As Richard Overy makes clear, the Allied victory in 1945 - though comprehensive - was far from inevitable. By 1942, almost the entire resources of continental Europe were in German hands and Japan had wiped out the western colonial presence in Asia. Democracy appeared to have had its day. Overy provides a re-interpretation of the war through an account of the decisive military campaigns that created the astonishing revival in Allied fortunes. He also explores the deeper factors that determined success and failure: industrial strength, fighting ability, the skills of leaders and the moral contrasts between the two sides. Today, the modern world is once more in the throes of painful transformation. It is essential to establish why and how the last great war was won. Richard Overy casts a brilliant light on the most important turning-point of the modern age.