Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Victor Davis Hanson’s new book is “The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won.” Jay asks him a slew of questions, including: What caused the war? Was Hitler dumb to declare war on America? Was Japan dumb to attack America? How was FDR as wartime leader? And Truman? Were we right to drop the A-bomb(s)? Was Yalta a crime, committed by the West? Is the Holocaust separable from the war? Who are some unsung heroes of the conflict?
VDH knows the answers — backwards and forwards. An education and a pleasure.
Subscribe to Q & A, Hosted by Jay Nordlinger in Apple Podcasts (and leave a 5-star review, please!), or by RSS feed. For all our podcasts in one place, subscribe to the Ricochet Audio Network Superfeed in Apple Podcasts or by RSS feed.
Jay, I have been a long time fan of Victor Davis Hansen and have read several of his books. I have listened to over ten interviews with him as his does his book tour on his latest book. This podcast was absolutely the best interview I have heard on the many questions one can reasonably raise on the Second World War. Thanks very much for a great interview.
Listened via iTunes last night. In the intro Jay plugged Quip, but he read the ad copy for the business trip booking service.
I enjoyed the interview immensely. Thanks.
That’s been fixed. If you delete the version you have and re-download it, you’ll get the correct spot.
Vastly informative: I may have to listen to it again …
As for the Soviet Union establishing some kind of moral claim to Eastern Europe due to its high fatalities in the war: it’s like the man who kills his parents and then asks for leniency as an orphan.
Partnering with Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union started the war.
Excellent interview and subject matter as usual by Jay. If I could forward one question on to Mr. Hanson it would be as follows:
Just as the isolationists were reacting to the overwhelming feeling that we had been treated as gullible chumps by the Europeans in WWI, wasn’t some of the power and vitriol of McCarthyism a reaction to the realization that the Soviet Union was the real victor of WWII? If WWI had been the war to make the world safe for democracy, it turned out, by the late 40’s/early 50’s, that WWII had been the war to make the world safe for the gulag.
Great interview.
I’ve heard several good interviews of VDH on the “The 2d World Wars”, but this is the best.
VDH has finally met an interviewer worthy of him.