As 1938 drew to a close, Europe believed in the promise of peace; less than a year later, the fateful decisions of just a few men had again led Europe to a massive world war. Drawing on contemporary diaries, memoirs, newspapers, and interviews, Frederick Taylor highlights the day-to-day experiences of ordinary citizens as well as those who were at the height of power in Germany and Britain. Their voices bring a sense of immediacy to this often-surprising account of the period, and reveal a marked disconnect between these government and their people.