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June 1941: Hitler and Stalin Paperback – July 28, 2007

by John Lukacs (Author)

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This brilliant new work by the author of the best-selling Five Days in London, May 1940 is an unparalleled drama of two great leaders confronting each other in June 1941. It describes Hitler and Stalin’s strange, calculating, and miscalculating relationship before the German invasion of Soviet Russia, with its gigantic (and unintended) consequences. John Lukacs questions many long-held beliefs; he suggests, for example, that among other things Hitler’s first purpose involved England: if Stalin’s Communist Russia were to be defeated, Hitler’s Third Reich would be well-nigh invincible, and the British and American peoples would be forced to rethink the war against Hitler.

The book offers penetrating insights and a new portrait of Hitler and Stalin, moved by their long-lasting inclinations. Yet among other things, Lukacs presents evidence that Hitler (rather than his generals) had moments of dark foreboding before the invasion. Stalin could not, because he wished not, believe that Hitler would choose the risk of a two-front war by attacking him; he was stunned and shocked and came close to a breakdown. But he recovered, grew into a statesman, and eventually became a prime victor of the Second World War. Such are the ironies of history; John Lukacs paints them with a shining narrative skill.

June 1941: Hitler and Stalin

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Editorial Reviews

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"John Lukacs excels at making historical fulcrum moments exciting, explicable and immediate. As with his superb "Five Days In London," he shows how important Adolf Hitler's one-man decisions were to the experiences of millions in the twentieth century. When the Fuhrer unleashed Blitzkrieg on the USSR on 21 June 1941, he said that Operation Barbarossa would make the world hold its breath; you will hold yours as Lukacs' narrative unrolls."-Andrew Roberts

"A fascinating and masterfully researched book."-Henry Kissinger

"A terse and telling book which looks into a familiar turning point in history, and penetrates nearer the marrow than less able historians have done before."-MRD Foot (Michael Foot)

"A bantam-sized book with a heavyweight punch. Once again, Lukacs has, with great concision and intellectual force, zeroed in on a brief period but momentous episode that literally changed the world. And once again, he has managed to bring alive the protagonists and bring clarity as well as drama to their fateful interaction."-Strobe Talbott, President, The Brookings Institution

"John Lukacs's June 1941: Hitler and Stalin is one of the fullest and most authoritative portraits of the ambiguous relationship between the two powerful and wily adversaries during World War II's watershed year. Drawing on newly available source material from the diaries, personal papers and post-war interviews of senior staff members close to each, it is a fascinating and masterfully researched book."-Henry Kissinger

"Lukacs' project is to restore the characters . of individual leaders to a central role in a historical narrative .. Urgently engrossing" -- Tim Rutten "Los Angeles Times"

"[Lukacs] watches as two specific people make very specific decisions that will shape the rest of the twentieth century." -- Benjamin Healy and Benjamin Schwarz "Atlantic Monthly"

"John Lukacs's latest work, "June 1941," showcases the worldliness, strategic wisdom, and superb eye for the personal detail that has made him one of our most experienced, readable, and sophisticated historians of the WW2 era."-Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of "Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar" and "Potemkin: Catherine the Great's Imperial Partner"

From the Author

A conversation with John Lukacs

Q: What did you find most interesting in your researches for this book?
A: A number of things, but perhaps especially that Stalin’s admiration of Germany (and even of Hitler) was quite long-standing.

Q: What about the recent thesis of many that Stalin was about to attack Germany in July 1941 and that Hitler’s invasion pre-empted that?
A: Absolutely untrue, concocted, and presented often by people whose hidden purpose is to rehabilitate Hitler.

Q: Is yours the definitive history of the origins of the German-Russian war in 1941?
A: There is no such thing as a definitive history. I tried to move as close to truth as I was able to, something that necessarily involves the demolition of many kinds of untruths. The best I can hope for is an honest and telling description (not definition) that will endure.

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Product details

Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Yale University Press (July 28, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0300123647
ISBN-13: 978-0300123647
Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.6 x 7.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 21 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #995,175 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2530 in Books > History > Asia > Russia
- #3284 in Books > History > Europe > Germany
- #8916 in Books > History > Military > World War II

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June 1941: Eminent historian John Lukacs' explanation of Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union

ByC. M MillsTOP 1000 REVIEWERon August 8, 2008

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

June 1941 is a succinct essay on Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. The format is similar to his work "Duel: Churchill vs Hitler" dealing with the beginning of World War II in the West. The book is a good introduction to the motivations and men who monstrously led the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.
Lukacs' posits his belief that Hitler attacked his erstwhile ally Soviet Russia in order to bolster the war against England. He thought that by destroying the Soviet Union the British would have no ally on the fringe of Europe to assist them in their battle against Fascism.
Hitler's army of over three million troops failed to seize Moscow and Stalin proved triumphant in the bloodbath that became war on the Eastern Front. Stalin was too trusting of Hitler, says Lukacs, refusing to believe that the German dictator was planning a massive invasion of the Soviet Union. When the German hordes assaulted Mother Russia the Soviets were unprepared. Stalin, however, and his leadership recovered and this brutal and evil man became a statesman who led his land to a costly victory. It was only after World War II that the alliance the Soviets had made with the West was broken by Cold War politics.
Lukacs is a fine historian who writes with elegance and grace. He is not afraid of stating his opinion. This book is short but would be a good book to assign in a college course on World War II. Lukacs sometimes says more in 100 pages than other academic historians whose books are much longer in length. This little book is worth your time.

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Personal, Even Quirky, but Worthwhile Reading

ByR. SELIGon August 30, 2008

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

John Lukacs writes in a clear, elegant style and he has the charmingly old fashioned habit of censoring four-letter profanity when others are directly quoted. As this is a subject exhaustively covered, researched and analyzed for over sixty years it is unrealistic to expect many new facts here. New insights may arise even generations later, however and this slim volume has enough to make the reader stop frequently to ponder and say "Now, why didn't I think of that?" or take issue. Prof. Lukacs' fresh look at the term "isolationism" is by itself worth the price

As to taking issue, Prof. Lukacs is not shy about criticizing the work of other historians or biographers--even quite eminent ones and even in a cranky tone. He is a one-man school of historiography, neither right-wing nor left, European oriented or wholly American, ideological nor determinist.

This book is valuable.

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The Politics of War

ByChristian Schlecton May 28, 2006

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Imagine a noted historian sitting down one day with you to help you understand one of the great political/military questions of the last hundred years---Why did Hitler invade the USSR in June of 1941? John Lukacs gives his informed thinking on this and related questions in this short but highly interesting volume. This is not a tale of specific military movements but one of the deadly political motivations and purposes of two powerful world leaders.

The prose is clear, with opinions sharp and cutting.

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Death Dance of Monsters

ByThomas Groveron October 29, 2009

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I found this short book enlightening and a fascinating glimpse into the minds and characters of two of histories greatest villains, responsible for the deaths of tens of millions. Their interactions, and distrust of one another, led to the German invasion of the Soviet Union which surprised no world leader, except Stalin, who had been completely duped and made to look like a fool by Hitler. Fascinating read.

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An author past his prime

ByJorge Kersmanon November 4, 2006

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I find the author - whom I respect - more than willing to find "new" ways of interpreting facts that are already well known. The most obvious of these attempts:it seems (in Lukacs view) that Hitler invaded Russia only to force an agreement from a position of force with England. But then there are a number of indications leading to the "classic" interpretation: that Hitler always respected England, and wanted Lebensraum, despised the slaves etc.

Additionalliy, all over the text there are scattered alusions to historians who -different from the author- seem not no have grasped what whas really going on. Only Lukacs seems to see the whole picture.

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An informative if somewhat difficult read

ByJohn R. Hardingon June 26, 2006

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

An informative book covering a pivotal time in World War II. It's just a pity that the author's language makes it such hard work to read.

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History and political analysis

ByGderfon May 25, 2015

Format: Paperback

This is a fine history and analysis, albeit without resolution, which may not be possible and may be moot. Hitler's reasons for making the pact are much more easily understood than his motivation for breaking it. Lukacs is convincing that it lost the war for Hitler as he analyzes British and French, Russian and Japanese interests. In exchange for German manufactured goods. Germany got much raw materials, a great aid to German war effort. That's besides neutralizing Russia for his fight against the Western allies.

It's likely that the military resources poured into the failed Operation Barbarossa lost him the war. He had hoped, wrongly, that his ally Japan would not honor their non-aggression pact with Russia.

The book advances points of view including Hitler wanting 'lebensraum,' planned to attack Russia all along. That he was making a preemptive strike to forestall Stalin's plans is not likely. Though he hated Communism he was much more caught up in realistic nationalist politics. The eastern war changed the nature of the holocaust from expulsion to extermination, more likely an effect than a cause.
Hitler needed a quick victory which we know now that he didn't get and perhaps never could. It's frightening to think of the world's future if he had either succeeded or refrained.

After his initial mistake in trusting Hitler, Stalin reacted brilliantly to the crisis. As the war evolved the British and French needed Stalin more than he needed them. Lukacs shows nationalism to be much more important than ideology in the minds of both of these great adversaries. The pact and the war was about Germany and Russia not Nazism and Communism.

As there are a number of websites that analyze the issues very well, I'll refrain from a detailed review.

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Most recent customer reviews

His footnotes and sources are very good. The one glaring omission is his blatant contempt ...

By and large this is a very well tightly written short account of the events leading up to the Nazi invasion of Communist Russia in June 1041.Read more

Published on November 25, 2014 by rusoviet

The Lead-up to the Invasion of the Soviet Union

There is not a great deal that is new in this - but the focus on the German invasion of the Soviet Union is definitely an enthralling topic. Mr.Read more

Published on October 27, 2012 by Mike B

junk

It seems that a professional historian simply cannot do any worse.

First comes complete lack of understanding of the environment he is dealing with.Read more

Published on August 25, 2008 by Does Not Matter

Hitler, Stalin, and the German invasion.

As one of the previous reviewers have already stated, this book promises more than it delivers. However, it does cover in detail what happened in June, 1941.Read more

Published on July 28, 2008 by Kevin M Quigg

Ignorant of Russian Culrure and biased

On page 51, after having said that he considered Stalin more "statesman" than Hitler, Mr. Lukacs discovers the startling "fact" that one of the main reasons for the contacts...Read more

Published on June 14, 2008 by Victor Han

magnifico.....

Sobre un tema tan apasionante, como trillado, de un modo increible John Lukacs, nos presenta nuevos aspectos, ignorados y practicamente desconocidos de un hecho crucial en la...Read more

Published on January 15, 2007 by I. M. C. Garcia

Evil personified

The author has keen insight into the minds of the two most evil men who ever lived(bar None) It goes to show the depths of depravity and duplicity dictators will go to justify...Read more

Published on January 9, 2007 by Brysonmacdonald

On point anecdotes add up tellingly

There is no new-history stuff about "the war from the point of view of the front-line soldiers" here, or the sort of analysis of broad econometric trends one might get from Paul...Read more

Published on August 8, 2006 by Jamesian

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