The Devil’s Alliance Review by Difan Li

 

The Devil’s Alliance by Roger Moorhouse outlines the events building up to and following Hitler’s pact with Stalin in World War II as well as its eventual collapse. The author describes how the pact was created because Hitler wanted to take Poland but did not want to risk fighting a war on two fronts. The pact was an agreement that Russia and Germany would not fight each other for ten years or aid other countries in an attack on the other party. There was a secret part of the pact where Hitler and Stalin divided up the land into areas that they wanted. The author describes the consequences that followed this pact such as the invasion of Poland and the Baltic states as well as the invasion of German forces into the Soviet Union which effectively ended the pact. 

I would recommend this book because it provides a thorough and interesting account of one of the often overlooked pieces of history. This style of writing has a journalistic feel which many people will find appealing and any of the arguments made by the author are supported by strong facts. The author also leaves a lot of room for the reader to form their own opinions. 

The book covers a broad range and time period with many difficult events, but presents it clearly and concisely, pointing out many significant or interesting details in the development of history. It often uses a different perspective than we normally see. For example, in contrast to talking about the acts of violence committed by the Nazi Party during World War II, which is the focus in many books on Word War II, the author draws attention to the atrocities committed by the Soviet Union. 

This book is well suited for anyone seeking to learn more on the topic of World War II and you should definitely check it out if it sounds like it could be of interest to you!