HIS 121 H — World War II: Five Controversies and Their Enduring Legacy
Quarter: Winter
Instructor(s): David M. Kennedy, James Sheehan
Date(s): Feb 5—Mar 5
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Wednesdays
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 5:30—7:30 pm (PT)
Tuition: $380
Refund Deadline: Feb 7
Unit(s): 1
Enrollment Limit: 288
Status: Open
Quarter: Winter
Day: Wednesdays
Duration: 5 weeks
Time: 5:30—7:30 pm (PT)
Date(s): Feb 5—Mar 5
Unit(s): 1
Tuition: $380
Refund Deadline: Feb 7
Instructor(s): David M. Kennedy, James Sheehan
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Enrollment Limit: 288
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Open
World War II is the defining event of the modern age, with unresolved controversies—like territorial conflicts and tensions between Russia and the West—still shaping today’s global dynamics. In this lecture series, led by Stanford historians Jim Sheehan and David Kennedy, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, we explore five pivotal debates from World War II and its aftermath, each with lasting relevance.
The first session begins by probing the war’s origins: Was it inevitable? Was appeasement a miscalculation or a strategic pause? Could diplomacy have averted the US-Japan conflict? The course then explores the concept of “total war,” examining the full-scale mobilization of societies and its effects on civilians, from resistance to Japanese American internment. The Holocaust, its horrifying execution, and the US response are confronted as the war’s most haunting legacy. The final two sessions delve into the aftermath: the dawn of the atomic age and Europe's reconstruction, followed by the onset of the Cold War and the creation of an American-led global order. By the course’s end, students will understand why these enduring controversies continue to prompt rigorous debate and cast a long shadow over the political and social challenges of our time.
The first session begins by probing the war’s origins: Was it inevitable? Was appeasement a miscalculation or a strategic pause? Could diplomacy have averted the US-Japan conflict? The course then explores the concept of “total war,” examining the full-scale mobilization of societies and its effects on civilians, from resistance to Japanese American internment. The Holocaust, its horrifying execution, and the US response are confronted as the war’s most haunting legacy. The final two sessions delve into the aftermath: the dawn of the atomic age and Europe's reconstruction, followed by the onset of the Cold War and the creation of an American-led global order. By the course’s end, students will understand why these enduring controversies continue to prompt rigorous debate and cast a long shadow over the political and social challenges of our time.
In this five-week course, each class session will feature two lectures: one by Professor Kennedy, who will present the Allied perspective, and one by Professor Sheehan, who will offer the Axis viewpoint. Students can choose to attend this course on campus or online.
Sign up for Section H if you think you might attend class on the Stanford campus at least once. There is no commitment—you can still choose to attend via Zoom for any session. Sign up for Section Z if you know you will exclusively attend via Zoom.
DAVID M. KENNEDY
Donald J. McLachlan Professor of History, Emeritus, Stanford
David M. Kennedy has long taught courses in the history of the 20th-century United States, US foreign policy, American literature, and the history of the North American West. His Pulitzer Prize–winning book Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929–1945 recounts the history of the American people in the two great crises of the Great Depression and World War II, both of which deeply shaped the Western region. He is the founding faculty director of Stanford's Bill Lane Center for the American West.JAMES SHEEHAN
Dickason Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Modern European History, Emeritus, Stanford
James Sheehan is an expert on the history of modern Europe and has written widely on the history of Germany, including four books and many articles. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. He has received many grants and awards, including the Officer’s Cross of the German Order of Merit. He is a past president of the American Historical Association. His book, Where Have All the Soldiers Gone? The Transformation of Modern Europe, was published in 2009. Sheehan received a PhD from UC Berkeley. Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.