Preface to Second Edition; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. The World in 1937; 2. Japan and China, 1937-1940; 3. Hitler's border wars, 1938-1939; 4. Germany re-fights World War I, 1939-1940; 5. Wars of ideology, 1941-1942; 6. The Red Army versus the Wehrmacht, 1942-1944; 7. Japan's lunge for empire, 1941-1942; 8. Defending the perimeter: Japan, 1942-1944; 9. The 'World Ocean' and allied victory, 1939-1945; 10. The European periphery, 1940-1944; 11. Wearing down Germany, 1942-1944; 12. Victory in Europe, 1944-1945; 13. End and beginning in Asia, 1945; 14. Conclusion; Further reading; Notes; Index.

This is a revised and updated edition of Evan Mawdsley's acclaimed global history of World War II. Beginning with the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, Evan Mawdsley shows how the war's origins lay in a conflict between the old international order and the new and traces its globalisation as it swept through Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The primary focus is on the war's military and strategic history, though also examines the political, economic, ideological and cultural factors which influenced the course of events. The war's consequences are examined too, not only in terms of the defeat of the Axis but also of the break-up of colonial empires and the beginning of the Cold War. Accessibly written and well-illustrated with maps and photographs, the book also includes insightful short studies of the figures, events and battles that shaped the war, as well as fully updated guides to further reading.