The Second World War was caused by one man-Adolph Hitler. This tormented personality brought death and destruction over most of the world. Winston Churchill, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin were called on by history to stop this menace. In this book, which includes new material, the background, attitude and personalities of these men are explored in detail: Hitler, the penniless artist of 25 in Vienna; Churchill, the young prisoner of war in South Africa; Roosevelt, stricken and crippled by polio in the prime of his life; and Stalin the seminarian of fourteen studying for the priesthood. By his attack on Poland in September 1939, Hitler brought Churchill against him. Stopped by Churchill and the R.A.F., Hitler moved east to strike Stalin and the Red Army. Not satisfied, he then took on Roosevelt, the leader of the largest industrial power in the world. In spite of all this Hitler, backed by the strongest armed forces of any country in the history of the world, came close to winning. This book tells the story of these incredible events.