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On this page, you can find a general overview of WWII, A deeper dive into Pearl Harbor and U.S. motivation for WWII, and a list of media about WWII.

Overview of World War II (1939-1945)

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This section is designed to give an overview of WWII and the Holocaust, if you have questions about anything more specific during WWII please feel free to reach out!

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To learn more about the progression of the Second World War you can view these “Crash Course” videos and articles from the National WWII Museum here:

To learn more about the Holocaust you can start at the link here:

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WWII General

World War II (September 1939 - September 1945) was fought between two alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers as well as many other powers. Several factors caused the war but the most inflammatory behavior, which directly began the war, was Adolf Hitler led Nazi Germany to invade Poland. The war was by far the deadliest conflict in history, resulting in 70-85 million fatalities. Millions died due to the Holocaust genocide as well as from the conflict (starvation, massacres, disease, war, etc.).

The Rise of Hitler

Hitler rose to power using his public speaking skills to fuel the anger and hate felt by the German people over the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty blamed Germany for WWI, requiring the new German Government to surrender lots of its pre-WWI territory, pay large financial reparations, and more. As Germany experienced an economic collapse, Hitler became the people's champion for the new Nazi party. He promised that Germany would become the next world superpower. Using propaganda and patriotic themes Hitler pushed a top-down authority system with him as the supreme leader, “Das Fürher”. He used this power to expand the army, uphold public works including the autobahn (Gemany’s highway) and a national rail system, suppress the Communist Party, and begin spouting ethnic cleansing propaganda.

Goals of Ethnic Cleansing

Hitler used his power to impose the idea of an Aryan state, which at the time meant a world inhabited only by those of “pure bloodline”. Then began a campaign of systematically targeting all people who did not fit into their vision. The primary target of the ethnic cleansing was the Jewish race, which was considered to be controlling capitalism and supporting communism, as well as grossly stereotyped with bigoted assumptions. Other groups targeted were people of color, gay people, those accused of resistance to the Nazi party, Jehovah’s Witnesses, people with disabilities, political opponents, Roma people, Soviets, and more. The ethnic cleansing agenda allowed Hitler to justify expanding the German Empire and create allies with other countries who were interested in ethnic cleansing like Italy and Japan.

The Axis and Allied powers

When Nazi Germany invaded Poland, this resulted in British forces aiding in defense and starting battles flaring up. Germany continues to invade, going to Norway and Denmark. Eventually, the 2 main powers of the war would be formed. The Axis powers were Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan. The Allied powers were Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union. The Axis and Allies each had other countries on their side throughout the war but the main support came from those big 3 on each side.

The Holocaust

Throughout the war, Nazi Germany developed death camps (also called concentration camps and killing centers) where Jews and other “inferior” people would be sent to work and/or be experimented on until they died from sickness or murder by the government in gas chambers, death marches, crematoriums. This systemic genocide of the Jewish people is called the Holocaust and resulted in the murder of over 6 million Jews. Brutal treatment does not begin to describe the horrors of Nazi treatment of the Jewish people.

Pearl Harbor

With Britain facing Germany in Europe while Germany tried to invade the Soviet Union, the United States was left to combat Japanese aggression. In December 1941, 360 Japanese aircraft attacked the major U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The attack was a surprise and took the lives of more than 2,300 troops. The attack motivated American public opinion to be in favor of entering WWII. At this point, the war, which mostly took place in the European theatre, expanded to include brutal battles throughout the Pacific theatre (especially in Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands).

D-Day and The End of WWII

The war raged on for 6 years. In 1944 (celebrated as D-Day) the Allies began a massive invasion of Europe (between the British, Canadian, and American Soldiers). Hitler’s remaining defense was sent West to the beaches of Normandy, France to fight. They were caught by surprise when Soviet troops encountered Germany from the east. Finally, by May 1945, Germany formally surrendered, Hitler already having committed suicide on April 30th. After the war, Germany was divided into occupation zones to be controlled by the Soviet Union, Britain, the U.S., and France. Despite a peace settlement with Germany the war with Japan was not yet complete. U.S. fears of a costlier land invasion (from Japan or other countries) resulted in the development of the atomic bomb under The Manhattan Project. The bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 causing the Japanese government to accept the Potsdam Declaration defining the terms of Japan’s formal surrender.

More on Pearl Harbor

  • The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii on Sunday, December 7th, 1941. 

  • The attack was preceded by months of negotiations between the U.S. and Japan over the future of the Pacific. Japan was looking for the U.S. to end its sanctions against Japan, cease aiding China in the Second Sino-Japanese War, and allow Japan access to the resources of the Dutch East Indies. 

  • Japan anticipated a negative response and sent its troops to Pearl Harbor. 353 Japanese aircraft (including fighters and bombers) arrived in two waves. 

  • Of the eight U.S. Navy battleships present, all were damaged and four were sunk. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship, and one minelayer. More than 180 U.S. Aircraft were destroyed. A total of 2,393 Americans were killed and 1,178 others were wounded. 

  • Japan declared war on the U.S. and the British Empire later that day. The British government declared war on Japan after learning their territory had also been attacked. 

  • The following day (December 8, 1941) U.S. Congress declared war on Japan.

Click on the sources below to watch video explanations and accounts of The Attack on Pearl Harbor

U.S. Opinion on WWII

  • World War II began on September 1, 1939, but the United States did not join till 1941. The U.S. remained officially neutral in the conflict for 2 years while the public debated intervention. 

  • At the start of the war, President Franklin Roosevelt vowed that the U.S. would remain a neutral nation. At the time the nation's public was neutral as well.

  • By October Nazi Germany had quickly defeated Poland and it seemed they would win. They went on to invade the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. Due to this most Americans had a negative opinion of joining the war.

  • In June 1940 France was defeated by Germany and Great Britain became the only major power. This started to motivate public thought slightly toward helping but many remained unconvinced

  • That fall the U.S. held its first peacetime draft in American history, purely for "defensive purposes" and Roosevelt was reelected for a third term. The general population learned further and further in favor of entering the war.

  • In early 1941 the U.S. began distributing arms to Great Britain.

  • The population continued to lean towards supporting the war efforts, and diplomatic relations between Japan and the United States became tense. 

  • The December 1941 Attack on Pearl Harbor caused Roosevelt to declare war on Japan. By this time the public was ready to fight. 

The U.S. population eventually came to see WWII as a battle they must fight. Both for their honor after Pearl Harbor and as allies to forces in Europe. War is never without its struggles and losses but WWII was largely regarded by the American public as a success. After returning from WWII as a world leader, Americans looked forward with optimism and pride. Still, it cannot be forgotten that many lost their lives, were injured, and/or struggled as Veterans without support. With this show, we honor their memory. 

Media about WWII

If you have any questions about these, including what their dramatic point of view on the war is feel free to reach out!

Musicals/Plays/Poetry/Books

Musicals:

  • Alice by Heart

  • Allegiance 

  • An American in Paris

  • Bandstand

  • Blitz!

  • Cabaret

  • Glad to See You

  • Marguerite 

  • The Producers

  • The Sound of Music

  • The Who's Tommy

  • South Pacific 

  • War Paint

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  • "What if a much of a which..." by E.E. Cummings

  • High Flight by John Gillespie Magee

  • The Butterfly by Pavel Friedmann

  • The Little Smuggler by Henryka Lazowertowna

  • Untitled by Takijuro Onishi

  • War Baby by Pamela Holmes

  • We Are Not Blessed by Nikolay Mayorov

​Books:

  • Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

  • ​Drunk on Genocide: Alcohol and Mass Murder in Nazi Germany by Edward B West

  • Japanese American Incarceration: The Camps and Coerced Labor During World War II by Stephanie D. Hinnershitz

  • Revolution: An Intellectual History by Enzo Traverso

  • The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell

  • Island Infernos: The US Army’s Pacific War Odyssey, 1944 by John C McManus

  • When France Fell: The Vichy Crisis and the Fate of the Anglo-American Alliance by Michael S Neiberg

  • The Ravine: A Family, a Photograph, a Holocaust Massacre Revealed by Wendy Lower

  • Divisions: A New History of Racism and Resistance in America’s World War II Military by Thomas A Guglielmo

  • Churchill, Master and Commander: Winston Churchill at War 1895-1945 by Anthony Tucker-Jones

  • X Troop: The Secret Jewish Commandos of World War II
    by Leah Garrett

  • The Atlantic Charter by Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchhill

  • The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw

  • Soldier X by Don L. Wulffson

  • Battle Cry by Leon Uris

  • The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer ​

Plays:

  • The Accomplices

  • Among the Dead

  • Command Decision

  • Copenhagen

  • Dogfall

  • Escort

  • The Eve of St. Mark

  • Flare Path

  • The Imitation Game

  • Indecent

  • Kiss Them for Me

  • The Life I Lead

  • The Moment of Truth

  • Peace in Our Time

  • Pressure

  • See How They Run

  • Under the Skin

  • Watch on the Rhine

  • The White Rose

  • The Years Between

Poetry:

  • All Day It Has Rained by Alun Lewis

  • Friends Gone by Ian Fletcher​

  • The Sonnet-Ballad by Gwendolyn Brooks 

Songs/Movies

Songs​:

  • Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (The Andrews Sisters)

  • Lili Marlene (Marlene Dietrich)

  • Der Fuehrer's Face (anti-Nazi Disney song)

  • When the Tigers Broke Free (Pink Floyd)

  • 30 Seconds Over Tokyo (Pere Ubu)

  • Aces High (Iron Maiden)

  • Blitzkrieg Bop (Ramones) 

  • Corporate Clegg (Pink Floyd)

  • Enola Gay (OMD)

  • Goodbye Blue Sky (Pink Floyd)

  • Hiroshima (Wishful Thinking)

  • I've known no war (The Who)

  • Mr. Churchill says (The Kinks)

  • Nautical Disaster (The Tragically Hip)

  • PT-109 (Jimmy Dean)

  • Roads to Moscow (Al Stewart)

  • Sink the Bismark (Johnny Horton)

  • Sullivan (Caroline's Spine)

  • The War (Angels & Airwaves)

  • Never again (Disturbed)

  • Bomber (Motorhead)

  • The Longest Day (Iron Maiden)

  • Semper Fi (John Gorka)

  • Comin' in on a Wing and a Prayer (Harold Adamson and Jimmy McHugh)

Movies: (Both Fiction and Documentary)

  • The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

  • Saving Private Ryan (1998)

  • Schindler's List (1993)

  • Son of Saul (2015)

  • Sophie's Choice (1982)

  • Life is Beautiful (1997)

  • Inglourious Basterds (2009)

  • Inside World War II (2012)

  • Jojo Rabbit (2019)

  • Oppenheimer (2023)

  • The Pianist (2002)

  • Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

  • The Longest Day (1962)

  • Mudbound (2017)

  • The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

  • Casablanca (1942)

  • Come and See (1985)

  • Das Boot (1981)

  • Downfall (2004)

  • Dunkirk (2017)

  • The Great Escape (1963)

  • The Imitation Game (2014)

  • The World at War (1973)

  • WWII: The Last Heros (2011)

  • World War II in HD (2009)​

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