Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime & FREE Returns

FREE delivery Monday, July 11 if you spend $25 on items shipped by Amazon

Or fastest delivery Friday, July 8. Order within 6 hrs 54 mins

In Stock.

As an alternative, the Kindle eBook is available now and can be read on any device with the free Kindle app. Want to listen? Try Audible.

[{"displayPrice":"$18.00","priceAmount":18.00,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"18","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"00","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"Aywrhfy8Awgkm5TFmw2iMYHM3F%2B8xzaFHaxyN9iqnOK1zfZX13C%2BdBb0ScaHnt1Rhd3bb6Dfkp7R3eruPPV4SfUkhKygDRyVn%2FKvl6xdxEuwnbcgOL5mSqcFejPY1IwPjpCRO5GX%2F6Q%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW"},{"displayPrice":"$7.56","priceAmount":7.56,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"7","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"56","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"z%2Bo2Ra7VhusFZ52HFelh8lUwVItjPw0E%2BCfRKDpjlRwr0bwNn4XazYnuGZhG8d%2B8GsNmf%2FCETgn6SSsnk6Lr5U7n8tF6FH8J95qdrr%2F8tpceixuGDojAuyIABvuIQRO4%2F2nbwrUI7N8vINoHO8bWPlN%2FLGzqRH%2FE0SAtDbRrv9pjuG9%2BTd40Ejm5fDHkEubt","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED"}]

$$18.00 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Secure transaction

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Details

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Return policy: Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery Wednesday, July 13 if you spend $25 on items shipped by Amazon

Or fastest delivery Sunday, July 10

Select delivery location

Used: Acceptable | Details

Sold by -OnTimeBooks-

Fulfilled by Amazon

Add to List

Added to

Unable to add item to List. Please try again.

Share <Embed>

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Other Sellers on Amazon

Added

Not added

$17.90
FREE Shipping on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon.

Sold by: Gem City Books

Added

Not added

$19.13
& FREE Shipping

Sold by: Publisher Direct

Added

Not added

$20.77
& FREE Shipping

Sold by: bargainbookstores-

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 3 images

Follow the Author

Michael R. Beschloss

The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1941-1945 Paperback – October 7, 2003

by Michael R. Beschloss (Author)

172 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$13.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Abridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$16.00

$8.22

$1.00

Paperback

"Please retry"

$18.00

$12.00

$1.36

Audio CD, Abridged, Audiobook

"Please retry"

$8.98

$49.95

$5.00

Enhance your purchase

A New York Times bestseller, The Conquerors reveals how Franklin Roosevelt's and Harry Truman's private struggles with their aides and Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin affected the unfolding of the Holocaust and the fate of vanquished Nazi Germany.

With monumental fairness and balance, The Conquerors shows how Roosevelt privately refused desperate pleas to speak out directly against the Holocaust, to save Jewish refugees, and to explore the possible bombing of Auschwitz to stop the killing. The book also shows FDR's fierce will to ensure that Germany would never threaten the world again. Near the end of World War II, he abruptly endorsed the secret plan of his friend, Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau, to reduce the Germans to a primitive existence—despite Churchill's fear that crushing postwar Germany would let the Soviets conquer the continent. The book finally shows how, after FDR's death, President Truman rebelled against Roosevelt's tough approach and adopted the Marshall Plan and other more conciliatory policies that culminated in today's democratic, united Europe.

As Presidents Roosevelt and Truman led the United States in World War II in Europe, they dealt with the question of what kind of government should be imposed on Nazi Germany to ensure that Germany could never again drag the world into war. The Conquerors tells the story with much intimate detail and color of how FDR and Truman privately struggled in their own minds and with titanic allies like Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin, through summits and secret messages, to answer that question.

Print length

416 pages
Language

English
Publication date

October 7, 2003
Dimensions

6.18 x 1.14 x 9.21 inches
ISBN-10

0743244540
ISBN-13

978-0743244541
See all details

Frequently bought together

+
+

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Some of these items ship sooner than the others.

Show details Hide details

Choose items to buy together.

by Michael R. Beschloss Paperback
$18.00
Get it as soon as Monday, Jul 11 FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
by Michael R. Beschloss Paperback
$14.49
Get it as soon as Monday, Jul 11 FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
by Michael Beschloss Hardcover
$12.49
Get it Jul 11 - 13 $3.99 shipping
Only 2 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by High Five Distributing, Inc.

Products related to this item
Sponsored Hide feedback

Page 1 of 1Start overPage 1 of 1

Editorial Reviews

Review

The New York Times Book Review Vigorously written....This is history as it was spoken at the time, and there is not a dull page.

The Wall Street Journal Opinion Journal, "Editor's Choice" A gripping narrative of the struggles at the end of World War II...to ensure that Nazi Germany would never be allowed to repeat its horrific acts.

Richard Bernstein The New York Times The main lesson of Mr. Beschloss's fine study is that what happens after a war is as important as what happens on the battlefield.

Jim Hoagland The Washington Post An incomparable account.

About the Author

Michael Beschloss has been called "the nation's leading Presidential historian" by Newsweek. He has written nine books on American Presidents and is NBC News Presidential Historian, as well as contributor to PBS's The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster (October 7, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0743244540
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0743244541
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.02 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.18 x 1.14 x 9.21 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #314,115 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #337 in International Diplomacy (Books)
- #735 in Jewish Holocaust History
- #913 in European Politics Books

Customer Reviews:
172 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Michael R. Beschloss

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Michael Beschloss is the author of nine books on presidential history, including, most recently, the New York Times bestsellers Presidential Courage and The Conquerors, as well as two volumes on Lyndon Johnson’s White House tapes. He was also editor of the number-one global bestseller Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy. He is the NBC News Presidential Historian and a PBS NewsHour contributor and has received an Emmy and six honorary degrees. He is on Twitter at @BeschlossDC.

Products related to this item
Sponsored Hide feedback

Page 1 of 1Start overPage 1 of 1

Customer reviews

5 star		72%
4 star		18%
3 star		5%
2 star		3%
1 star		1%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

JOHN GODFREY

The right hand does not know what the left is doing.

Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2005

Verified Purchase

FDR & Hitler were as different as two leaders could be. They did have one thing in common & that was their management style.

Basically it was: Chaos. All those able men below them were never sure where they stood. Who had the bosses ear? Who did he talk to last? Is he mad at me today? They'd play one advisor against another & it worked. Nobody knew everything except FDR & Hitler & it mostly was in their head. But by November, 1944 FDR was dying & Hitler was a physical & mental wreck. Stalin,Churchill, Ike & later, Truman were up to the task.

This book spent a lot of time on Henry Morgenthau, Treasury Secretary. He was FDR next door neighbor at Hyde Park & his best friend. He abused this special relationship, which allowed him to interfere in post-war plans for Germany. He had no special qualifications but he was a Jew. His plans for all Germans was harsh indeed. His proposal was a complete destruction of German industry. A pastoral Germany pre-Industrial Revolution, pre-unification & pre-Bismark. Germans were to subsist on what they could produce. Germany had not fed itself in the 20th century & this would have led to starvation. One of Morganthau's favorite lines was: "Three bowls of soup every day for every German." Now FDR hated the Germans & he humored Moganthau. But FDR's idea was to leave intact Germany's industrial capacity, which at the end of the war was still considerable, & turn it over to Great Britian for their use. At this point Great Britain was bankrupt. Churchill knew, with his keen foresight, that a strong Germany would be an important ally in the coming "Cold War" with the Soviets.

Harry Truman was inexcusably kept in the dark on all post war planning. Then FDR died. But Harry was a quick study & rapidly grew into the presidency & was soon up to speed. As Morgenthau & all the old cronies of the previous 12 years discovered, Truman was no FDR.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

The Not So Private War of Henry Morgenthau

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2007

Verified Purchase

Michael Beschloss's study of the Allied management of the end of World War II with Nazi Germany serves as a reminder that things are not always as obvious as they seem. At first glance the goal of hostilities in Europe could easily be summed up as the defeat of Hitler and Nazi Germany's Axis allies. But how does one define "defeat?" Is it territorial annihilation, Sherman to the Sea on a more massive scale? Is it discredit or even elimination of the warring military leadership? Is it national humiliation? Or is it business as usual in the conquered territories under Allied overlords, as would be the case of Japan?

This work is the story of how the United States, in concert with its allies, gestated its final plans for the conquest of Germany. One naturally gravitates toward Franklin D. Roosevelt as the leading man for such a drama, but in truth this book, like the events themselves, pivots around the persona of Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau, Jr. That Morgenthau was Jewish, one of few of his faith to achieve such status to that time, adds poignancy to the tale. Beschloss describes Morgenthau as perhaps Roosevelt's closest friend in the cabinet, a bond developed over their years together as neighboring self-styled gentlemen farmers in Dutchess County, NY. Despite Morgenthau's perceptions and desires, it was not exactly a friendship of equals. As was his wont, Roosevelt managed his communications with Morgenthau in the ethereal fashion of all his working associates. In truth Morgenthau enjoyed cabinet status because of difficulties Roosevelt had encountered earlier with the scrutinies of more independent men in the Treasury, Dean Acheson among them.

His affection for Roosevelt notwithstanding, Morgenthau felt a particular responsibility to Jews under persecution in Nazi occupied territory. Early in the conflict Morgenthau had focused upon relocation of Jews from Germany and elsewhere, but as the War unfolded and the scope of atrocities became gradually evident to policy makers, Morgenthau pressured Roosevelt to make rescue of Jews a major priority during the engagement. Such considerations collided with concurrent Cabinet debate about the status and treatment of postwar Germany. This was not a matter of hawks and doves as much as a question of priorities. Instinctually, most policy makers wanted a hard peace for both military and punitive reasons. The question was how much of Germany's industrial infrastructure to destroy or spare in response to its crimes, a critical matter as 1944 hurried into 1945.

By 1944 Winston Churchill had his fill of German militarism and would gladly have endorsed a Shermanesque solution to the German problem. Living through his second major encounter with the German military machine, he advocated utter annihilation of the nation's infrastructure, including its factories in the Ruhr Valley. Joseph Stalin, ever fearful of his west flank, would easily come around to Churchill's position as well, motivated not only by a will to survive but an opportunity to expand Communist hegemony.

Morgenthau, despite his closeness to Roosevelt, was gradually losing place in the Cabinet. His peers believed that his Jewish faith and priorities blinded him to other military, political, and economic issues that worried them, and with reason. Beschloss makes splendid use of official minutes and private diaries to trace the strategic shifting going on around Roosevelt--insights into the concerns and motivations of Henry Stimson, Cordell Hull, and particularly John McCloy, who at the end of the day would probably do the most to derail Morgenthau's postwar vision.

Roosevelt's 1944 Quebec meeting with Churchill, with Morgenthau in attendance, convinced the latter--wrongly, as it would turn out--that his boss and the Prime Minister were solidly behind his call for a hard and vengeful peace, the Morgenthau Plan. He returned home entirely justified, so much so that he felt emboldened to steer certain aspects of his peace plan toward the Washington Post, with added hints of opposition among certain cabinet members. The fallout from public disclosure ignited massive political difficulties in nearly every quarter. Joseph Goebbels jumped upon Morgenthau's plan as evidence that Allied strategic planning was aimed at reducing Germany to the stone ages. Morgenthau was blamed for stiffening German resistance and costing American lives. Thomas Dewey, then running for president in the 1944 campaign, jumped upon the strategy ["as useful as ten fresh German divisions"] and the now apparent disarray of the cabinet. Roosevelt distanced himself from the plan and from its author Morgenthau, a painful and humiliating blow for the latter. Mercifully, Morgenthau was unaware at the time that his own closest confidant, Henry Dexter White, was a Russian spy.

The Battle of the Bulge, reported by American intelligence sources as a German response to the Morgenthau Plan, was probably the last straw that ended his influence upon conduct of the war. But other factors were weighing heavily upon the Allies. As western armies began crossing into Germany itself, the enormous damage already wrought upon the country's substructure made it clear that economic chaos and starvation were very likely at the conclusion of hostilities. All parties to the conflict, and notably England, were heavily in debt. The idea of a post-war German welfare state worried the international business community [except, ironically, America's own chief treasury officer.] To destroy the existing mines and factories of the Ruhr Valley, for example, seemed less and less desirable. In addition, growing concern in England and the United States about Russian post-war ambitions led to a grudging recognition that Germany could not be entirely demilitarized.

On the other hand, Germany's heinous crimes of the half-century called for an appropriate response. Beschloss captures the dilemma of policy makers, torn between pragmatic and humanitarian concerns in the partition, punishment, and reorganization of Germany. The author presents his well researched account in a style marked by intimacy, immediacy and movement. He gives us another vantage point of the War. Assuming that we know something of how it was fought, Beschloss explains how it was ended--and how it could have ended.

11 people found this helpful

Helpful

Great reading, explores WWII History in a wonderful way

Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2002

Verified Purchase

Michael Beschloss, in his new book The Conquerors, tells the tale of Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman and their roles in the defeat of Hitler's Germany during World War II.
The book focuses on the period 1941-1945, and Beschloss' writing style makes for easily understood reading. Although the book seems to spend a tremendous amount of time discussing Henry Morgenthau (Roosevelt's Secretary of the Treasury), this is easily understood as the plot unfolds.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to everyone interested in the political history of the World War II era. I feel that the only drawback to the book is that there is an entire chapter devoted to post wartime activities in Germany. In my opinion, this chapter is unnecessary, since neither Roosevelt nor Truman was strongly involved in the daily operations in Germany after the war ended.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kreg

One of the best history books I have ever read.

Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2022

Verified Purchase

I so appreciate a true authors work. The author tells a great story along with the true facts of this historical event.

Helpful

Arnold Latta

What would post war Germany look like?

Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2021

Verified Purchase

A great deal of the book is spent on trying to figure out what to do with Germany when the war is won. Fascinating.

Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2003

Verified Purchase

I am a fan of Beschloss and liked this work, but I felt it was incomplete. There was much intense focus on Henry Morgenthau and his plan for Germany - which indeed was a story worth telling - but Truman's contribution was short-changed. It's almost as if Beschloss' editor was demanding the manuscript and he had to wrap up quickly, unable to devote his characteristic comprehensiveness to the entire linear spectrum covered by the title... Still, Beschloss provided excellent insight into the inner workings of FDR's foreign policy team and challenges for the post WW2 leaders...

7 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kindle Customer

the Conqueros

Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2019

Verified Purchase

A very well written book by one of the best historians around.I felt that I was there at Yalta,and again at Potsdam,.Thank youfor taking me on the trips .It was good to see how the inner circlle reacted with one another. Highly recommend this book to anyone.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

And

Perfect Gift

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 11, 2013

Verified Purchase

All I can say is that my dad (retired doctor of 67 and history enthusiast) loved this book and started reading it at the Christmas table.

Max Deutsch

Die andere Seite des 2. Weltkrieges

Reviewed in Germany on April 25, 2011

Verified Purchase

Der 2. Weltkrieg wird bei uns oft rein aus deutscher Sicht behandelt, alles konzentriert sich auf Deutschland und die anderen reagieren eigentlich nur. das war natürlich rein gar nicht so. Dieses Buch gibt ein wenig Auskunft über die amerikanische Seite des Krieges, allerdings - und daher vergebe ich nur drei Sterne - konzentriert auf die Meinungsbildung am Ende des Krieges innerhalb des Kabinettes Roosevelt und seines Nachfolgers Truman sowie unter starker Betonung der Rolle des Finanzministers Morgenthau. Viel - und manchmal Erschreckendes - wird hier über die Zusammenkünfte, Meinungsaustausche und Tagebucheinträge der einzelnen Personen geschrieben. Zu kurz kommt eine Analyse der Gesamtzusammenhänge und auch die Behandlung der "harten" Fakten - was bedeutete der Krieg eigentlich für die amerikanische Gesellschaft insgesamt, für die Finanzen usw. Erschreckend finde ich v.a. die Informationen über Roosevelt und seine anscheinend nicht untypischen geistigen Aussetzer in den letzten Monaten vor seinem Tod, aber auch bereits davor.

2 people found this helpful

Translate review to English

See all reviews

Buy new: $18.00$18.00 FREE delivery: Monday, July 11 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. Ships from: Amazon.com Sold by: Amazon.com

Buy used: $7.56

Sorry, there was a problem.

Sorry, there was a problem.

Other Sellers on Amazon

Follow the Author

The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1941-1945 Paperback – October 7, 2003

Enhance your purchase

Frequently bought together

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Product details

Videos

About the author

Michael R. Beschloss

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Buy new:

$18.00

FREE delivery: Monday, July 11 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon.

Ships from: Amazon.com

Sold by: Amazon.com

Buy used:

$7.56