Downfall
The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire
Penguin Publishing Group · Print & ebook · May 1, 2001
WINNER OF THE HARRY S.
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- Who it’s for
- A closely detailed account of the decisions and realities surrounding Japan’s fall in 1945.
- Themes
- Fall of the Japanese Empire, Wartime strategy and the atomic bomb, Japan’s leaders and the existing order
- Genres
- WWII Pacific Theater, Japanese History, Nuclear Warfare
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For younger readers: What Was the Bombing of Hiroshima?, World War Two: Against the Rising Sun, When Can We Go Back to America?
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Start with this bookAbout this book
WINNER OF THE HARRY S. TRUMAN BOOK AWARD • A deeply researched analysis of the last months of World War II and the fall of Japan In a riveting narrative that includes information from declassified documents, acclaimed historian Richard B. Frank gives a scrupulously detailed explanation of the critical months leading up to the dropping of the atomic bomb.
Continue reading
Frank explains how American leaders learned in the summer of 1945 that their alternate strategy to end the war by invasion had been shattered by the massive Japanese buildup on Kyushu, and that intercepted diplomatic documents also revealed the dismal prospects of negotiation. Here also, for the first time, is a comprehensive account of how Japan's leaders were willing to risk complete annihilation to preserve the nation's existing order. Frank's comprehensive account demolishes long-standing myths with the stark realities of this great historical controversy.
The War’s Final Months
A closely detailed account of the decisions and realities surrounding Japan’s fall in 1945.
Come here for
- The strategic stakes behind the planned invasion of Japan
- A fresh look at the controversy over the atomic bomb
Expect
- Declassified documents and intercepted diplomatic messages
- A sustained narrative grounded in military and political detail
Where it sits
| WWII Pacific Theater | 95% |
|---|---|
| Nuclear Warfare | 73% |
| Japanese History | 56% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Japanese History
- World War II History
- 20th-Century History
- Authors
- Richard B. Frank
- Publisher
- Penguin Publishing Group
- Published
- May 1, 2001
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Fall of the Japanese Empire · Wartime strategy and the atomic bomb · Japan’s leaders and the existing order
- Reading lane
- Japanese History