Eastern Europe and the Origins of the Second World War

Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania and the Baltic States have been treated in the past as victims, powerless in the face of Nazi aggression. The author of this study disagrees with this approach and suggests an alternative view, namely that of states which had to grapple with complex economic, politica [...]
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Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania and the Baltic States have been treated in the past as victims, powerless in the face of Nazi aggression. The author of this study disagrees with this approach and suggests an alternative view, namely that of states which had to grapple with complex economic, political and military dilemmas. Amongst those, British and French indifference was seen as nearly as dangerous as German, Italian and Soviet interference in the region. Otherwise inexplicable conundrums, of Czechoslovak passivity in 1938, Polish bullishness in the face of British offers of aid in 1939 and the perception that the Romanian king was too cunning for his own good are also tackled. The states from the Baltic to the Balkans are given their place in European History and, in particular, in the origins of World War II.