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WW2 - what does it mean for us? (a book)

Discussion in 'WWII General' started by shortyafter, Dec 10, 2016.

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  1. shortyafter

    shortyafter New Member

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    Hi guys,

    I'm a newbie here at the forums. 25 years old. Growing up I was enthralled with WW2 history - played all kinds of games, watched the films, watched the movies, etc. Minored in history. I have kind of gotten away from all that in the last few years. However, a couple of weeks ago I decided to get back into it and picked up "The First World War" by Cyril Falls. Why not start with number 1? :D It was a bit of a tough read, and too much combat detail for me, but I enjoyed the experience.

    So now I'm looking to dig into WW2. I understand that I would have to read dozens of books to even make a scratch on the topic. That said, I already know the general history pretty well. I'm looking for something that goes into the intricacies of the war. Like, WHY?? What was going on in society / civilization to lead to this? How did it affect the people/nations involved? How did it affect us? What implications does it have for the human race?

    The conclusion of the Great War account I just read was that - A. the Great War did not pose a significant threat to civilization as we know it, and B. although plagued by nationalism and bigotry in some ways, it was generally fought in a gentlemanly manner. WW2, from my understanding, seems to contrast because - A. with nuclear weapons, this changed, and B. I see someone like Hitler differently than someone like the Keyser or Hindenburg.

    I dunno, the last few years I've become less of an intellectual and more of a spiritual guy, more of an artist. The combat history doesn't fascinate me so much. I want to know, what do these things MEAN for the human race? What do they mean for our civilization? What do they mean for me in my day to day life?

    I'm not sure if there's a field of history that focuses on that. But it's the part that fascinates me. I'm also not sure if there's a book that will hit all those notes. But if anything comes to mind I'd love to hear it. And, yknow, not a crazy hard read, this is a hobby :D

    Thanks folks :)
     
  2. OpanaPointer

    OpanaPointer I Point at Opana Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    Some light reading in my sig.
     
  3. CAC

    CAC Ace of Spades

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    The first computer came out of WW2... so just posting this is an example of WW2 today...welcome aboard.
     
  4. OpanaPointer

    OpanaPointer I Point at Opana Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    And Grace Hopper, then a USN Lt., discovered the first computer bug, which she taped into her log book.
     
  5. Skipper

    Skipper Kommodore

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    Welcome. Commemorations are examples of WW2 today. They help us to remind our mistakes, so we can avoid them in the future.
     

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