Was the Allied Bombing of Civilians in World War II a Necessity or a Crime?
A controversial examination by one of Britain's leading philosophers of one of the most important and morally complex issues of our time.
'Among the Dead Cities' is a re-examination of the Allied Forces' aerial bombing campaign of World War II. The purpose of this book is not to question the moral courage of the soldiers who fought in the war and it is clear that the author has deep admiration for these men. However, he argues that we in the 'victor nations' have never really had to examine the morality of the Allies' policies during the war and that ours in the generation who now must undertake this examination.
Grayling asks the controversial questions 'Did the Allies commit crimes against humanity during their World War II aerial bombing campaigns against Germany and Japan?' and 'Should victory in the war allow us to draw a cloak over crimes against humanity, if they occurred?'
In the light of the human principles that emerged from the titanic struggles of the 1940s, we need to examine anew the nature, motivations and consequences of the Allied World War II bombing campaigns. We need to ask whether the Allies committed crimes against humanity during World War II?
