HI 386 - World War II

This course will look at the people, forces, ideas, and weapons that made World War II possible. The class will start by looking at the origins of instability in both Europe and Asia. After surveying the social and political characteristics of the main belligerents, the course will study how conflict in Central Europe and Asia eventually developed into a global war. While covering the war years, the course will pay special attention to the strategies and diplomacy of the nations involved, the role of ideology in decisionmaking, the influence of new weaponry and tactics, the impact of war on civilians, the experience of combat among soldiers, and the great challenges imposed on states and societies by a total war of unprecedented scale.

Four credits.