The Fear and the Freedom: How the Second World War Changed Us

The bestselling, prize-winning author explores the impact of the Second World War - for nations, cities and families around the world.

The Second World War was one of the most catastrophic events in human history. But how did the experience and memory of bloodshed - and bonding - affect the modern world? How did fears of violence, dreams of equality, and craving for freedom and belonging affect the world, countries and communities we live in today?

The Fear and the Freedom describes and analyses a period of unprecedented geopolitical, social and economic change. The new order, as it emerged after 1945, saw the collapse of European colonialism and the birth of two new superpowers - the USA and the Soviet Union - in a new, global Cold War. Scientists delivered new technologies, beginning the nuclear age. Politicians fantasized about overhauled societies; some argued for global government, others for independence. Living standards were altered dramatically. It was a time of both terror and wonder, which resonates in the arguments about nationalism, immigration and globalisation that exist today.

As well as explaining the major changes and the myths that emerged, The Fear and the Freedom uses individual stories to reveal the philosophical and psychological impact of the war, showing how leaders and ordinary people coped with the post-war world and turned one of the greatest traumas in history into an opportunity for change. This is the definitive exploration of the aftermath of the Second World War - and the impact it still has.