The Wages of Destruction

Adam Tooze's economic history of Nazi Germany puts economics at the heart of the Second World War, next to race and politics. Once Germany had failed to beat Britain in 1940, Tooze argues, the war's economic logic pushed Hitler to invade the Soviet Union in 1941 for the resources needed to confront the United States and the British Empire. Shortages then put victory over the Soviets out of reach. The book credits Anglo-American bombing with real economic impact but says it often hit the wrong targets. It also questions the notion that Albert Speer produced an armaments miracle and denies that far more women could have been mobilized. It won the Wolfson History Prize.

Elon Musk included it in a list of audiobook recommendations he posted on X.