1942: Peter Fritzsche on the year when war engulfed the world

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 Year05:16 — Movement and Kinetic Energy in 194207:54 — The Scale of World War II: Numbers Beyond Comprehension08:55 — Pearl Harbor and the Five Decisive Days12:28 — Hitler's Declaration of War on the United States15:09 — American Industrial Mobilization17:42 — Japanese Military Strategy and Pearl Harbor19:29 — Japanese American Internment22:34 — The Global Theater of War and Radio26:31 — The Fall of Singapore and Anti-Colonial Movements31:51 — Cross-Cutting Forces: India's Complex Independence Struggle33:55 — Trotzdem: Hitler's Ideology of Total War35:48 — 1942: The Year of the Holocaust39:52 — Ideological Coherence in World War II Armies43:17 — The Importance of Mail in Maintaining Morale46:11 — Richmond, California: The Second Gold Rush48:08 — The Philippines: Between Two Empires50:32 — Ukraine: Caught Between Empires53:56 — How World War III Obscured World War II