A wide-ranging perspective on the political and social landscape that gave rise to WWII. Incorporating meticulous research and well-documented sources, it juxtaposes hundreds of interrelated moments of decision, brutality, suffering, and mercy. Vivid glimpses of political leaders and their dissenters illuminate the gradual advance toward overt global war and the Holocaust. "[Dietz] lets the momentum build naturally, sometimes horrifyingly, sometimes poignantly, until the impact is stronger than it might even be in print."—AudioFile