ISBN: 9781250247551

The lively, immersive story of the race to seize Berlin in the aftermath of World War II that fired the starting gun for the Cold War, by the internationally bestselling master of popular… Mehr…

The lively, immersive story of the race to seize Berlin in the aftermath of World War II that fired the starting gun for the Cold War, by the internationally bestselling master of popular history Giles Milton.Berlin’s fate was sealed at the 1945 Yalta Conference: the city, along with the rest of Germany, was to be carved up between the victorious powers—American, British, French and Soviet. On paper, it seemed a pragmatic solution. In reality, now that the four powers were no longer united by the common purpose of defeating Germany, they wasted little time reverting to their pre-war hostility toward and suspicion of each other. The veneer of civility between Allies and Soviets was to break down in spectacular fashion. Rival systems, rival ideologies and rival personalities ensured that Berlin became an explosive battleground.The warring leaders who ran the zones that Berlin and Germany were divided into were charismatic, mercurial, larger than life men you’d sooner expect to find in a Quentin Tarantino movie than a history book, and Giles brings them all to rich and thrilling life—resourced from their diaries, memoirs, and unpublished papers. We meet men like America’s explosive Frank ‘Howlin’ Howley, a blunt sharp-tongued colonel with a relish for mischief who detested all Russians. And the Soviet Vassily Sokolovsky, who motored around Berlin in a luxury, American-made LaSalle sedan. Worldly and urbane, Sokolovsky sparkled with jokes, witty aphorisms and folksy Russian proverbs and peppered his speech with quotes from the novels of Jane Austen.Checkmate in Berlin will recount the first battle of the Cold War as we’ve never seen it. An exhilarating tale of intense rivalry and raw power, it is above all a story of flawed individuals who were determined to win. Just as The Third Man shed light on the Viennese underworld though the character of Harry Lime, so Checkmate in Berlin will reveal the theatre of Cold War Germany through the prism of the actors on the ground. It is a story of unprecedented drama, and one that had a profound, and often underestimated effect on the shaping of our modern world.Includes Illustrations Digital Content>E-books>World History>Germany & Austria Hist>Germany,Austria Hist, Holt, Henry & Company, Inc. Digital >16<

ISBN: 9781250247551

The lively, immersive story of the race to seize Berlin in the aftermath of World War II that fired the starting gun for the Cold War, by the internationally bestselling master of popular… Mehr…

The lively, immersive story of the race to seize Berlin in the aftermath of World War II that fired the starting gun for the Cold War, by the internationally bestselling master of popular history Giles Milton.Berlin’s fate was sealed at the 1945 Yalta Conference: the city, along with the rest of Germany, was to be carved up between the victorious powers—American, British, French, and Soviet. On paper, it seemed a pragmatic solution. In reality, now that the four powers were no longer united by the common purpose of defeating Germany, they wasted little time reverting to their pre-war hostility toward and suspicion of each other. The veneer of civility between Allies and Soviets was to break down in spectacular fashion. Rival systems, rival ideologies, and rival personalities ensured that Berlin became an explosive battleground.The warring leaders who ran the zones that Berlin and Germany were divided into were charismatic, mercurial, larger-than-life men you’d sooner expect to find in a Quentin Tarantino movie than a history book, and Giles Milton brings them all to rich and thrilling life—resourced from their diaries, memoirs, and unpublished papers. We meet men like America’s explosive Frank “Howlin” Howley, a blunt sharp-tongued colonel with a relish for mischief who detested all Russians, and the Soviet Vassily Sokolovsky, who motored around Berlin in a luxury, American-made LaSalle sedan. Worldly and urbane, Sokolovsky sparkled with jokes, witty aphorisms, and folksy Russian proverbs and peppered his speech with quotes from the novels of Jane Austen.Checkmate in Berlin will recount the first battle of the Cold War as we’ve never seen it. An exhilarating tale of intense rivalry and raw power, it is above all a story of flawed individuals who were determined to win. Just as The Third Man shed light on the Viennese underworld though the character of Harry Lime, so Checkmate in Berlin will reveal the theatre of Cold War Germany through the prism of the actors on the ground. It is a story of unprecedented drama, and one that had a profound, and often underestimated effect on the shaping of our modern world. Digital Content>E-books>World History>Germany & Austria Hist>Germany,Austria Hist, Holt, Henry & Company, Inc. Digital >16<

ISBN: 9781250247551

From a master of popular history, the lively, immersive story of the race to seize Berlin in the aftermath of World War II as it’s never been told before BERLIN’S FATE WAS SE… Mehr…

From a master of popular history, the lively, immersive story of the race to seize Berlin in the aftermath of World War II as it’s never been told before BERLIN’S FATE WAS SEALED AT THE 1945 YALTA CONFERENCE: the city, along with the rest of Germany, was to be carved up among the victorious powers— the United States, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. On paper, it seemed a pragmatic solution. In reality, once the four powers were no longer united by the common purpose of defeating Germany, they wasted little time reverting to their prewar hostility toward—and suspicion of—one another. The veneer of civility between the Western allies and the Soviets was to break down in spectacular fashion in Berlin. Rival systems, rival ideologies, and rival personalities ensured that the German capital became an explosive battleground.The warring leaders who ran Berlin’s four sectors were charismatic, mercurial men, and Giles Milton brings them all to rich and thrilling life here. We meet unforgettable individuals like America’s explosive Frank “Howlin’ Mad” Howley, a brusque sharp-tongued colonel with a relish for mischief and a loathing for all Russians. Appointed commandant of the city’s American sector, Howley fought an intensely personal battle against his wily nemesis, General Alexander Kotikov, commandant of the Soviet sector. Kotikov oozed charm as he proposed vodka toasts at his alcohol-fueled parties, but Howley correctly suspected his Soviet rival was Stalin’s agent, appointed to evict the Western allies from Berlin and ultimately from Germany as well.Throughout, Checkmate in Berlin recounts the first battle of the Cold War as we’ve never before seen it. An exhilarating tale of intense rivalry and raw power, it is above all a story of flawed individuals who were determined to win, and Milton does a masterful job of weaving between all the key players’ motivations and thinking at every turn. A story of unprecedented human drama, it’s one that had a profound, and often underestimated, shaping force on the modern world – one that’s still felt today. Digital Content>E-books>World History>Germany & Austria Hist>Germany,Austria Hist, Holt, Henry & Company, Inc. Digital >16<

ISBN: 9781250247551

From a master of popular history, the lively, immersive story of the race to seize Berlin in the aftermath of World War II as itâ??s never been told before BERLINâ??S FATE WAS SEALED AT T… Mehr…

From a master of popular history, the lively, immersive story of the race to seize Berlin in the aftermath of World War II as itâ??s never been told before BERLINâ??S FATE WAS SEALED AT THE 1945 YALTA CONFERENCE: the city, along with the rest of Germany, was to be carved up among the victorious powersâ?? the United States, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. On paper, it seemed a pragmatic solution. In reality, once the four powers were no longer united by the common purpose of defeating Germany, they wasted little time reverting to their prewar hostility towardâ??and suspicion ofâ??one another. The veneer of civility between the Western allies and the Soviets was to break down in spectacular fashion in Berlin. Rival systems, rival ideologies, and rival personalities ensured that the German capital became an explosive battleground. The warring leaders who ran Berlinâ??s four sectors were charismatic, mercurial men, and Giles Milton brings them all to rich and thrilling life here. We meet unforgettable individuals like Americaâ??s explosive Frank â??Howlinâ?? Madâ? Howley, a brusque sharp-tongued colonel with a relish for mischief and a loathing for all Russians. Appointed commandant of the cityâ??s American sector, Howley fought an intensely personal battle against his wily nemesis, General Alexander Kotikov, commandant of the Soviet sector. Kotikov oozed charm as he proposed vodka toasts at his alcohol-fueled parties, but Howley correctly suspected his Soviet rival was Stalinâ??s agent, appointed to evict the Western allies from Berlin and ultimately from Germany as well. Throughout, Checkmate in Berlin recounts the first battle of the Cold War as weâ??ve never before seen it. An exhilarating tale of intense rivalry and raw power, it is above all a story of flawed individuals who were determined to win, and Milton does a masterful job of weaving between all the key playersâ?? motivations and thinking at every turn. A story of unprecedented human drama, itâ??s one that had a profound, and often underestimated, shaping force on the modern world â?? one thatâ??s still felt today. History, eBooks.com<