How War Came

This is easily the best narrative history of the onset of WWII. The emphasis is on a detailed, systematic analysis of the diplomacy and politics of many European nations, including both the major combatants and minor players such as Finland and Turkey. The product of a prodigious amount of research and careful synthesis of the documentary evidence, How War Came is a basic book for understanding WWII. This is very much a detailed, blow by blow (or perhaps telegram by telegram) account of the outbreak of hostilities. This is not a synthesis or analysis of the underlying events that led to war, but it does explain why war broke out at the time it did and how certain combatant nations came to be committed (France and Britain) and others did not (the Soviet Union). Watt in particular writes with real sympathy of the difficult choices faced by the leaders of the western democracies.

"How War Came" covers the period roughly from Europe to the beginning of World War II. Of course, the key actor in this period was Hitler; it was his will, more than any other factor, that caused the war to start.Of course, no one at the time knew that at the time, and this book accounts the diplomatic efforts made by the Britain, France and others to avoid the War. This provides a useful perspective on the history of the time, which tends to focus exclusively on Hitler. Watt has thoroughly researched this period, and provides information that even those who are well-read in the events leading up to the war will learn much from this book.

This book tells of the time between Munich and the declaration of war on Sept. 3, 1939. It is very well done, and the final chapters are dramatic and attention-holding. The author is English, and some of his comments on American politics are not very insightful, but I liked the book and found it well woth reading, even if it is 11 years old.