Comic

The Road to Global War

第二次世界大战的起源

"How the Last Chance for Peace Was Lost: One of the Best Books on the Origins of the Second World War 和平的最后机会是怎样失去的?关于第二次世界大战起源的最佳书籍之一 This book is a classic work from the early academic career of renowned scholar Chen Jian, when he was conducting research on the history of the Second World War and world history. The author presents a sweeping and incisive narrative, filled with memorable insights. Centering on the major issue of the origins of the Second World War, the book puts forward important arguments such as "not only can a new world war be postponed, but it must be avoided." Focusing on the concept of the "peace structure," the author frames the road to global war as a process of the peace structure's construction and subsequent collapse, then its reconstruction and final disintegration. The book then reviews a series of major global events from the 1920s to the 1940s, including the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler's rise to power, the Mukden Incident (September 18th Incident), the Anschluss (the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany), the Munich Agreement, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, and the attack on Pearl Harbor. These discussions are not only pioneering academic contributions but also profound responses to a time of unprecedented global transformation. First published in 1989, this updated edition includes supplementary revisions to the historical materials and arguments, reflecting the author's observations and reflections on history and current realities. It embodies a historian's dedicated scholarly spirit and his deep humanistic concern for world peace. 本书是著名学者陈兼青年时代研究二战史和世界史的经典著作。作者论述纵横，警句迭出，全书围绕第二次世界大战的起源这一重大问题，提出"新的世界大战不但可以推迟，而且必须避免"等重要观点。作者以"和平结构"为中心，把走向全球战争之路概括为"和平结构"从构建到瓦解，从重建到解体的过程，进而回顾20世纪20-40年代全球范围内一系列重要的历史事件，包括《凡尔赛和约》、希特勒上台、九一八事变、德奥合并、慕尼黑阴谋、《苏德互不侵犯条约》、珍珠港事件等。这些论述既是开风气之先的学术创见，也是对百年未有之大变局的深刻回应。本书初版于1989年。此次出版，作者对史料和论述作了部分补充和修订，体现了作者对历史和现实的观察与思考，反映了一位历史学家精益求精的治学精神，以及对世界和平的人文关怀。