquake are presented along with the latest information on Romanian seismicity, seismic hazard and risk assessment, and seismic evaluation and rehabilitation of buildings and structures. Moreover, it includes excerpts from Romanian post-disaster reports and textbooks concerning the earthquake.
The 1940s: From World War II to Jackie Robinson (Decades of the 20th Century)
by Stephen FeinsteinThe Decades of the 20th Century series uses short articles and numerous photos to introduce young readers to the people and events that made news and changed history in the twentieth century. -- Highlighting important happenings in politics, science, sports, the arts and entertainment, and environmental issues, the series also focuses on interesting topics like the lifestyles, fashions, and fads that have made each decade of the century unique and memorable. -- Curriculum based and useful for reports.
1941: The America That Went to War
by William M. ChristieA panoramic and intimate portrait of America and its people in the twelve months leading up to its entry into WWII. From Joe DiMaggio’s still unbroken hitting streak to the infamy of Pearl Harbor, 1941: The America That Went to War immerses readers in a world of big bands and bigger headlines.The America of 1941 was very different from the country we know today. Most people were just getting back on their feet after the struggles of the Depression. Access to the political process was uneven, ethnic stereotypes were widely accepted, and concerns with social justice were only beginning to expand.After the Depression, most workers found jobs related to the growing defense industry, but the nation was fearful of the foreign wars that made increased armaments necessary. Yet everything was about to change with the forced entry onto the world stage. Christie describes all this and more, demonstrating that one cannot understand the United States during and after World War II without understanding the country that entered the war.Organized in a series of vignettes representing focal events of each month, 1941 show both what Americans were doing and how they saw themselves and the world in that last year of peace.“A fascinating glimpse of a country passing through the twilight of splendid isolation to becoming a world power.” —The New York Journal of Books