It is often easy to look back at historic events and wonder how those in charge were able to make such world-altering decisions. One such example can be seen in the days after the bombing of Pearl Harbour. Completely caught off guard, leaders in both Europe and the United States scrambled to plan their next moves. Their decisions would impact the course of world history.
In this revealing talk, Brendan Simms will highlight that while key leaders around the world were faced with uncertainty and confusion in the wake of Japan’s actions, it would be Hitler who took the decisive action to strategically gamble and declare war on America. And it would be this action, not the bombing of Pearl Harbour, that was the turning point of the Second World War.
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About the speaker
Brendan Simms is Professor of the History of European International Relations and Director of the Centre for Geopolitics at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of The Longest Afternoon: The 400 Men Who Decided the Battle of Waterloo.
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