Gary Hess The United States at War, 1941-1945 - Essay Example

(YOUR (THE A Book Review and Analysis on Gary Hess’ The United s at War, 1941-1945 Gary Hess’ The United States at War, 1941-1945 (published by Harlan Davidson in 1986) is an analytic account of the Second World War in terms of how the United States accepted the struggles and conflicts at the time of international dispute. The book is very concise and straight to the point. It does not drag the reader into arguments that do not have relevance to the author’s primary thesis. The Second World War is often regarded as a historical event of epic proportions.

The European and the Pacific stages were considered as different campaigns by themselves, and Hess provides a good narration of history which is both chronological and thematic. Hess attacks the US and its involvement in the Second World War in a thematic approach which makes the historical account very interesting. For example, in the first chapter, “To Pearl Harbor: The United States and World Crisis”, Hess discusses the nation’s rationale in its inter-continental interference was that first, the US wanted to protect its far-flung allies and second (most importantly, of course) to champion the democratic leadership it had boasted since its independence.

Working on this example, it is clear that although Hess provides a mainstream historical narrative on his chosen topic (that is providing facts and accompanying analysis), the author dwells on the matter that the mere analysis and interpretation should be streamlined to a higher argument. By this, Hess implies in the chapter that the debate on the US involvement in the Second World War does not only work for the nation’s boastful parade for military might and supremacy, but on the thought of serving its task as an ally and as a defender of true democracy.

Hess proposes a very philosophical interpretation of events, in this case. Hess lays down a theme of defeat and victory in chapters 2, 3 and 4, namely, “Allied Defeats and the Axis Ascendancy, 1941—1942”, “The War in Europe: The Turn of the Tide”, and “The Pacific Theater: The War Against Japan, 1942—1945”. Defeat is clearly highlighted in the second chapter where the author chronologically narrates the successes of the Axis powers, both in the European and the Pacific stages.

The interpretation of facts and the analysis of data and historical events that Hess presents are normally done in typical history books. But what is different in this book is that he delves into the moral debate of the historical actors of the respective events. In the chapter of defeat, for example, the author focuses on the intense desire of the Germans and the Japanese for expansion. Their territorial desires had resulted in the huge loss of life which cannot be denied, it speaks through the data that he presents in the account.

The advance of democracy is, thus, silenced in the outbreak of the European and the Pacific campaigns. The concept of victory is emphasized in the subsequent chapters 3 and 4. Hess expounds on the debate on strategic reconciliation and renewal amongst the members of the Allied Forces. The author is very specific and considerate in his discussion of the complex turn of events. It is also understandable that Hess attacks chapters 3 and 4 in a mainstream manner, where history books are the same as what he has done in terms of analysis.

His style appropriately provides coherence to the problematic theme of the plot he left the readers in chapter 2. It is only right that the author provides a series of historical data in order to set a point of interpretation in the latter part of the study which he does in the concluding chapters. A very interesting question that Hess answers, unlike typical history books, is the query on moral philosophy based on the atrocities caused by the American atomic response to the Japanese advance in the Pacific.

A very intellectual debate confronts the readers: was it right for the US to cause the literal incineration of thousands of lives in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Was the principle of evil the best solution to stop a greater evil? These arguments are indeed philosophical and Hess successfully links these to historical events, thus raising the debate whether or not to scrutinize war and the necessity of sacrificing innocent lives. Indeed, Hess is a good writer of complexity. His book is a perfect example of a fusion of thematic analysis of historical events and the transposition of philosophical values behind each of the event which had transpired during the Second World War.

The author’s work also provides good insights about the achievements of international strife in terms of morality and general purpose.