World War II was the largest global conflict in world history with over 100 million personnel involved. Approximately 50 to 70 million people died as a direct or indirect result of the war. The war marked three major turning points in history: genocide on an unprecedented scale, the use of nuclear weapons, and the triumph of democracy over fascism. The course offers a general survey of the war, an exploration of the motivations and strategies of the architects of the war (Hitler, Tojo, Roosevelt, Stalin, Churchill, et al.) as well as the experiences of ordinary people affected by it.

Prerequisite: Open to students in fifth and sixth form with departmental approval