How The Economist reported on the final year of the second world war, week by week
In January 1945, 80 years ago, the second world war was entering its seventh year. Fighting raged in Europe, as Allied armies liberated large parts of France and Belgium from Nazi control. The Red Army was pushing from the Soviet Union into Poland, squeezing German forces from the east. Meanwhile the Allies’ campaign in the Pacific was gathering momentum, and America was planning for an invasion of Japan. The outcome of the war would transform the international balance of power, politics and the global economy in ways that still shape the world.
This project is republishing excerpts from The Economist’s archive, week by week as the war rolled to an end—a time capsule of how we reported on its final year. A new instalment will appear here on Fridays for the next eight months. To be notified about new entries, sign up for The War Room, our weekly defence newsletter.