World War II: A Military and Social History

By: Thomas Childers, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Thomas Childers

Between 1937 and 1945, approximately 55 million people perished in the series of interrelated conflicts known as the Second World War. No continent was left untouched, no ocean unaffected. The war led to the eclipse of Europe and the emergence of the United States and the Soviet Union as global superpowers; ushered in the atomic age; produced, in the Holocaust, the most horrific crime ever committed in the history of Western civilization, and led to the end of Europe's colonial empires around the world. But though World War II defined an entire epoch in human history, pressing questions remain - about whether Hitler could have been stopped earlier, about Pearl Harbor, about saving more people from the Holocaust, about using the atomic bomb, and even about how close the Allies came to actually losing.

This engaging series of 30 lectures is rich in detail and near-cinematic portraits of leaders and events. It explores not only the origins of the war, including the impact of the Treaty of Versailles, but also how it unfolded on both battlefront and the American home front, with focused looks at key subjects like Nazism and the Holocaust and the philosophy of strategic bombing and its impact on the future nature of warfare.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©1998 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)1998 The Great Courses

Lives up to its' name.

Absolutely powerful. Well spoken, on point, well informed, unbiased, real. Excellent quality, odd claptrack though.

Great insight into strategic aims of both sides

This is about as good a course on World War II you will find anywhere and this assessment is made in light of the enigmatic statement that Professor Childers is both maddening to listen to and a joy to listen to.

On one hand he is difficult to listen to because he is not the best of speakers: his discourse is littered with “uhhs” and long stretches of silence (in mid-sentence/thought!) as he seemed to search for the right words. He would start a sentence but then stop a few words in and say something else. He also had a tendency to speak softly and fast at certain times making it difficult to follow without re-playing numerous times.

On the other hand his content is simply riveting at times. He does not just relay facts but tells the narrative in an engaging way, drawing you in. He particularly excels at providing and explaining strategic war plans on each side and their rationale for specific decisions and intentions of leaders at each step/phase of the war. Sounds straight forward but it is missing from a number of other courses. His capacity in this aspect earns no less than five stars. But the other distracting habits prevent me from being to rate this a five star course in good conscience.

While he did have some comments on the rise of the U.S. and the Soviet Union post 1945, there was a general lack of discussion of post-war Europe and Asia.

A head scratching omission was the Soviet Union's successful invasion of Japanese Manchuria at the end of the war. There is a mention that the Soviet Union had declared war against Japan but the invasion was not referenced. While this may or may not have contributed to Japan's surrender, this pressure from the west surely should have been mentioned.

A minor warning: it is difficult to follow some of the discussions without a map since the professor will refer to armies by their general’s name or countries by their rivers or landmarks. Unless if you have a great memory or are well-versed in geographical landmarks in Europe and the Pacific, you may want a map on hand when listening.

In the end I was left with a positive outlook on the course and wish he had taught the World War I course instead of Professor Liulevicius. While I typically enjoy his work, I feel like the pieces of his course that focused on the military history of the Great War were lacking and he did those a disservice. I have little doubt that Professor Childers would not have.

I recommend this course to anyone wishing to learn not just more about the events of World War II but also the pre-war landscape of Europe, Asia, and the United States. This is where I learned the most: the build-up of the German army post the Treaty of Versailles, the annexation of Austria, its hostilities in the Rhineland, the Sudetenland (Czechoslovakia), Czechoslovakia proper, and Poland, Japan’s war with China, and its relations with western Europe and the US prior to the war.

I am looking forward to his other course "A History of Hitler's Empire, 2nd Edition".

Great WW2 lecture.

Loved it, so much attention to detail. Consumed me for 6 days as I listened to it at work.

Very good

You can always learn more about this subject. This lecture is very thorough, insightful and emotional. Loved it.

Such tragedy ...

As this course closes, I’m in tears feeling the poignant and heartbreaking words of the the family members who lost their sons in the last bombing raid over Germany when the war in Europe for all intents and purposes had concluded.

“In war there are no winners,” our thoughtful professor laments. Although some would argue, from the prospective of those who lost the future of their children, fathers, brothers, et al, how could one find victory?

I highly recommend this 30-lecture course on WWII.

May God bless those who gave their lives and their loved ones in “the Good War.”

Superb

An excellent history presented in a very logical sequence and wonderfully narrated by a knowledgeable and objective speaker.

One of the best Great Courses

Professor Childers is an amazing lecturer, and this is one of the best of the Great Courses. If you like history, you will appreciate this, even if you think you aren't interested in the topic!

I had put off listening to this thinking that World War II was overexposed (and it is!) but, once the lectures started, I was captivated, and couldn't wait until I could listen again.

Prof. Childers has a wonderful lecture style, and the lectures are well-organized. I really appreciate the "Golden Age" of Great Courses recordings when they captured the live lecture style of the best professors.

This would work well for a motivated home schooler who is interested in the topic.

I just wish this was twice as long...

it felt like so much fantastic content packed into a relatively short time, I wanted there to be more.

The most colorful WWII audible narration ever!

Most of the literature out there on WWII is very hard to follow if you do not have a background in history or are familiar with the 40's. This is one of the reasons it was hard for me to ever finish a WWII book reading attempt. However with Prof. Childers the whole WWII becomes a really entertaining journey to WWII with an easy to understand narration that describes history in detail and colorful explations. Prof. Childers narration is so vivid and entertaining that it gets you from the first minute. The book is structured in a comprehensible manner going over the main events in WWII and their impact in society. This has been one of the most enjoyable listening of The Great Courses so far, not only for it's entertaining value but all the important events in history narrated here that everyone in Europe, America and Asia should know about.

Truly Spectacular Experience!

I found myself over and over again captivated by the overall intrigue of what is going to happen next. Professor Childers puts in you the shoes of every major player in this war and let's you make your own judgment of why certain decisions had to be made. Great Lecture series, and I recommend it to any person truly interested in learning more about WWII.