2013 Information Book Awards — Long-listed

Peace after the First World War inspires hope for a better life that’s crushed by the advent of the Second World War.

Beginning with the Treaty of Versailles and the hope for the birth of a better world, Failed Hope follows the postwar rise of fascism, social unrest, Prohibition, the Great Depression, Adolf Hitler’s rise to power, and the wars in Abyssinia, Spain, and China. The general strike in Winnipeg provides a Canadian perspective to the global labour turmoil of the period. The book ends with the failure of appeasement and the outbreak of the Second World War.

The information is presented in easily digestible segments, accompanied by photographs. Informative sidebars provide background information or connect world events to activities in Canada.

Failed Hope links with John Wilson’s two previous books, Desperate Glory and Bitter Ashes, covering the history of the 20th century from 1914 to 1945 and the effects of its world wars.