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In the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, the belief that anything was now possible in the reshape and redesign of societies was widespread in the liberal capitalist and communist worlds. The role that planning had played in the victory over fascism was beyond doubt and politicians, intellectuals, planners and citizens in Europe, Asia, America and Africa saw the post war era as an opportunity to harness the power of the state to transform society. A fringe group of economists and think
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The invasion of Australian ruled Papua New Guinea in 1942 by the Japanese presented a direct threat to Australia and to Supreme Commander in the South West Pacific Douglas MacArthur’s plans to retake the Japanese held Pacific. The tenuous fighting across the Owen Stanley mountain range by the retreating Australian ‘diggers’ was one of the most desperate and savage campaigns of the war in rain drenched jungle conditions. Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical c
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In 1958 as part of Mao’s attempts to improve productivity and create a socialist economic miracle in China, Mao waged war against private property and family life during the disastrous ‘Great Leap Forward’. He removed from families the ability to privately farm vegetables and rice, own livestock and prepare food in their own homes. Following the communalisation of entire provinces, families were forced to each at communal kitchen, where food was often withheld for party members and visiting dign
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During the Second World War the imperial government of India, ruled by Lord Linlithgow, the Viceroy of India, was desperate for manpower and the traditional ‘martial classes’ that the British had relied on were to small in number to supply all the troops needed. The vast scope of the conflict meant that millions of men not normally considered for military service would be enticed to volunteer. This would have a radical effect on Indian nationalism and the movement for independence after the conf
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The long battle of attrition by the Japanese Army against the resilient US Marine Corps on Guadalcanal began with serious miscalculations by Japan. Both sides saw the island as a linchpin in the Pacific War and Japan’s over confidence and their imperial over stretch led to their eventual defeat, but not before inflicting immense losses on America, on land and at sea. Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the pas
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Following the victory over Japan at Midway, the US Navy was unprepared for a devastating defeat inflicted on its landing force at Guadalcanal. The Japanese sought to control islands close to the sea lanes vital to Australia’s survival; shutting them off would bring the country to its knees and prevent it becoming a staging post for the liberation of Asia and the Pacific. The commitment of America to Guadalcanal would lead to one of the bloodiest campaigns of the Pacific war. Explaining History h
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The Battle of Midway was the first major victory of the US Navy in the Second World War, resulting in the loss of four out of Japan’s six carriers. This devastating defeat was not the end of Japan’s war in the Pacific, but it signalled the start of a downward trajectory from which Japan would not deviate, despite the ability to inflict losses on America until the end of the war. Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We con
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As French power and influence declined in Vietnam from 1953 onwards, the conflict started to become a proxy for the wider cold war and not simply an anti colonial struggle. The enormous French miscalculation at Dien Bien Phu, where the garrison was surrounded in a north Vietnamese valley by DRV armies came just as France prepared peace talks at Geneva with the government of Ho Chi Minh. Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews.
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Despair and defeatism defined the French political class’s response to the worsening situation in Vietnam following the French defeat at Cao Bang in 1950. This lack of hope led to a gradual decline in the necessary resources to defeat the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. At the same time the DRV was becoming an increasingly professional and organised fighting force. Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past
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By 1950 the French political establishment was in a state of despair about its prospects in Vietnam. The newly reorganised army of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam had inflicted defeats on France in 1950 ad Cao Bang on the Vietnam/China border. The involvement of the USA in the war brought badly needed military and financial aid, but placed an intolerable burden on French national pride. Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert intervie