The Siege of Leningrad by Harrison E. Salisbury

The Siege of Leningrad

Harrison E. Salisbury was a world-renowned international reporter throughout the 20th century; he covered stories from Tiananmen Square to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, to the Vietnam War. It is no wonder why he was able to document and record the historical events with so much detail and description of one of the most decisive battle on the eastern front of World War II… the Siege of Leningrad. Salisbury a phenomenal writer, decided to take his writing to the next level, therefore he published The 900 Days: The Siege of Leningrad as a clear attempt to accurately have an account about the violent and gore which eventually led to the Nazi’s defeat and the start of a Russian counter attack to push the Germans back to Germany. Salisbury rather than writing about the larger broader historical event, he focuses more on a smaller event, which fused with other small events paint the larger picture. This is what allows the reader to break down and to really understand the cause of the outcome of World War II based on the siege of Leningrad. Salisbury used his nonfiction book, The 900 Days: The Siege of Leningrad as propaganda to share more information on the German’s attack against the Russians in 1941 at the battle of Leningrad.

Since Salisbury was a reporter and reported the facts like a reporter is supposed to, he did not have a thesis that I picked up on, since he was only sharing information on the siege itself. Rather than write a clear-cut thesis he wanted to report on the historical event and record it as accurately and as much detail as he possibly could. Since Salisbury was a reporter, this was second nature for him, as he was very gifted. Even though this poem is not factual regarding the Siege, i...

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...urse of World War II would have been completely different, for all we know Russian could have spoken German. It appears that there is a combination of individuals and group capability to change the course of history. Thus, it is key to have the best possible individuals and fair "masses" so a specific conclusion can be accomplished, in this case a siege.

Harrison E. Salisbury's book, The 900 Days: The Attack of Leningrad, records the attack of Leningrad in 1941 that cannot be overlooked nor forgotten. Salisbury joins great writing with explicit imagery, to make the reader feel as if they were really there. Salisbury made a truly authentic that is vital to the understanding to not just the eastern front, but also the siege of Leningrad more importantly.

Works Cited

Salisbuy, Harrisom E. . The 900 Days: The Siege of Leningrad. New York: Harper & Row, 1969. Print.