In this episode of Historically Thinking, host Al Zambone speaks with historian Peter Fritzsche about his book "1942: When World War II Engulfed the Globe." The conversation explores how 1942 marked the transformation of regional conflicts into a truly global war, examining the unprecedented scale and movement of the conflict, the suffering and displacement of millions, and the ideological forces at play in every one of the warring powers. Key topics include the Holocaust, anti-colonial movements, industrial mobilization, and how the memory of World War II has been shaped by the specter of World War III.

00:00 — Introduction: 1942 as a Pivotal Year
05:16 — Movement and Kinetic Energy in 1942
07:54 — The Scale of World War II: Numbers Beyond Comprehension
08:55 — Pearl Harbor and the Five Decisive Days
12:28 — Hitler's Declaration of War on the United States
15:09 — American Industrial Mobilization
17:42 — Japanese Military Strategy and Pearl Harbor
19:29 — Japanese American Internment
22:34 — The Global Theater of War and Radio
26:31 — The Fall of Singapore and Anti-Colonial Movements
31:51 — Cross-Cutting Forces: India's Complex Independence Struggle
33:55 — Trotzdem: Hitler's Ideology of Total War
35:48 — 1942: The Year of the Holocaust
39:52 — Ideological Coherence in World War II Armies
43:17 — The Importance of Mail in Maintaining Morale
46:11 — Richmond, California: The Second Gold Rush
48:08 — The Philippines: Between Two Empires
50:32 — Ukraine: Caught Between Empires
53:56 — How World War III Obscured World War II

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