Widely hailed as a masterpiece, this is the first history of World War II to provide a truly global account of the war that encompassed six continents. Starting with the changes that restructured Europe and her colonies following the First World War, Gerhard Weinberg sheds new light on every aspect of World War II. Actions of the Axis, the Allies, and the Neutrals are covered in every theater of the war. More importantly, the global nature of the war is examined, with new insights into how events in one corner of the world helped affect events in other distant parts. In a new edition, with a new preface, A World at Arms remains a classic of global history.

From reviews of first edition:‘Few historians could have taken on the daunting challenge of attempting a global history of the Second World War; but Gerhard Weinberg succeeds brilliantly. It is a masterly study which is unlikely to be surpassed.’

Ian Kershaw - University of Sheffield

‘Weinberg’s book is a clearly-written account of events, with enormous … reliable encyclopaedic summaries of anything about which you need to know.’

Norman Stone Source: The Times

‘… a remarkable achievement … It certainly deserves to be placed alongside the war histories of John Keegan, Martin Gilbert and A. J. P. Taylor. As a sheer work of reference it outclasses even them.’

Andrew Roberts Source: The Sunday Telegraph

‘This is a tour de force; classical diplomatic history at its best. Weinberg’s global view of the war pays dividends again and again … ’.

David Reynolds Source: New York Times

‘This is an extraordinary book … an invaluable source for anyone needing in one place as many ideas as possible about the Second World War … Moral and humane feelings underpin his copious scholarship at every point, giving admirable depth and dimension to this monumental intellectual performance.’

Source: The Washington Post

‘… fully lives up to its subsidiary title and to the claims made by its publishers. This is a first class strategic history of the war.’

The British Army Review

‘… a coherent - in fact, hypnotic - narrative offered up in a single, handsome volume … surely the finest one-volume history we have of the most important event of the century.’

American Heritage

‘… a blockbuster of a survey, grounded, to a remarkable extent for so large a work, in primary sources and also in an evident mastery of the secondary literature. It is a joy to read: lively, vigorous, and...altogether a stylistic gem … [it] offers refreshingly forthright judgments on every major aspect of World War II strategy and policy.’

Naval War College Review