A thread through the archive
Essays tagged “World War II”. Follow an idea across the archive.
A review of Lee Kuan Yew's memoirs covering his transformation of Singapore from third-world city-state to wealthy nation through pragmatic policies, framed as a 'rationalist power fantasy' of someone who successfully implemented sensible governance.
A book review of 'The Escape Artist,' which tells the story of Rudolf Vrba's escape from Auschwitz and his failed attempt to stop the Holocaust by warning European Jews, ultimately exploring human denial in the face of unimaginable horrors.
Through the lens of instant mashed potatoes, the author explores how modern society creates inferior imitations of real things, and what we lose by accepting these substitutes.
A review of 'How the War Was Won' by Phillips Payson O'Brien, which argues that Allied air and sea power, not land battles, were decisive in World War II.
A review of 'The Internationalists', which argues for the significance of the 1928 Kellogg-Briand Peace Pact in outlawing war and shaping modern international relations.
Scott Alexander reviews Hannah Arendt's 'Eichmann in Jerusalem', exploring key aspects of the Eichmann trial and the Holocaust, and reflecting on their implications.
Scott Alexander reviews Malcolm Muggeridge's autobiography, examining his experiences exposing Stalin's regime and the West's willful ignorance of Soviet crimes.