The Great Man theory of history, which posits that history is shaped mainly by hugely influential and singular individuals, was once the primary form of historical writing. It has largely fallen out of favour in …
There have been a great many books written about the 6 June 1944 invasion of Normandy by allied forces. Sir Max Hastings made a fine contribution to the literature on the subject in 1984 with …
As the title implies, Iain MacGregor’s The Hiroshima Men is a people-centric history of the atomic bombing of Japan in 1945. In my view it’s only partially successful in that aim. In telling the stories …
In an article in The Australian, China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, informed Australians that China would mark the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression and the …
Today, many Australians will mark Victory in the Pacific Day—VP Day. It commemorates Emperor Hirohito’s national radio broadcast on 15 August 1945 announcing Japan’s defeat, which effectively ended World War II. The legacy of the …




