When do you think the Second World War ended? In August 1945 after the surrender of the Japanese? If the end of the war was supposed to have brought 'freedom' t... » 

When do you think the Second World War ended? In August 1945 after the surrender of the Japanese? If the end of the war was supposed to have brought 'freedom' to the countries that suffered under Nazi occupation, then for millions of people in Poland, the Baltic states and Eastern Europe, the war did not really end until the fall of Communism twenty years ago. In the summer of 1945, as Laurence Rees demonstrates in this gripping new history of World War II, they simply swapped the rule of one tyrant for that of another: Joseph Stalin. World War II: Behind Closed Doors is the first true 'behind the scenes' history of the West's dealings with Stalin, one that provides a devastating and surprising picture of the Soviet leader based on material only available since the opening of archives in the East and new testimony from over a hundred separate witnesses from the period. An enthralling mix of high politics - including the inside story of the Allies' meetings at Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam - and the often heart-rending personal experiences of those on the ground, it will make you rethink what you believe about World War II. «