Editorial Content for The Visionaries: Bretton Woods, the Marshall Plan, and the Making of the Post-World War II Order
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
James Holland may not be familiar to many American readers. In addition to 18 World War II histories, Holland hosts (along with British comedian Al Murray) “We Have Ways of Making You Talk,” a WWII podcast that boasts an audience of more than two million in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States. Clearly he knows his subject.
In his latest book, THE VISIONARIES, Holland manages in just 267 pages to provide readers with a clear summary of world events --- from the beginning of World War I to its conclusion, the failure of the League of Nations, the economic collapse of the 1920s and ’30s, the rise of Hitler, the New Deal and World War II. He accomplishes this history in short, informative and simply written chapters. Whatever your political or national persuasion, it allows you to understand how the current international order, now seemingly undergoing a major renovation, came into being. At the conclusion of this masterful effort, Holland takes the opportunity to remind readers what might be the result if those post-World War II structures are simply abandoned and forgotten.
"Holland manages in just 267 pages to provide readers with a clear summary of world events... He accomplishes this history in short, informative and simply written chapters."
Holland’s portrayal of the significant figures of the first half of the 20th century is led by Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman. Roosevelt’s leadership was especially critical from the time that war began in Europe until the final days of WWII when he died of a cerebral hemorrhage. Truman took over the presidency just hours after Roosevelt’s death. But it was not until days after assuming office that Truman was even advised that the United States was building an atomic weapon. As Holland observes, “No other incoming president had ever faced such awesome responsibilities. Few would have bet that Harry S. Truman would prove equal to this immense challenge.” Any bets would have been lost.
In addition to Roosevelt and Truman, the visionaries included John Maynard Keynes, Henry Stimson, George Kennan and George Marshall, a military leader who was both trusted and respected and had a great understanding of the world. I think Marshall deserved more attention from Holland than he receives here. His life has been the subject of many wonderful biographies, and perhaps that is what makes this such an outstanding book. It’s an excellent starting point, and anyone interested in learning more can find references to extensive research in the end notes.
As a broad sweep of history, THE VISIONARIES may not be the deep dive that many readers expect. But the subject and discussion are important for all historians to read, talk about and act upon. Holland’s concluding words are essential for all of us: “The challenges are many, but with leadership, international unity and, above all, vision, we can once again repel the dark forces that threaten us anew.”
Teaser
James Holland’s deep knowledge of WWII gives him unique insight and appreciation for its historic aftermath. THE VISIONARIES chronicles the prelude to the Marshall Plan --- from Franklin Roosevelt’s historic “four freedoms” speech and “Good Neighbor Policy” towards Central and South America to the landmark Bretton Woods Conference of July 1944, which established the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, pillars of world stability. But it was Truman who pushed for the Marshall Plan, which in 1948 kickstarted via economic assistance the fastest period of growth in European history. However, Holland warns that we in the West have become complacent, less willing to safeguard the freedoms that extended prosperity has allowed.
Promo
James Holland’s deep knowledge of WWII gives him unique insight and appreciation for its historic aftermath. THE VISIONARIES chronicles the prelude to the Marshall Plan --- from Franklin Roosevelt’s historic “four freedoms” speech and “Good Neighbor Policy” towards Central and South America to the landmark Bretton Woods Conference of July 1944, which established the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, pillars of world stability. But it was Truman who pushed for the Marshall Plan, which in 1948 kickstarted via economic assistance the fastest period of growth in European history. However, Holland warns that we in the West have become complacent, less willing to safeguard the freedoms that extended prosperity has allowed.
About the Book
From the preeminent WWII historian, an ardent chronicle of the unprecedented and far-sighted U.S. postwar decision to aid its enemies as well as its allies via the Marshall Plan, which led to eight decades of peace and prosperity in the West that could be upended in an “America First” environment.
On March 12, 1947, less than two years after the end of World War II, President Harry S. Truman gave a seminal speech before Congress, in response to a European crisis: Greece was facing economic collapse and encroaching Soviet ambition, and Truman felt the U.S. had to give financial aid to a free people resisting attempted subjugation, which, he emphasized, would promote “economic stability and orderly political processes.”
The U.S. was the richest nation in the world, but Truman believed that shared prosperity among the democracies would make them politically more stable and long-term peace much more likely. His momentous proposition that the U.S. bail out Greece led in turn to the unprecedented and radical Marshall Plan itself: the decision to aid not only U.S. allies but --- for the first time in history --- our former enemies as they all rebuilt from the ruins of the calamitous war. Indeed, with this aid Germany and Japan became economic powerhouses and, with most of Europe, staunch allies of the U.S. --- and almost 80 years on the benefits of this extraordinary decision are still being felt.
James Holland’s deep knowledge of WWII gives him unique insight and appreciation for its historic aftermath. In tight and vivid prose, THE VISIONARIES chronicles the prelude to the Marshall Plan --- from Franklin Roosevelt’s historic “four freedoms” speech and “Good Neighbor Policy” towards Central and South America to the landmark Bretton Woods Conference of July 1944, which established the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, pillars of world stability.
But it was Truman who pushed for the Marshall Plan, which in 1948 kickstarted via economic assistance the fastest period of growth in European history. Its low-tariff environment encouraged trade and brought prosperity and longstanding peace throughout most of Europe and the Americas, including in the United States. However, Holland warns that we in the West have become complacent, less willing to safeguard the freedoms that extended prosperity has allowed. And he makes clear that the remarkably far-sighted decisions made in the wake of WWII stand in stark contrast to our transactional approach to the world today.
Audiobook available, read by Al Murray
