"The New York Times" said of Ronald H. Spector's classic account of
the American struggle against the Japanese in World War II, "No
future book on the Pacific War will be written without paying due
tribute to Eagle Against the Sun." Now Spector has returned with a
book that is even more revealing. I"n the Ruins of Empire"
chronicles the startling aftermath of this crucial
twentieth-century conflict.
With access to recently available firsthand accounts by Chinese,
Japanese, British, and American witnesses and previously top secret
U.S. intelligence records, Spector tells for the first time the
fascinating story of the deadly confrontations that broke out-or
merely continued-in Asia after peace was proclaimed at the end of
World War II. Under occupation by the victorious Allies, this part
of the world was plunged into new power struggles or back into old
feuds that in some ways were worse than the war itself. In the
Ruins of Empire also shows how the U.S. and Soviet governments, as
they secretly vied for influence in liberated lands, were soon at
odds.
At the time of the peace declaration, international suspicions were
still strong. Joseph Stalin warned that "crazy cutthroats" might
disrupt the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay. Die-hard Japanese
officers plotted to seize the emperor's palace to prevent an
announcement of surrender, and clandestine relief forces were sent
to rescue thousands of Allied POWs to prevent their being
massacred.
"In the Ruins of Empire "paints a vivid picture of the postwar
intrigues and violence. In Manchuria, Russian "liberators" looted,
raped, and killed innocent civilians, and a fratricidal rivalry
continued between Chiang Kai-shek's regime and Mao's
revolutionaries. Communist resistance forces in Malaya settled old
scores and terrorized the indigenous population, while mujahideen
holy warriors staged reprisals and terror killings against the
Chinese-hundreds of innocent civilians were killed on both sides.
In Indochina, a nativist political movement rose up to oppose the
resumption of French colonial rule; one of the factions that
struggled for supremacy was the Communist Viet Minh led by Ho Chi
Minh. Korea became a powder keg with the Russians and Americans
entangled in its north and south. And in Java, as the Indonesian
novelist Idrus wrote, people brutalized by years of Japanese
occupation "worshipped a new God in the form of bombs, submachine
guns, and mortars."
Through impeccable research and provocative analysis, as well as
compelling accounts of American, British, Indian, and Australian
soldiers charged with overseeing the surrender and repatriation of
millions of Japanese in the heart of dangerous territory, Spector
casts new and startling light on this pivotal time-and sets the
record straight about this contested and important period in
history.
"From the Hardcover edition."
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
