End of Empire: 100 Days in 1945 that Changed Asia and the World

Abstract

European events are dominating global public discussions and reminiscences of World War II though no doubt Hiroshima will be remembered on 6 August as usual. Thereafter, the 70th anniversaries of Indonesian, Vietnamese and Korean independence will get mainly local attention. Aiming to redress this imbalance, 'End of Empire' focuses on a brief, 100-day period at the end of the war across a broad sweep of eastern Asia - a time when the Indonesian and Vietnamese revolutions were born, the fragile wartime truce been Communists and Nationalists in China began to fray, and the first steps were made in Japan towards a new democratic order. Following a chronological order, the volume combines daily events with commentary, photographs, maps and personal accounts. More importantly, it is part of a radical, multi-faceted project to commemorate the period not just in print but also on screen and in 'real-time broadcasts' published day by day. Here, perhaps, is the form of scholarly publishing and learning of the future but without abandoning traditional standards. Show more