Bombing Civilians examines a crucial question: why did military planning in the early twentieth century shift its focus from bombing military targets to bombing civilians? From the British bombing of Iraq in the early 1920s to the most recent policies in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Lebanon, Bombing Civilians analyzes in detail the history of indiscriminate bombing, examining the fundamental questions of how this theory justifying mass killing originated and why it was employed as a compelling military strategy for decades, both before and since the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Bombing Civilians: A Twentieth-Century History
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Browse our Bookshelf Favorites store for big savings on popular fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and more. |
Book Description
--This text refers to the
Kindle Edition
edition.
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Marilyn B. Young is a professor of history at New York University. She has been a Guggenheim Fellow; is the author of numerous books, including The Vietnam Wars, 1945–1990; and co-edited Iraq and the Lessons of Vietnam (The New Press). Yuki Tanaka is Research Professor at Hiroshima Peace Institute of Hiroshima City University. Since the mid-1980s he has been concentrating his research on war crimes and is the author of several books, including Japan’s Comfort Women and Hidden Horrors.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
Customer Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This excellent collection studies British `humane bombing' in Iraq and other parts of the empire, the Japanese, German, Us and British bombing campaigns in World War Two, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the USAF and RAF's lead role in bombing civilians from the 20th to the 21st centuries, and the bombings of Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan (and now Libya). It finishes with two studies, ethical and legal, of bombing civilians.
The RAF commander in Iraq in the 1920s said that bombing was `undoubtedly humane in the long run' and that it was, `beyond all argument, the most merciful course to take'. In those years, the RAF was also bombing Afghanistan, India, Yemen, Egypt and Somaliland.
In an important essay, Tsuyoshi Hasegawa argues that the Soviet entry into World War Two was `far more important' than the atomic bombing in Japan's decision to surrender.
The commanding general of the US Army Air Force said that the strategic bomber was `the most humane of all weapons'. US General Curtis LeMay boasted, "we burnt down every town in North Korea and South Korea, too." US and British forces killed possibly 3 million Korean people, mostly civilians.
During the US attack on Vietnam, the USAAF dropped 8 million tons of bombs on Indochina (compared to 2 million it dropped in all theatres in World War Two); their explosive power equaled 640 Hiroshima-size bombs. They killed between 2 and 4 million Indochinese people, again mostly civilians.
The RAF commander in Iraq in the 1920s said that bombing was `undoubtedly humane in the long run' and that it was, `beyond all argument, the most merciful course to take'. In those years, the RAF was also bombing Afghanistan, India, Yemen, Egypt and Somaliland.
In an important essay, Tsuyoshi Hasegawa argues that the Soviet entry into World War Two was `far more important' than the atomic bombing in Japan's decision to surrender.
The commanding general of the US Army Air Force said that the strategic bomber was `the most humane of all weapons'. US General Curtis LeMay boasted, "we burnt down every town in North Korea and South Korea, too." US and British forces killed possibly 3 million Korean people, mostly civilians.
During the US attack on Vietnam, the USAAF dropped 8 million tons of bombs on Indochina (compared to 2 million it dropped in all theatres in World War Two); their explosive power equaled 640 Hiroshima-size bombs. They killed between 2 and 4 million Indochinese people, again mostly civilians.
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book should be adopted in all US schools,
even if I am a bit skeptical about results !
Why US people,apparently so decent and sensible, are so indifferent to others' suf-
ferings? They dont want to know and if they
know they do not care too much.
So they repeat same 'mistakes'(=crimes ?) over
the years, covering them with same 'smoke
curtain': it is asthonishing how US leaders'
words beginning, e.g. ,last century sound
like today's ! Freedom, democracy etc. on the
one hand, BOMBS on the other.
A long chain of painful,for the 'others',
contradictions between talking and doing ,
perhaps the only real heritage from UK ancestors. At same time, congratulations to
the knowledge and courage of the Authors
producing such excellent texts: you can find
them in US and UK only, not in Europe .
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year ,with less
bombs
even if I am a bit skeptical about results !
Why US people,apparently so decent and sensible, are so indifferent to others' suf-
ferings? They dont want to know and if they
know they do not care too much.
So they repeat same 'mistakes'(=crimes ?) over
the years, covering them with same 'smoke
curtain': it is asthonishing how US leaders'
words beginning, e.g. ,last century sound
like today's ! Freedom, democracy etc. on the
one hand, BOMBS on the other.
A long chain of painful,for the 'others',
contradictions between talking and doing ,
perhaps the only real heritage from UK ancestors. At same time, congratulations to
the knowledge and courage of the Authors
producing such excellent texts: you can find
them in US and UK only, not in Europe .
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year ,with less
bombs
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
I'd be very sympathetic to the thesis if it weren't for the bad history.
October 29, 2011
By Swift
Format:Paperback
I'd normally be very sympathetic to a critical or at least analytical view of so called "strategic" bombing through the 20th century and beyond. It's an important topic. But, I'm sorry, this book is rubbish and not much more than a shrill screed intended to fill the heads of people like that Italian (I think) with anti-American nonsense. It makes all the right noises about being about "morality" and "history", but in truth, it's neither - it's the amateur ranting of a biased individual dressed up to look like history, not unlike Gar Alperowicz's awful "the decision to use the atomic bomb."
Oh, where do I begin?
First, the author basically redefines 'strategic bombing' as the deliberate terror bombing of civilians and then takes this sock puppet as a basis for his "ethical philosophizing." In a few isolated cases, this was doubtlessly true and there certainly cases, such as the obvious one at Dresden, where there are legitimate questions about the need and even morality of specific raids. In the case of Dresden, this was particularly true since there was already a fair bit of debate as to the need for the raid. However, for most of the work, Tanaka and co's reasoning borders on bizarre--for example, because strategic bombing by itself did not win the war in the west, he argues, then it was ineffective, and therefore immoral to have been used in Japan. Really, that's the argument. A competent and unbiased historian to say nothing of ethical philosopher would view this as a question of alternatives - for any given situation, what was the best and most ethical alternative. The authors utterly fail to do this in any serious way, and thus any discussion of the 'theory' of strategic bombing dissolves to not much of anything.
Were that simply it, I might let this get by with two or even three stars were it at least a competent history, which, in fairness, the chapter titles suggest it might be. Alas, it's not. Again, it's a screed and not much more than that. You need look no further than the pseudo-history -- actually, I'll just come out and say it - willfull lies - that the authors employ in their chapter dealing with the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In short, they utterly and totally ignore everything that we know actually happened in the Japanese cabinet in the days leading up to surrender and instead latches onto a long discredited "soviet entry" theory that we know as a matter of historical record simply was NOT the or even a major factor affecting the Japanese surrender decision. We know unambiguously from any number of sources - both primary sources in Japanese and any number of subsequent histories in both English and Japanese based on these - that the atomic bombs were ultimately the deciding factor that caused a Japan that was otherwise well equipped for a drawn out bloodbath in order to negotiate a favorable peace (and politically deadlocked thus inexorably leading to this end), to surrender essentially unconditionally, the prerogatives of the Emperor notwithstanding. That the authors ignore these facts and hope to rewrite the history of the war in half a chapter is indicative of the duplicity. It's simply fraudulent history put forth to support pre-conceived conclusion.
I call a "do-over." Junk this stupid book and have somebody with a more realistic grasp of the ethical issues and a willingness to look at history as a series of decisions and alternatives, to say nothing of factual events that actually did or did not happen, have a go. Same title, same chapter structure, but just not this politically motivated, biased nonsense. I'd read it. There are important things to be said about Guernica, London, Dresden, Tokyo, Hiroshima+Nagasaki, Cu Chi and the western provinces, and beyond. This book says almost none of them.
Recommended watching instead: PBS's excellent "Victory in the Pacific" (featuring real historians, like Donald Miller) for a sober and balanced discussion on the strategic bombing of Japan.
Oh, where do I begin?
First, the author basically redefines 'strategic bombing' as the deliberate terror bombing of civilians and then takes this sock puppet as a basis for his "ethical philosophizing." In a few isolated cases, this was doubtlessly true and there certainly cases, such as the obvious one at Dresden, where there are legitimate questions about the need and even morality of specific raids. In the case of Dresden, this was particularly true since there was already a fair bit of debate as to the need for the raid. However, for most of the work, Tanaka and co's reasoning borders on bizarre--for example, because strategic bombing by itself did not win the war in the west, he argues, then it was ineffective, and therefore immoral to have been used in Japan. Really, that's the argument. A competent and unbiased historian to say nothing of ethical philosopher would view this as a question of alternatives - for any given situation, what was the best and most ethical alternative. The authors utterly fail to do this in any serious way, and thus any discussion of the 'theory' of strategic bombing dissolves to not much of anything.
Were that simply it, I might let this get by with two or even three stars were it at least a competent history, which, in fairness, the chapter titles suggest it might be. Alas, it's not. Again, it's a screed and not much more than that. You need look no further than the pseudo-history -- actually, I'll just come out and say it - willfull lies - that the authors employ in their chapter dealing with the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In short, they utterly and totally ignore everything that we know actually happened in the Japanese cabinet in the days leading up to surrender and instead latches onto a long discredited "soviet entry" theory that we know as a matter of historical record simply was NOT the or even a major factor affecting the Japanese surrender decision. We know unambiguously from any number of sources - both primary sources in Japanese and any number of subsequent histories in both English and Japanese based on these - that the atomic bombs were ultimately the deciding factor that caused a Japan that was otherwise well equipped for a drawn out bloodbath in order to negotiate a favorable peace (and politically deadlocked thus inexorably leading to this end), to surrender essentially unconditionally, the prerogatives of the Emperor notwithstanding. That the authors ignore these facts and hope to rewrite the history of the war in half a chapter is indicative of the duplicity. It's simply fraudulent history put forth to support pre-conceived conclusion.
I call a "do-over." Junk this stupid book and have somebody with a more realistic grasp of the ethical issues and a willingness to look at history as a series of decisions and alternatives, to say nothing of factual events that actually did or did not happen, have a go. Same title, same chapter structure, but just not this politically motivated, biased nonsense. I'd read it. There are important things to be said about Guernica, London, Dresden, Tokyo, Hiroshima+Nagasaki, Cu Chi and the western provinces, and beyond. This book says almost none of them.
Recommended watching instead: PBS's excellent "Victory in the Pacific" (featuring real historians, like Donald Miller) for a sober and balanced discussion on the strategic bombing of Japan.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Truth about bombing
This is a remarkable collection of essays on various aspects of mass bombing of civilians in wartime. Read more
Published on January 17, 2010 by Anthony J. Barrell
4.0 out of 5 stars
Yuki Tanaka's work
FOr the record, I haven't received the book yet, but i heard a wonderful presentation by Professor Tanaka on the history of indiscriminate bombing at the University of Chicago (you... Read more
Published on September 7, 2009 by Defenestrator
