World War II: The dying gasps of global imperialism?

PERSPECTIVE
PERSPECTIVE © FRANCE 24

In his new book "Blood and Ruins: The Great Imperial War, 1931-1945", historian and author Richard Overy argues that Germany’s invasion of Poland in 1939, and the horrors that followed, should be understood in the context of imperialist expansion, as championed not only by Germany, but also Italy and Japan. He also questions the legitimacy of claims that the Allies were fighting a "good war" in defence of democracy and human rights, given the ongoing human rights abuses they oversaw both at home and in the overseas territories they controlled. He joined us for Perspective.