The Dark Valley
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- Author：Piers Brendon
- ISBN：0712667148
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Summary
Piers Brendon's magisterial overview of the 1930s is the story of the dark， dishonest decade - child of one world war and parent of the next - that determined the course of the twentieth century。
Dealing individually with each of the period's great powers - the USA， Germany， Italy， France， Britain， Japan， Spain and Russia - Brendon takes us through the ten years dominated by the Great Depression and political turmoil。 When Broadway， Piccadilly Circus， the Kurfurstendamm and the Ginza - neon metaphors of hope after four years of carnage - grew dim as the giants of unemployment， hardship， strife and fear took their hold。 From the concentration camps of Dachau and Kolyma， the Ukraine famine and the American Dust Bowl， to the Moscow metro， the Empire State Building and the Paris Exposition， The Dark Valley brings the 1930's back to life through meticulous scholarship。
Brendon examines the great leaders - Hitler， Stalin， Mussolini， Mao Tse-Tung， Haile Selassie and countless others - not with hindsight but in the context of their age; but also， through a vivid chronicling of contemporary experience， he gives us a sense of what it was to be living then。
Dealing individually with each of the period's great powers - the USA， Germany， Italy， France， Britain， Japan， Spain and Russia - Brendon takes us through the ten years dominated by the Great Depression and political turmoil。 When Broadway， Piccadilly Circus， the Kurfurstendamm and the Ginza - neon metaphors of hope after four years of carnage - grew dim as the giants of unemployment， hardship， strife and fear took their hold。 From the concentration camps of Dachau and Kolyma， the Ukraine famine and the American Dust Bowl， to the Moscow metro， the Empire State Building and the Paris Exposition， The Dark Valley brings the 1930's back to life through meticulous scholarship。
Brendon examines the great leaders - Hitler， Stalin， Mussolini， Mao Tse-Tung， Haile Selassie and countless others - not with hindsight but in the context of their age; but also， through a vivid chronicling of contemporary experience， he gives us a sense of what it was to be living then。
Reviews
Christopher Saunders
，
Piers Brendon’s The Dark Valley provides a detailed， kaleidoscopic view of the 1930s， that momentous decade which began with the Great Depression and ended with World War II。 Between lie a cavalcade of colorful personalities and momentous， world-rending events: fascism’s rise in Germany and Italy， Stalin’s purges in the Soviet Union， Japanese militarism， Spanish Civil War， American social engineering and British Royal scandals， appeasement and complacency。 Brendon’s book is hardly groundbreaking Piers Brendon’s The Dark Valley provides a detailed， kaleidoscopic view of the 1930s， that momentous decade which began with the Great Depression and ended with World War II。 Between lie a cavalcade of colorful personalities and momentous， world-rending events: fascism’s rise in Germany and Italy， Stalin’s purges in the Soviet Union， Japanese militarism， Spanish Civil War， American social engineering and British Royal scandals， appeasement and complacency。 Brendon’s book is hardly groundbreaking in tackling these subjects; his book makes heavy use of secondary sources and rarely challenges the conventional narrative。 But there’s something be said for presenting old wine in colorful new bottles， and Brendon’s book is endlessly readable。 His pen portraits of the era’s heavyweights （FDR and Leon Blum， Churchill and Chamberlain， Hitler and Mussolini， Stalin and Hirohito） are lively and convincing， using their personalities and actions to chart the world’s slide into madness。 As in his The Decline and Fall of the British Empire， Brendon displays a novelist’s eye for telling， colorful anecdotes that alternately humanize and ridicule his subjects: from Edward VIII’s coronation interrupted by a mishap with the crown jewels to Stalin enjoying imitations of his victim’s deaths， Hitler gulping mineral water during his speeches and Italian fascists raving about the evils of pasta。 Alongside these Great （or not-so-great） Men are accounts of American soup kitchens， French labor unrest， inmates of Soviet gulags and Nazi concentration camps， Japanese war crimes in China， poorly-armed Ethiopians futilely resisting Mussolini’s tanks and poison gas。 Brendon proves most angry detailing the British ruling class’s appeasement of and sympathy towards fascism， a well-worn topic but worth revisiting in the age of revisionism: he explodes the recent idea that Chamberlain’s appeasement was intended merely to buy time for rearmanent， rather that he and his fellow policymakers had no real qualms with Hitler’s designs the Fuhrer boxed him into a corner。 （In contrast， Brendon strongly defends Churchill for his opposition to Hitler， while acknowledging his obtuseness on Indian independence， the gold standard and his defense of Edward VIII。） It was a decade with innumerable problems and few easy solutions: but， Brendon convincingly argues， the men charged with solving them were at best derelict， at worst complicit。 The toll of fifty million dead and two continents laid waste make it hard to argue。 。。。more
Rial R
，
An engaging， comprehensive review of this fascinationg period of history。
Joe Stack
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“Nincompoop” isn’t a word you come across in many history books， if at all。 This author uses it， and when he does this fun word captures all that needed to be said。 This is an engaging， masterful， and thorough history （political， not cultural） of the 1930s。 An alternative title （and you can come up with many as you read this book） could be “the age of obfuscation，” but considering our contemporary politics， obfuscation isn’t unique to the ‘30s。 This is a detailed history of a decade of “make-bel “Nincompoop” isn’t a word you come across in many history books， if at all。 This author uses it， and when he does this fun word captures all that needed to be said。 This is an engaging， masterful， and thorough history （political， not cultural） of the 1930s。 An alternative title （and you can come up with many as you read this book） could be “the age of obfuscation，” but considering our contemporary politics， obfuscation isn’t unique to the ‘30s。 This is a detailed history of a decade of “make-believe and spiritual betrayal” where in some countries it was safer to “believe everything but the facts。” Chapters are devoted to each country （Germany， Italy， Japan， England， France， the Soviet Union， & the U。S） enabling the author to provide extensive comparisons between leaders and economic & political movements and programs。 The author， in a few paragraphs or pages， gives informative biographical sketches of individuals， such as Hoover， FDR， Himmler， Hitler， Mussolini， Chamberlain， Mao，& many others。I found the back to back chapters on Stalin and FDR an early high point in the book as were the chapters on Japan。 I think the author’s review of how Mussolini， Hitler， & Stalin came to power and their approaches to leadership is a reminder of how easy it is for an authoritarian to rise to power during a period of crises， or perceived crises。 A common tool for each of these men was a weakening （or destruction of a free press） by making a free media an enemy of the state， calling their news fake， and spreading falsehoods as truth。 Stalin， for example， was a master at covering up the mass starvation he caused by spreading falsehoods as truths and removing those who knew otherwise。I also found the author’s comments on the Munich agreement revealing。 Until I read this book， I did not fully understand the global impact of this agreement。Sometimes I felt the minutiae of details was too much， but overall the comprehensiveness of the author immerses the reader in the events and personalities of the decade and， as a consequence， after you’re halfway through the book you begin to feel the tension building to the events of ‘39。After completing this book， I think potential readers may want to start with the last chapter， the Conclusion。 This is an excellent， concise summary of the covered period and may entice readers who are initially put off by the number of pages and the subject matter。 It’s also a succinct analysis of the global significance of the Great Depression。 。。。more
S。
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superb history。 Brendon is a master lyricist who creates a vast panorama through consummate attention to detail and telling anecdote。 in confident， incisive prose， the writer captures the reader's attention about that dark decade， the 1930s， forerunner to the horrific world war two。the stories that comprise this grand volume are sometimes so fitting， I find myself wanting to confirm them in other sources。 5/5 easy， a first-class work。 superb history。 Brendon is a master lyricist who creates a vast panorama through consummate attention to detail and telling anecdote。 in confident， incisive prose， the writer captures the reader's attention about that dark decade， the 1930s， forerunner to the horrific world war two。the stories that comprise this grand volume are sometimes so fitting， I find myself wanting to confirm them in other sources。 5/5 easy， a first-class work。 。。。more
Bill Reynolds
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I'm drained， is what I am。 Most people know the basic stories here， but Brendon loads the reader down with a massive wealth of detail that brings it vividly to life。 It told me a lot of things that I knew already （as an autodidact in the field of history）， but bolstered that with a cinematic eye for detail。 I'm drained， is what I am。 Most people know the basic stories here， but Brendon loads the reader down with a massive wealth of detail that brings it vividly to life。 It told me a lot of things that I knew already （as an autodidact in the field of history）， but bolstered that with a cinematic eye for detail。 。。。more
Windsor
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Definitely a book I’ll keep as a reference。 Hard to see this as anything but a narrative， which is disappointing。 Might find more in a book more specific to Europe， which would be annoying however， as it would leave out the Asian build up to Manchuria。 Hard to fault the book for that， but i find I’m still doing it somehow。
Jarvo
，
The author begins by quoting Auden: the 1930's were a 'low， dishonest， and dirty'， a moral ground zero which gave way to the immense bloodletting of the second world war。 He then proves this through some wonderfully detailed narrative history dealing with the US， Germany， Italy， France， Britain， Japan and the Soviet Union in turn。 The author's grasp of the detail is one of the book's most obvious strengths and many of the individual chapters and sections would work well as free standing works （I The author begins by quoting Auden: the 1930's were a 'low， dishonest， and dirty'， a moral ground zero which gave way to the immense bloodletting of the second world war。 He then proves this through some wonderfully detailed narrative history dealing with the US， Germany， Italy， France， Britain， Japan and the Soviet Union in turn。 The author's grasp of the detail is one of the book's most obvious strengths and many of the individual chapters and sections would work well as free standing works （I am thinking particularly of the chapters on， for example， Mussolini's invasion of Ethiopia or the two pivotal chapters on the Spanish civil war）。 What is more challenging - and a problem for many readers - is the author's reluctance to draw broad conclusions。 They are there but you have to work to draw them out。 Paramount among these are the centrality of the Great Depression to subsequent events， leading many politicians to focus on domestic rather than foreign events （Chamberlain justifying his failure to re-arm: 'I'd rather gamble on foreign policy than on the economy'）; the extent to which appeasement was a disaster， pushing the Soviet Union into its fateful pact with the Nazis; and above all how a climate of mendacity allows the worst to flourish。I re-read this book because I'm curious about the parallels between the 1930's and the current decade。 Comparisons like this are always fraught and whilst I'd hesitate to say the two decades are similar I would definitely say that what we are experiencing is more like the 1930's than any of the intervening decades were。 Politicians who lie most and loudest would appear to be the most successful （Auden - again: 'The best lack all conviction whilst the worst are full of passionate intensity'）。 No-one is taking a stand against authoritarianism， whether in relation to the abolition of the special status of Kashmir or the current situation in Hong Kong。 Democracy appears to have very little left to say for itself， and some of the self-styled leaders of the free world are toying with going over to the other side。 Absolutely no one in power is serious about the climate crisis。 What times。 Will we get it right？ I am an optimist so I believe so， but only after experimenting with all other alternatives。 。。。more
Mike
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There are many things to like about this book， there are some things to dislike。 Overall， easily 4 Stars for the vivid picture of the world between the wars， primarily the 1930’s and the rise of socialism in Europe and the consolidation of socialism in the USSR。 Japan is a unique situation and his discussion is very interesting。 Franco in Spain is covered well。 On the other hand， his observations on the US and France are typical of the arrogant British academic。 He fawns over FDR and his cronies There are many things to like about this book， there are some things to dislike。 Overall， easily 4 Stars for the vivid picture of the world between the wars， primarily the 1930’s and the rise of socialism in Europe and the consolidation of socialism in the USSR。 Japan is a unique situation and his discussion is very interesting。 Franco in Spain is covered well。 On the other hand， his observations on the US and France are typical of the arrogant British academic。 He fawns over FDR and his cronies and he detests the French。 His description of Germany and the USSR are chilling。 Italy and Mussolini are interesting in that you wonder how anyone took ''Il Duce'' seriously， such a buffoon。 If you read the book， keep your smartphone handy as you will need it to translate Brit academic speak often （or you can look up these words ahead of time）:（view spoiler）[ ProlepticAnathematizedPantechniconSyncopeAutarkyMephiticExophthalmicFlâneurVaticAdumbratedVersifierFeuilletonsVelleityChiliasticPullulateEmollientLoucheLouredEuhemeristCorvineAnamadversions （hide spoiler）] Not a complete list but some of the more uncommon words you will stumble across。 Good vocabulary building！I occasionally had a problem with his observations。 Here is one: King George V’s Silver Jubilee celebrations and his son’s coronation were a democratic riposte to Hitler’s barbaric pageants at Nuremberg。 Sorry， a coronation and a monarchy are not symbols of democracy。。。。the peaceful handover of power from MacDonald to Baldwin to Chamberlain represents democracy。The chilling picture of life under Stalin includes the regular disappearance of once stalwart Communists and modifying Stalin’s personal history as needed: He （Stalin） later cut this fact from his official biography， one of so many Soviet re-shapings of the past in the interest of the present that a student of history complained， “You never know what’s going to happen yesterday”History doesn’t repeat but it does rhyme。 One theme is very similar to our time--the rise of mass media in the 1930’s and the rise of social media in the present。 In the 30’s， movies， radio， propaganda， newspapers were under the control of socialists like Hitler， Mussolini and Stalin。 They and their minions could control the message and present a one-sided view。 Today’s SJWs have the same capability to control the narrative through revolutionary new social media and large corporations like you know who。 （view spoiler）[ Yet the Depression years witnessed the dissemination of falsehood on a hitherto unprecedented scale。 Never had science and art so combined to promote earthly powers。 Goebbels and others developed novel techniques of thought control。 New media such as radio and talking pictures were mobilised to sway the masses。 Leaders used aircraft to grab the limelight and they emblazoned their messages on the sky。 Dictators imposed their version of the truth by means of dogma and terror。 They created new cults and persecuted unbelievers。 Russia and Germany， and to a lesser extent Italy and Japan， had their own reality。 Facts were moulded like plasticine into the approved shape， whether Communist， Aryan， Fascist or imperial。 Totalitarianism won adherents across frontiers， for the failures of capitalism were palpable during the Depression and the democracies suffered a sharp crisis of confidence。 （hide spoiler）]The impact of hyper inflation in Germany leading to the 1930’s was devastating and hard to imagine: （view spoiler）[ …theatre seats were sold for a couple of eggs; prostitutes offered their services for cigarettes。 Interest rates rose to 20 per cent a day and loans were made in terms of rye or coal or even electric kilowatts。 Bureaucrats in the Finance Ministry took part of their salaries in potatoes。 Those who possessed foreign currency were impossibly rich， for no one had enough marks to change anything but the smallest denominations。 Ten dollars would purchase a large modern house。 Foreign profiteers took advantage of the situation to make a killing， while American tourists lit their cigarettes with million-mark notes and pasted larger denominations on their suitcases， further exacerbating German chauvinism。 At the height of the inflation， according to a familiar story， a woman who left a basket of marks on the pavement came back to find the basket stolen and the marks in the gutter。 Currency notes were used as lavatory paper。 Not everyone suffered。 Landowners actually benefited， often paying off their mortgages in depreciated marks。 （hide spoiler）]The French experience in the Great Depression was different than others:（view spoiler）[ Unemployment was low because France had been shorn of manpower during the war-I。3 million dead and 1。1 million made permanent invalids。 Of course， the population problem was obvious， but this did not stop busy faiseuses d'anges --“angel-makers”--from performing perhaps as many as a million abortions a year， an illegal practice at least partly explained by peasants’ reluctance to divide land equally among their children as mandated by Napoleonic inheritance laws。 Anyway， the consequences of all these ills was that the Depression took longer to harm France than any other country， and that it also lasted longer。 （hide spoiler）] Seriously…”angel-makers”？ Disgusting。The French like their wine， makes the hard times a little easier:（view spoiler）[ Between the wars Frenchmen drank about three times as much alcohol annually as Italians， most of it in the form of wine-200 litres per head， helped down by assurances from the Minister of Agriculture that French wine was the best antidote to alcoholism and， maybe， by the amiable linguistic convention that it “se boit” （drinks itself）。 There was also one bar for every 81 inhabitants of France as compared to one for 225 in Italy （and 425 in Britain）。 At the same time perhaps four million people， ten per cent of the French population， were infected with syphilis， although matters improved a little after 1929 with the surreptitious import for the mass market of American “Dreadnought” contraceptive sheaths。 （hide spoiler）]British feelings of brotherly love for their French wartime allies is somewhat lacking:（view spoiler）[ From time immemorial Britain had regarded France as its natural enemy， but it took the Great War alliance between the two powers to expose the full depths of their hostility。 “Anti-French feeling among most ex-soldiers amounted almost to an obsession，” according to Robert Graves， who recorded the opinion of his shell-shocked fellow-poet Edmund Blunden: “No more wars for me at any price！ Except against the French。 If there’s ever a war with them， I’ll go like a shot。” Tales proliferated about French peasants charging English Tommies rent for the trenches they were defending， and Gallic pusillanimity was contrasted with Teutonic gallantry。 Many believed that Britain had been fighting on the wrong side and Lord Mount Temple was not alone in saying that if “another war comes 。 。 。 I hope the partners will be changed。” This mood weakened the democratic entente。 Even the normally Francophile Churchill was disgusted with French greed and intransigence during the Versailles negotiations。 （hide spoiler）]One of the best parts of this book is the description of Japan， looking for respect and feeling unfairly penalized by the West。 Japan is as racist a country as you can find and lesser races had to give way， especially the Chinese:（view spoiler）[ …the Orient for Orientals， to enforce （as Kita Ikki recommended） “an Asian Monroe doctrine。” ”China was a woman while Japan was a man”， nationalists intoned; “the Japanese were people of clay while the Chinese were people of sand。” As a preliminary， however， to securing China’s kowtow， Japan would have to overwhelm Manchuria， itself a holy land “consecrated by the sacrifice of one hundred thousand brothers who shed their blood in the war led by the great Meiji emperor。 So， in spreading the gospel of the sword among the 100，000-strong Kwantung Army， Ishiwara was preaching to the converted。 The head of Japanese Intelligence in Manchuria （admittedly an extremist） made no bones about the nature of his country’s imperialism: “we have no intention of imparting our civilization to the people whom we have conquered or shall conquer。 They will simply disappear。 The Koreans will be eaten by vices; the Chinese will be victims of opium and other narcotics; the Russians will be ruined by vodka。 They will be annihilated。 Alone the descendants of Amaterasu-O-Mi-Kani， the Sun Goddess， will people our Empire。 And this is but the first part of our programme of the tasks which the Gods have given to our people。 Nothing can stop Japan from becoming the greatest Empire on earth！ Such forthrightness was uncommon among a people who cherished the Proverb: “Behold the frog， who when he opens his mouth displays his whole inside。” （hide spoiler）] The accounts of the famine caused by Stalin in the Ukraine are hard to read:（view spoiler）[ Many were brutes， official gangsters who reveled in licensed thuggery。 Others carried out the persecutions for fear of joining the victims。 Others belonged to the semi-Christian “tradition of social levelling stretching back to the peasant commune。” Still others were idealists of a different stamp， convinced that they were doing their “revolutionary duty。” They had no time for what Trotsky had once called the “papist-Quaker babble about the sanctity of human life。” According to Marx’s iron laws of history， they shed the blood of the kulaks to achieve the dictatorship of the proletariat。 Without this sacrifice the Soviet Union could not modernise and socialism could not survive。 As one apparatchik expressed it: “When you are attacking there is no place for mercy; don’t think of the kulak’s hungry children; in the class struggle philanthropy is evil。” This view， incidentally， was often shared by Western fellow travellers。 Upton Sinclair and A。 J。 P。 Taylor both argued that to preserve the Workers’ State the kulaks “had to be destroyed。”Whether facing expropriation and exile or collectivisation and servitude， masses of peasants retaliated by smashing their implements and killing their animals-live beasts would have to be handed over to the collectives whereas meat and hides could be respectively consumed and cured。 （hide spoiler）]So many more excerpts I could post here but you get the point。 Well written in the key areas and a must to understand the turbulent 1930’s and the march to another war。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Tony
，
This is a comprehensive account of the thirties from the perspective of each of the great powers at the time。 It was a period of turmoil hatred and atrocity which is captured in the writing style of the author。 A must read for anyone interested in how the world is shaped today。 It is also uncanny just how similar the world is today when compared to the thirties as we have entered a period of mistrust， disregard for rights， lack of tolerance and the emergence of dictators in many of the current p This is a comprehensive account of the thirties from the perspective of each of the great powers at the time。 It was a period of turmoil hatred and atrocity which is captured in the writing style of the author。 A must read for anyone interested in how the world is shaped today。 It is also uncanny just how similar the world is today when compared to the thirties as we have entered a period of mistrust， disregard for rights， lack of tolerance and the emergence of dictators in many of the current powerful countries。 。。。more
LecturerRich
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A long read - lots of detail about how the action/inaction of the west encouraged Germany and Italy into starting WWII
Pallas10
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Masterpiece
Lynda
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This book came to my attention after reading another great_though decidedly with a different focus_ book about the 1930's， 'The Boys in the Boat'， having pored through its extensive bibliography and therefore coming across the intriguingly titled: 'The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930's'。 Overall， this book definitely did not disappoint and I would read it all over again。 The narrative of the book caught me a bit off guard at first （this is my first book by Piers Brendon）， seeing how descript This book came to my attention after reading another great_though decidedly with a different focus_ book about the 1930's， 'The Boys in the Boat'， having pored through its extensive bibliography and therefore coming across the intriguingly titled: 'The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930's'。 Overall， this book definitely did not disappoint and I would read it all over again。 The narrative of the book caught me a bit off guard at first （this is my first book by Piers Brendon）， seeing how descriptive it is on almost every page， offering intimate details of many of the major characters of the tumultuous decade and interwar years while still managing to explain the complex dynamics behind all the decisions and actions taken amongst the major powers （Germany， France， Britain， Spain， Italy， Russia， US， China and Japan） at the time。 It is a book with a rich tapestry， never dry， and a narrative befitting of the grandioseness of the era。 。。。more
Rayrumtum
，
This lengthy book about the 30s could easily have been titled A Long Day's Journey into Night。 The author's thesis is that the Great Depression spurred the development of totalitarianism。 Meanwhile， the democratic states for the same reason lacked the will to control the situation before it broke out into a world war。 Each chapter focuses on one of the major warring factions: Japan， USSR， Germany， Italy， France， UK， and US。 Obviously it is impossible to include everything from this period， but t This lengthy book about the 30s could easily have been titled A Long Day's Journey into Night。 The author's thesis is that the Great Depression spurred the development of totalitarianism。 Meanwhile， the democratic states for the same reason lacked the will to control the situation before it broke out into a world war。 Each chapter focuses on one of the major warring factions: Japan， USSR， Germany， Italy， France， UK， and US。 Obviously it is impossible to include everything from this period， but the author instead of treading the much rutted road brings in new perspectives that modern readers lack because the historical record has been telescoped and shortened。 For example， the Western allies shameful early embrace of Franco and Mussolini is detailed。 Another example shows Chaing Kai Shek was not the benevolent leader that other have portrayed him as。 Also， Chamberlain's over eager appeasement not on in Munich but several other。 To be sure， the book is not a quick read but is insightful。 。。。more
David Anthony Sam
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Piers Brendon's "panorama" of the years leading up to WWII is intelligent， comprehensive， thoughtful， and frightening。 Brendon does not shy from the brutal facts of brutish power， or the newfound abilities of that power to manipulate people through new mass media and technologies。 Democracies and dictatorships alike lied with effect， including the most destructive of self-deceits。 Well-written snd accessible， The Dark Valley should be in the library of every leader and citizen。 Piers Brendon's "panorama" of the years leading up to WWII is intelligent， comprehensive， thoughtful， and frightening。 Brendon does not shy from the brutal facts of brutish power， or the newfound abilities of that power to manipulate people through new mass media and technologies。 Democracies and dictatorships alike lied with effect， including the most destructive of self-deceits。 Well-written snd accessible， The Dark Valley should be in the library of every leader and citizen。 。。。more
Colleen Fidlin
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To say that this is an historical epic is an understatement。 A long read for those that love history。
Bobby Musker
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Like a lot of the great works in the "epic" narrative history tradition， this book thrives when it properly balances opera-buffa set pieces and zany characters with gravitas and well-reasoned analysis。 Brendon has a rare eye for astonishing， often morbidly humorous anecdotal details which enrich his recreations of familiar events。 For example， during his account of the formation of the Soviet-Nazi pact， he pauses the action for a hilarious （and true！） aside about the Soviets' faulty camera flash Like a lot of the great works in the "epic" narrative history tradition， this book thrives when it properly balances opera-buffa set pieces and zany characters with gravitas and well-reasoned analysis。 Brendon has a rare eye for astonishing， often morbidly humorous anecdotal details which enrich his recreations of familiar events。 For example， during his account of the formation of the Soviet-Nazi pact， he pauses the action for a hilarious （and true！） aside about the Soviets' faulty camera flash。 Brendon's love of lurid fun facts occasionally threatens to overshadow the solid historical work it's rooted in， especially in the chapters about Britain， which carry a tone of acidic， bitchy sarcasm that readers of Brendon's other famous work "The Decline and Fall of the British Empire" will be familiar with。 The vast scope of the topics covered in this book makes reading it feel at times like you're on one of those Disney World "story rides" that takes you past meticulous recreations of the highlights of a particular film， except instead of passing by the scene where Peter Pan and the kids fly over London， and then moving on to the scene on the pirate ship， you instead make a short， intense trip to Stalin's great purges and then are swept far away to whatever Japan's up to around that same time， which can provoke readerly whiplash。 Still， if you want a comprehensive， but accessible and often thrilling history of the period that lead to WW2， this is the first place you should turn。 。。。more
Gustaf Erikson
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This is a great book， a very readable overview of the 1930s。 It goes into some detail about countries that I knew little about， like France and Japan， and gives a good look at the Spanish Civil War。It’s striking to see how the twin blows of World War I and the Great Depression dealt the liberal democracies a nearly fatal blow。 It’s also sad to see how inevitable war seemed， even quite early on。 Fascism， Nazism and Communism were generally untried， and seemed like valid alternatives to the “tired This is a great book， a very readable overview of the 1930s。 It goes into some detail about countries that I knew little about， like France and Japan， and gives a good look at the Spanish Civil War。It’s striking to see how the twin blows of World War I and the Great Depression dealt the liberal democracies a nearly fatal blow。 It’s also sad to see how inevitable war seemed， even quite early on。 Fascism， Nazism and Communism were generally untried， and seemed like valid alternatives to the “tired， degenerate” democracies。And in truth， there was a lot of rot in the US， Great Britain， and maybe especially France。 They were slow to react to the needs of their citizens， and understandably very loath to begin a new bloodletting in the same scale as WWI。 France especially has been much maligned for its defeatism。 But it’s unsure how the Third Republic’s institutions could have dealt with it。Highly recommended！ 。。。more
Joe Flamand
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This book is about the rise of the most powerful dictators during the 1930's。 Talks about how the tensions between nations and how they ended out in full blown war。 This book gives big info on how some of the biggest event had ever happened， like how the Spanish where at peace then thrown into a bloody civil war。 My reaction to the book was just amazed because i thought i knew enough about the 1930's but i guess not this book goes through ever detail and doesn't miss a single little event。 This This book is about the rise of the most powerful dictators during the 1930's。 Talks about how the tensions between nations and how they ended out in full blown war。 This book gives big info on how some of the biggest event had ever happened， like how the Spanish where at peace then thrown into a bloody civil war。 My reaction to the book was just amazed because i thought i knew enough about the 1930's but i guess not this book goes through ever detail and doesn't miss a single little event。 This book really enhanced my understanding by a lot and helped me connect the dots。I would 100% the the audience would appreciate it as much as i did because of the detail of the times and the understanding u can get from it。 。。。more
Richard Moss
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Is the 2010s the new 1930s？ Just like 80 years ago an economic shock， has fed into disillusionment with established politics， seemingly producing a desire for authoritarian leadership and simplistic solutions。 In addition， a minority group （migrants in the 21st Century case） has become blamed for all manner of ills in many communities。It seemed an apposite time then to retrieve Piers Brendon's The Dark Valley from my to read shelf。Brendon tracks the '30s through events in the UK， US， Soviet Unio Is the 2010s the new 1930s？ Just like 80 years ago an economic shock， has fed into disillusionment with established politics， seemingly producing a desire for authoritarian leadership and simplistic solutions。 In addition， a minority group （migrants in the 21st Century case） has become blamed for all manner of ills in many communities。It seemed an apposite time then to retrieve Piers Brendon's The Dark Valley from my to read shelf。Brendon tracks the '30s through events in the UK， US， Soviet Union， Germany， Italy， France， and Japan。 And in the opening chapters the parallels between then and now are unsettling。 The rise of Mussolini conjures up a politician who based his appeal on the cult of personality， and didn't bother with the niceties of facts and policies。 （Sound familiar at all？）Anti-semitism is also widespread - and not just in Germany。 And many think the key to avoiding conflict is accepting the expansion of an aggressive nationalist。 （Putin for Hitler anyone？）Brendon stitches the chapters together with skill。 Each one leads elegantly into the next， and they echo back and forth。There are times when a detail leaves you wanting more， but then this is an overview， a jumping-off point for anyone who wants to study individual aspects of the decade more closely。It's not a light read， but Brendon does liven up the gloom with some entertaining diversions into the cultural backdrop， and has a store of great anecdotes。Of course you can stretch the parallels too far。 There are many differences。 History can repeat itself， but it's unlikely to be a carbon copy。There are strong warnings in The Dark Valley。 Moments and events that make you pause for thought。 Ultimately， of course， it can only really attempt to explain how the 1930s produced a global conflict， rather than act as a guide to our future。But forewarned is forearmed and it makes you realise how fragile the democracy and relative peace of the last 70 years could be。 。。。more
Daniel Fehrenbach
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Interesting historical overview of the late-interwar / post-great-depression / rise-of-fascism period。 Not as interesting as the same author's Rise and Fall of the British Empire， and to me， not as well written， but covers a lot of ground in a pretty brisk fashion。 The author has a bit of quirk or crutch where he will take a fair amount of time laying out how a particular figure is particularly awful （or particularly wonderful） and then immediately after those passages write a kind of reversal， Interesting historical overview of the late-interwar / post-great-depression / rise-of-fascism period。 Not as interesting as the same author's Rise and Fall of the British Empire， and to me， not as well written， but covers a lot of ground in a pretty brisk fashion。 The author has a bit of quirk or crutch where he will take a fair amount of time laying out how a particular figure is particularly awful （or particularly wonderful） and then immediately after those passages write a kind of reversal， explaining either how they had some decent qualities tempering their awfulness or some flaws behind their otherwise flawless exterior， it's not a bad way to introduce what turns out to be dozens and dozens of people but it does get noticeable after a while。 Japan takes up a large chunk of the book but other non-European non-Axis or Allied powers are only mentioned in passing。 。。。more
Mike Glaser
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Really good background on the road to WW2， by looking at the main protagonists from the start of the international financial crisis at the end of the 1920's to the invasion of Poland in 1939。 Given the current trends in US domestic politics and international affairs it is a must read。 My rating would actually be 4 1/2 stars if I had that option。 Really good background on the road to WW2， by looking at the main protagonists from the start of the international financial crisis at the end of the 1920's to the invasion of Poland in 1939。 Given the current trends in US domestic politics and international affairs it is a must read。 My rating would actually be 4 1/2 stars if I had that option。 。。。more
Steve
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The book is a careful examination of events and circumstances in six countries during the decade - Britain， France， Germany， Italy， Japan， and the United States。 I've read more about Germany and the U。S。 in that time than I have about the other countries， so this incredibly well-written and thoroughly researched book was chock full of information new to me。 It helps to understand actions in the countries I knew more about when I see how the Japanese military slowly took over the decisions of its The book is a careful examination of events and circumstances in six countries during the decade - Britain， France， Germany， Italy， Japan， and the United States。 I've read more about Germany and the U。S。 in that time than I have about the other countries， so this incredibly well-written and thoroughly researched book was chock full of information new to me。 It helps to understand actions in the countries I knew more about when I see how the Japanese military slowly took over the decisions of its country， or how the French Popular Front tried to bring better lives to its people， or how the English were battling their own political fights all along。 Most of all， though， it's the Soviet Union that surprised me - I knew of Stalin's purges， but I didn't realize just how horrific life in that country became for that decade， and how he decided at the last minute to use the democratic strategy of appeasement which would only backfire on him。 Fascinating read， highly recommended。 。。。more
David Corleto-Bales
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Mostly the worst of times， the decade of 1929 to 1939 was pretty awful， culminating in the worse loss of life on the planet since the Black Death in the fourteenth century。 Divided up into different sections， each deeper than the previous one， Brendon chronicles the slow disintegration of peace and stability worldwide as the Great Depression leaks out all over the United States， Europe and Asia。 Various storylines cover the conditions in the U。S。， Great Britain， France， Germany， Italy， Japan， Ch Mostly the worst of times， the decade of 1929 to 1939 was pretty awful， culminating in the worse loss of life on the planet since the Black Death in the fourteenth century。 Divided up into different sections， each deeper than the previous one， Brendon chronicles the slow disintegration of peace and stability worldwide as the Great Depression leaks out all over the United States， Europe and Asia。 Various storylines cover the conditions in the U。S。， Great Britain， France， Germany， Italy， Japan， China and the Soviet Union， including the rise of Hitler and Mussolini， the purges of Stalin， the Spanish Civil War， the New Deal of Franklin Roosevelt， and Japan's militarism in Asia。 Interesting sidelights that are rarely covered in great detail in histories about the era， such as the concordats the Catholic Church signed with the fascist states， Mussolini's brutal invasion of Ethiopia and the characters involved in all these intrigues， Baldwin， MacDonald， Churchill， Herbert Hoover， Haile Selassie， Beria， Emperor Hirohito， and many others。 A monumental work。 。。。more
Maryann MJS1228
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Piers Brendon deserves praise for writing a mostly readable history of the 1930s that covers the major players in World War Two。 The focus is decidedly on Europe with Italy， Germany， France and the UK getting detailed coverage， the United States， Japan， the USSR and Spain fill out the rest。The book is written in an episodic format with each chapter covering a period of time in one country。 On occasion this means that one event is covered multiple times in separate chapters - not necessarily a ba Piers Brendon deserves praise for writing a mostly readable history of the 1930s that covers the major players in World War Two。 The focus is decidedly on Europe with Italy， Germany， France and the UK getting detailed coverage， the United States， Japan， the USSR and Spain fill out the rest。The book is written in an episodic format with each chapter covering a period of time in one country。 On occasion this means that one event is covered multiple times in separate chapters - not necessarily a bad thing when it allows a different perspective on the event。 It also means that the narrative weaves back and forth through time: the chapter on France might end in 1936 but the next step in Italy starts in 1931。 The effect of both is to make each chapter stand on its own but keeps the whole from quite fitting seamlessly together。 Though Brendon does try to knit the chapters together by introducing the country covered in the next chapter in the last pages of the previous this tactic feels clunky more often than not。 This is not a showstopper， just something to keep in mind。The chapters on Japan and Italy are especially strong， possibly because so few writers of popular history have given much attention to either country's experience during the 1930s lately。 The chapters on Spain and France are quite good also。 Oddly， considering that Brendon is English， the chapters on the UK are surprisingly patchy。 The chapters on the United States are， on occasion， a bit odd。 Brendon's take on the Supreme Court was surprisingly ill-informed and his sudden segue into Hollywood was downright bizarre。 After paying little attention to culture in general Brendon spends pages essentially complaining about the output of the movie factories。 I'm still wondering what the line "Even monsters like Boris Karloff and Shirley Temple did not seem credible" is supposed to mean。 Does he mean the characters they played？ Boris and Shirley as individuals？ Is this a bon mot gone flat？ Even more strangely， Brendon keeps referencing Citizen Kane， a great movie but one made in 1940 and released in 1941。 Pop culture critiques are not Brendon's strength。The subtitle， A Panorama of the 1930s， is apt。 This is not a comprehensive history。 What Brendon covers and ignores verges on idiosyncratic at times。 He's not trying for completeness but rather to give the reader the feeling of the 1930s: a slow， exorable descent into chaos and ultimately the dark valley of war。 The sheer breadth of what the book attempts to cover deserves the attention of any reader interested in the times。 。。。more
Heather G
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Very VerboseThe author definitely knows his subject materia but spends lot of time making $5 words and going into unnecessary details about the person in questions fashion sense and hobbies。
Stringy
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Well that was epic！ I don't think I've ever consulted a dictionary， Wikipedia and Google Translate as frequently as I did while reading this doorstopper。 But Brendon does exactly what he promises: gives a comprehensive overview of the events of the 1930s which led to WWII。 If you've ever wondered how Japan even got involved with the Axis powers， or why the Spanish Civil War had so many foreign fighters， this is the book for you。 Brendon focuses each chapter on one of the primary combatants of WW Well that was epic！ I don't think I've ever consulted a dictionary， Wikipedia and Google Translate as frequently as I did while reading this doorstopper。 But Brendon does exactly what he promises: gives a comprehensive overview of the events of the 1930s which led to WWII。 If you've ever wondered how Japan even got involved with the Axis powers， or why the Spanish Civil War had so many foreign fighters， this is the book for you。 Brendon focuses each chapter on one of the primary combatants of WWII， sometimes overlapping time periods so he can present the same event from a different angle。 He adds snippets of pop culture to demonstrate public opinion of political events， which really makes them come alive for me。 The ten dollar words and bits of untranslated French were unnecessary， but that's academic writing for you I suppose。 And skipping the lists of furnishings and the revolving-door ministries of Britain and France would have shortened it without losing much of interest。The "panorama" of the subtitle is a really good description of this book。 I didn't take history in high school， so I feel like this has filled in a large gap in my knowledge by presenting the standard thinking on the causes of WWII。 Of course， that just raises more questions but now I have a context for them。 。。。more
Matthew Griffiths
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An excellent account of the depression era and the inexorable descent into war。 The book follows the process by which each of the main states that are focussed on （Great Britain， Germany， France， Italy， USA， USSR and Japan） came to find themselves in the positions of 1939 before the outbreak of the second world war。 The main focus of the book I would argue is the missed opportunities both economically and diplomatically to preserve peace and prevent the destruction of the war。 Brendon does an ex An excellent account of the depression era and the inexorable descent into war。 The book follows the process by which each of the main states that are focussed on （Great Britain， Germany， France， Italy， USA， USSR and Japan） came to find themselves in the positions of 1939 before the outbreak of the second world war。 The main focus of the book I would argue is the missed opportunities both economically and diplomatically to preserve peace and prevent the destruction of the war。 Brendon does an excellent job in showing the connections between the economic destruction of the crash and the ensuing depression and the political climate that grew from this and how the crisis in each country while differing in severity also had effects on neighbouring states。 I would highly recommend this for anyone interested in the 1930s as a historical period and particularly for anyone interested in the Second World War and particularly the reasons behind it。 。。。more
Simon Wood
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ON THE ROAD TO WAR Having found Piers Brendon's "The Decline and Fall of the British Empire" an entertaining and informative read I turned with a sense of expectation to his earlier work: a global history of Auden's low dishonest decade "The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s"。This 600 page tome is a massive montage of anecdotes， events and personalities that in combination with Brendon's well reasoned analysis， readable and sharply witty prose are woven together into a seamless whole that cha ON THE ROAD TO WAR Having found Piers Brendon's "The Decline and Fall of the British Empire" an entertaining and informative read I turned with a sense of expectation to his earlier work: a global history of Auden's low dishonest decade "The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s"。This 600 page tome is a massive montage of anecdotes， events and personalities that in combination with Brendon's well reasoned analysis， readable and sharply witty prose are woven together into a seamless whole that charts the experience of 8 major countries （The United States， Britain， France， Germany， Italy， The Soviet Union， China and Japan） through out the decade that lead to the Second World War。 Like his work on the British Empire this book will entertain and inform those with a general interest in the era without over simplifying the issues at stake。 Though there are occasions when Brendon's virtuoso performance does appear to go astray （as in the case of the British Royal Family） the reader will rarely be bored and as un-edified as they might expect。The central theme of this book is the experience of the Great Depression and the effect this had on developments within the 8 individual countries， the relations between them and how this lead on towards War。 While not being a book that is academic， or intensely analytical， it is aware of the Economic factors that lead to the bloodiest conflict in world history， especially those differences between the "Have" and the "Have-not" powers （the Empire light Germany， Italy and Japan）。 Those parts that deal with the tensions in Japan between the military and the liberal internationally minded political establishment were of particular interest， as is the account of the Italian invasion of Ethiopia and the devastating "famine" and purges within the Soviet Union。 In the middle of the work， Brendon takes us out-with the 8 core countries of his study （but not out of their influence） into an account of the Spanish Civil War。 This acts the part of a microcosm of central issues such as Fascism's violently revisionist activism， Soviet intervention and the follies of non-intervention by the Americans， British and French: equivalent to the policy of appeasement applied by the British and French to Nazi Germany。Brendon seems to be a specialist in writing broad based books that engage the larger historical issues without shirking the responsibility a writer has of being readable。 Recommended to those who are relatively new to the subject， and those who are not so new will be sure to find something that is new。 。。。more
Rally Soong
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One of the best I've read。 I love the witty tone and the character sketches the author was able to draw of all the big names of the time。 The Nazi leadership comes off as nutty as they really were， and the descriptions of nazi leadership meetings are funny as each leader had their own fad diet that they followed。 The stories about FDR， Churchill， Stalin， Franco were all so well done I couldn't put it down。 The writer took the tone of both historian and a magazine profile writer and mixed in some One of the best I've read。 I love the witty tone and the character sketches the author was able to draw of all the big names of the time。 The Nazi leadership comes off as nutty as they really were， and the descriptions of nazi leadership meetings are funny as each leader had their own fad diet that they followed。 The stories about FDR， Churchill， Stalin， Franco were all so well done I couldn't put it down。 The writer took the tone of both historian and a magazine profile writer and mixed in some almost cocktail gossip tone to his writing that is clever and informative。 A must read 。。。more
Peter King
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The Dark Valley is rightly called a panorama because it circles the globe。 While we are arguably in a major recession at the moment it is nothing as profound or indeed evocative as the darkness which fell on the world between the wars。 Certainly The Dark Valley is light on events in India or China but it does capture the existential shock of World War One and the echoes which ripples through the subsequent decades。 Not always accurate in its hirtory the Dark Valley is more about a spiritual tran The Dark Valley is rightly called a panorama because it circles the globe。 While we are arguably in a major recession at the moment it is nothing as profound or indeed evocative as the darkness which fell on the world between the wars。 Certainly The Dark Valley is light on events in India or China but it does capture the existential shock of World War One and the echoes which ripples through the subsequent decades。 Not always accurate in its hirtory the Dark Valley is more about a spiritual transformation captured by Anna Akhmatova's poem which supplied the title。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Dark Valley
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Dark Valley&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Dark Valley&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0