World at War, 1939-1945

World War Two was the greatest conflict in history. An estimated 60 million men, women and children died in a war that engulfed the globe and shaped the world in which we live. It was a defining event in the history of the twentieth century. This comparative, transnational survey will focus on the political, social and cultural aspects of this conflict, and working with diverse historical materials and perspectives. It will deal with the war in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, addressing topics including: German and Japanese war aims; Blitzkrieg in Poland and France; propaganda, civilian mobilisation and total war; allied leadership, co-operation and division; civilians under occupation (collaboration and resistance) and the experience of prisoners of war; racial policies and genocide; wartime intelligence and espionage; the debates over mass bombing and recourse to atomic weapons; and concepts of post-war reconstruction and the emergence of new international institutions. We will survey the contexts and legacies of the war, and evaluate its enduring historical significance.