Choices Under Fire: Moral Dimensions of World War II (Hardcover)

by Michael Bess (Author)
Key Phrases: uninhabited target, justice for the unspeakable, tyranny triumphant, World War, United States, Pearl Harbor (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Bess, who won the George Perkins Marsh prize in environmental history for his last book, The Light Green Society: Ecology and Technological Modernity in France 1960-2000, challenges the belief that WWII was modern history's most righteous war. Pointing out that governments and individuals at war do not shelve their morality, he cites three areas where moral choices at all levels of power determined the nature of the war. Race was a central issue in Nazi policies of genocide, the mass internment of Japanese Americans and the segregation of English pubs to accommodate anti-black prejudice. Brutality developed after initial shock at air attacks on civilians gave way to acceptance of thousand-plane raids on cities and applause for the nuclear incineration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On a more positive note, Bess believes World War II generated a permanent commitment to developing international institutions committed to justice and humanity that rose above the nation-state. While choices in these areas were sometimes clear, he observes that they more often involved compromises, doubt and shame; the challenge was-and is-to choose compassion and cooperation above all. Highlighting both the enduring presence of free will, and the paradox that justice and ambiguity coexist, Bess reminds us that strong moral choices are always possible. Author Tour.
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From Booklist
Excluding ardent pacifists, Americans generally view World War II as the "good war" in which the goals of defeating Nazi totalitarianism and Japanese militarism eliminated moral ambiguities. But Professor Bess insists that in a war fought for moral purposes, the moral ambiguities of specific governmental or individual actions are sharpened. In this fascinating but discomfiting work, he unhesitatingly tackles some of the moral dilemmas presented by the war. How did the racism prevalent in American society undermine the moral justification of our cause? British and American opposition to Japanese expansion in Asia is examined within the context of European imperialism and exploitation. Could the bombing of civilian centers be justified on the basis of saving the lives of our military personnel? Can the necessity of defeating the Nazis be morally squared with an alliance with the equally monstrous regime controlled by Stalin? These, of course, are difficult questions, and those who prefer pat answers will have little patience with these ruminations. Yet the strength of this book is that it forces us to acknowledge and confront them. Jay Freeman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; First Edition. states edition (November 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307263657
• ISBN-13: 978-0307263650
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #823,448 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding history allows tp explain the present, March 25, 2007

By	Andrzej Sitkowski - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Understanding history allows to explain the present

A candidate in the French presidential elections(Mr. Le Pen) recently compared the 9/11 attacks on the United States to the carpet bombing of Dresden and Marseille by the Anglo-American air forces during the WW II . It is not an isolated case of an abusive employment of historical facts for political manipulation. There is no other defense against such manipulation than knowing and understanding history.

Michael Bess' book is a milestone in our knowledge of the WW II which, despite its ambiguities, was a just war fought against an evil tyranny. Approaching the history of that war from an unfrequented avenue, the author brilliantly defends upholding of moral principles and imperatives in the course of war, irrespectively of how evil and monstrous our enemy is. He exposes a tremendous impact of the choices made under fire, be it by the Commander in Chief or by a foot soldier on the results of the struggle and on its perception decades after. Ultimately, keeping our hands clean is not only a moral but also a political imperative.

On the background of an impressive and vast panorama of WW II Bess exposes diverging perceptions between and within the major participating countries of the legacy of that war and asks Did we learn anything?" Certainly he is among those who did. Making a strong case for a need to follow the internationalist impulse in relations between countries and for the reconciliation between former enemies he articulates lessons which are far from a universal recognition but absorbed by many already.

I read the book from a multiple perspective of a veteran of WW II (fighting the Germans in Warsaw,Poland), a prisoner in a German P.O.W. camp, a former UN staff member and peacekeeper, and a resident of Germany now. In a rewarding experience I found myself in a full accord with the author's incisive insight into the neglected aspects of that titanic struggle and with his conclusions.

It is definitely the most important book about the WW II I ever read and I recommend it to everyone interested in explaining our present by understanding the past. It reads well and leaves you with a rich plate of food for thought.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique mix of history and moral analysis , January 24, 2007

By	Daniel Hamilton (WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The subtitle "Moral Dimensions of World War II" almost says it all about this unique moral analysis of the conduct of both the Axis and Allies in World War two. What the subtitle does not say is how fair and even handed this book is. The author Michael Bess can rightfully praise American airmen in Midway as an example of how moral character effects the course of a battle. He writes: "We rightly cherish the memory of their deed, not just because it resulted in a pivotal victory, but because of what is says, more broadly, about the society that produces such men as these." Make no mistake, however, this is no flag waiving book claiming America and her allies were God's chosen instrument -- far from it. Indeed, the author concludes quite strongly in his treatment of allied bombing of civilians that it was (as McNamara admitted in "The Fog of War") a war atrocity and "the single greatest moral failure of the Anglo-American war effort." Without in anyway lessening the evil of Germany or Japan in WW II or claiming any moral equivalence between the opposing sides, the author points out that American and British hands were not clean in WW II -- even if they were not as filthy as our opponents.

That is what is so enjoyable about this thought provoking book: it can praise what we did right (such as the courage of D-Day in Europe and TAFFY 3 during the return to the Philippines) and objectively identify what we did wrong(fire bombing civilians and internment of Japanese Americans), while at the same time helping us understand that the horrific brutality of our enemies was not the result of flaws only they somehow had -- all without excusing either us or them. A wonderful mix of history, sociology and moral philosophy. I've never read anything like it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Decisions made and the consequences detailed, April 2, 2008

By	armchairinterviews.com (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Choices Under Fire: Moral Dimensions of World War II (Vintage) (Paperback)

In Choices Under Fire, Bess pens essays about the moral issues faced in World War II. You can read these essays independently from each other. Bess discusses racism, the kamikazes, the atomic bomb, bombing civilian populations, the battle of Midway, cooperating with Stalin, the holocaust, and the war crimes trials. None of this material is new; in fact, a lot of the material is familiar to most readers interested in World War II history. What is unique about this book is that Bass explores the moral dimensions of personal, collective and national choices.

Each essay starts with a view that is presented in most American World War II textbooks. Bess adds additional historical information, most of which is known but "forgotten" or rarely associated with the events being discussed. He then links this material to the moral choices made by the main actors in this situation and presents a more nuanced version of that event (for example, Japanese expansion is examined within the context of European imperialism, or the rational to bomb civilian centers, our alliance with Stalin to defeat a dictator like Hitler, and other such decisions).

One may not agree with some of the perspectives presented in this book, such as the attack on Pearl Harbor grew out of Japan's searing experience of helplessness before European and American domination, or that the judgments handed down to the Nazis at Nuremberg represented rough victors' justice, rather than morally clean verdicts. However, one needs to acknowledge that there could be divergent perspectives on the same set of events.

Armchair Interviews says: Very interesting perspective on WWII.